The Eric Clapton & Friends: A Tribute to Ginger Baker concert took place at London’s Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on February 17, and the one-time-only event didn’t disappoint as far as the friends that came out to celebrate the legendary drummer’s legacy.
Following a short montage of Baker’s life, Clapton – Baker’s two-time electric guitar band mate in Cream and Blind Faith – and his band were joined by Roger Waters on bass for Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love.
Waters remained onstage for two more Cream songs, Strange Brew and White Room, the latter also featuring former Faces band mates Ronnie Wood on guitar and Kenney Jones on drums.
Other highlights included Wood on Badge; Chic guitar legend Nile Rodgers on I Feel Free and Tales of Brave Ulysses; and a Blind Faith mini-set (essentially, most of the supergroup’s entire 1969 debut album) with Clapton, Rogers, Steve Winwood on organ, vocals and guitar and Baker’s son, Kofi Baker, on drums.
The entire guest list, which also included drummer Henry Spinetti and guitarist Will Johns (son of producer Andy Johns), closed the night with a run-through of Crossroads, with Clapton, Wood and Rodgers trading solos on a trio of Strats and Johns contributing some tasty licks on an Ernie Ball Music Man EVH.
Commented Clapton to the audience early on, “Some of that stuff was 50 years ago but it feels like yesterday.”
He also riffed on Baker’s famously prickly personality, saying, “He was a scoundrel but I loved him and he loved me and that was that.
“I saw some people get the rough edge of his tongue but I never did, so I feel blessed. That’s why I’m doing this.”
You can check out more performances from the show below.
