A Born Again Clapton Fan

Last Tuesday, I journeyed to the music mecca of Madison Square Garden with my trusty concert buddy hallmate. We spent hours on the Greyhound bus, walked the streets of New York in the pouring rain, all to see our guitar idol. God himself had transcended earth to play for us.

After dinner with our fellow music lovers, obsessive checking of tickets, and the taking of many silly pictures we came upon the gates of heaven. In big bright lights we saw the word "Cream" on the sign at Madison Square Garden. "Only North American shows" it boasted, "October 24, 25, & 26". This was too good to be true. As we crossed through the pearly gates, past the ticket scanners, food counters, and t-shirt venders I found myself in a state of awe.


I was actually going to see Cream perform live, after almost 40 years (17 of which I have been present for) of anticipation. The crowd was ready, with their weed in hand and long hair at their shoulders, they waited. Many of these people could have easily been my parents, and yet here we were, preparing to experience the ultimate musical experience. I could feel it; We were at the Crossroads of musical greatness. And then it happened.

The Blessed Trinity of Rock and Roll stepped out on stage: Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton. They blew us away with their psychedelic guitar riffs, mind blowing bass lines, and amazing drums solos. As we left the stadium, I could think of nothing else but that concert. It was all we talked about...for days. You would've thought my friend James knew I had to write these blogs, because in his exact words: "Seeing Cream was truly a religious experience." Could I have asked for more? Since that concert, James and I have declared that we are "Born Again Clapton Fans".