Cream at Madison Square Garden

I also agree with Lugnut. I went to see Clapton at MSG a couple of years ago. He opted for the adult contemporary thing and I had to sit through a lot of that for every electric rocker he played. IMHO his voice is nothing special. His guitar playing is and he still can bring it. At least I won't have to sit through the wussy acoustic version of Layla at The Cream concert.

I've seen pictures of Ginger now and although 66, he looks every bit of 75-80. Saw Jack Bruce and friends at the Bottom Line. Played with David Sancious, Clem Clemson and Billy Cobham. An incredible show . Think it was 79-80. Usually I avoid old rock acts that have stuck around too lon, but for some reason I'm really psyched about seeing these guys. I just hope Jack remains lead vocalist on all the stuff he did originally.

Cream is acting like the gestapo. For ticket pickup you need photo ID. You must be with the person you are going in with and you must go into the show as soon as you are handed your tickets. You can only pickup the tickets one hour before the show and you must present the credit card you bought the tickets with. So much for the spirit of Woodstock! Sounds more like Part 2 of the RNC (also at MSG).

Au contraire. The message from ticketmaster specifically says: The extreme measures are at the band's behest because of the great demand for the tickets to try and eliminate scalping. Funny they don't seem to have much of a conscience about charging 370 bucks a ticket.

Actually the gestapo tactics only apply to seats in the elite 370 dollar areas of the garden comprising perhaps 20% of tickets sold. The cheaper seats for 200 plus are sent in the mail and can easily be scalped. So what's their message? We don't want you making big money off our show but a little is OK? If you charge 370 a ticket you don't care about the working man anyway. Check Cream tickets for sale on e-bay to see how restrictive and effective this policy is.

I am 46 years old and paid my dues with obstructed view and GA tickets when I was young and broke. For me location is crucial for enjoyment. I bought my tix online and got socked with UPS charges , ticketmaster charges etc. It was an Amex gold card pre-sale and I couldn't have got them any other way. If Cream gets together every 35 years I'll go for the 700 bucks but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Your suggestion is not practical. In a way Clearchannel is the Exxon of concert venues. Cream is not playing in any local venue and I choose to see them. I was at the Garden last night for a Sumo wrestling event and saw the Cream t-shirts in the team store. Very cheaply made and I expect overpriced. They basically printed some old album covers as T-shirts in a very one wash and the shirt fades kind of fashion.

Okay,

I went on opening night and am going tonight as well. I agree that this was the best concert in recent memory, but I don't go to many concerts. I saw Clapton solo a few years ago and I can't stand his adult contemporary and acoustic blues stuff. He simply doesn't have the vocal ability to pull it off. Cream may be close to their expiration date, but they mostly rocked. I think Jack's vocals are a lot better than Mick's . I thought there were some obvious lowpoints: 1. Crossroads: It was abbreviated and played like Eric was driving 20 mph in a 65mph zone.
2. White Room: The alternating vocal arrangement sucked.

High points: Tales of Brave Ulysses: Great guitar work by EC. Wah wah peddle etc. Pretty close to what I remember.

Spoonful: Jack's phrasing and EC's extended solos on this were the best part of the show for me.

Looking out into the crowd I noticed a lot of bald guys with ponytails and a lot of gray beards. The weed policy was very relaxed.I have not seen MSG tolerate it to this level in recent years.
Lastly, It didn't seem that EC was enjoying himself that much. He looked very stoic and was all businees throughout. I wouldn't expect Cream to stay together long. Ginger Baker did a competent job but at 66 can not flail away at lightning speed . It slowed the pace down a bit.

I'm being overly critical, but as far as nostalgia acts go, this was the best I've seen.

I went last night and sat on the jack bruce side this time (1st nite was EC side). I am sorry I went. The initial shock of seeing Cream had worn off and since they played the exact same show I concentrated more on the technical stuff. Seeing Cream twice with no variation in set lists substantiated my observation that EC was robotic and not having fun. Jack Bruce had to sit in a chair for several songs. He looked old and I guess he's not too healthy either. Ginger Baker did fairly well although his drum so-slow was boring and unnecessary. I may be in the minority with that judgement as the crowd seem to have liked it. Maybe I'm still turned off from all those solos at Dead Shows. I took my brother who is a musician and he was unimpressed . I agree with his comment as he surveyed the crowd; "Damn man! People are sooo desperate for entertainment. " Because few classic rock lovers care about the music of today, it puts bands like Cream in a powerful position. I wish I had only gone once and would not see them again if they came around.