Cream, Royal Albert Hall,6th May 2005

I had the great good fortune to win three tickets for Friday night at the Royal Albert Hall for the Cream reunion - the company I work for receives an allocation of complimentary tickets and staff can enter a ballot for them, and this time my luck was in. My husband Keith and our friend Steve Nelson came with me - as Steve wanted to be back in Nottingham that night, he said he would drive down and we were happy to let him. I'd prearranged parking at Imperial College, which was surprisingly easy to find.

I've only been to the Royal Albert Hall once before, for an Al Green concert in 1999 - great night, great sound, but we were up in the Gods and Al was a long way away.Tonight the tickets were for the front row of the stalls, just behind the mixing desk and the arena which seemed to be full of friends of the band - these were £125 face value tickets, with a brilliant view of the stage. Its a lovely venue, completely round,with great acoustics, and although it holds a lot of people it feels very intimate (or at least it does from the good seats!).

We took our seats and their was a bit of a buzz behind us - the whisper was that Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were in one of the boxes behind us - I didn't see them so can't confirm that. It was definitely an affluent crowd for a rock gig, no surprise at these prices, and there seemed to be an awful lot of American voices in the audience. The atmosphere was great waiting for the main event to start, every seemed very happy and out to have a good time.

Shortly after 8pm the lights dim and they come out on stage - Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton - obviously a lot older than when they'd last been here in 1968, but not looking bad at all. Eric is the youngster of the trio at 60, but Jack and Ginger are looking lithe and pretty well considering the fact that they've both suffered from bad health and Ginger is reported to be suffering from arthritis. They launch into "I'm so glad", with the background of a psychedelic light show, and its like being transported back in time.

This was and is a band pared down to the essentials - drums, bass and guitar. I know that there have been a couple of successful duos with just guitar and drums lately, but that doesn't do it for me, I need to hear that killer bass line - and Jack Bruce provided that in bucket loads - remember the opening riff of "Badge" and you'll know what I mean. He was also the main vocalist, he always was the one with the voice, Eric only got into it really when he became a solo artist, and he seemed content to be second line/backing vocalist.

I read a review in the week that said that Ginger looked like Wilfred Bramble from Steptoe and Son, and he definitely had a gaunt look to him. I never saw Cream live when they were going, only bits and pieces on TV, but it was always the pure physicality of Ginger's drumming that I remember. He hasn't got the energy that he had then but he is still a great drummer and still gives a very physical performance - he pulls in your eyes on stage, whatever the other two are doing. He took over for vocals only on one number, the quirky "Pressed rat and warthog" - the sort of strange track that bands thought they had to do in the 60s, still very entertaining. He raised a laugh at the end of the track when he said " I have to tell you that Pressed Rat and Warthog have opened a shop and are selling T shirts in the lobby".

The bluesy numbers brought Eric to the fore - "Crossroads" in particular. Eric Clapton is an international megastar, and I remember seeing "Eric Clapton is God" written on every blank wall in Newcastle back in the 60s, so this is a man with an awesome reputation and back catalogue - but he came across as one of the most balanced, non-ego driven artists I've ever seen perform. His guitar playing is just ... I can't come up with an adjective that does it justice, at several points it just makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. He makes the guitar cry and sing, and gently weep.

They did all the classics (apart from one - more about that later) - "Badge", "Strange Brew", they have a great back catalogue to plunder. Jack switched to harmonica for a couple of numbers - OK, but I prefer that killer bass line. Ginger does the obligatory drum solo -not the 45 minutes of yore, more like 10 and just about bearable. Then they're off stage to tremendous applause.....


.....and then they're back

.....and its the one we've all been waiting for, "Sunshine of your love" - do do do do do, dit der der derrrr der - the riff beloved of air guitarists the world over. We love it, we're all 16 again, its the 60s and peace and love and we don't have to worry about pensions and mortgages and university fees and all that crap, we're free as birds...... and then they're gone, and we're off into the London night. I talk to two American guys on the way out, it was definitely worth the air fare as far as they're concerned.

Nights like these, and the great Love gigs I've been too, and the Magic Band and the other stuff, are what makes life worth living as far as I'm concerned - those hair on the back of your neck moments when Eric makes it weep, or Arthur goes "I want to love you, but wo wo wo wo wo wo wo" and and and


And with that, ladies and gentlemen, its goodnight from me.