"Nope. Sorry, Babe. I'm dining with the president that evening."
"I'm serious."
She was serious. Holy crap! I don't remember if I had anything going on that night, but if I did, it was summarily canceled. Thanks to Andrea and her job at the time, I had the distinct privilege of seeing Slowhand when he came through Washington, DC. The seats were incredible. I could feel the wind off his fingers as he fanned that 6-string.
Picking a single Clapton tune is another hard Rock-tober choice. I could choose his Caribbean infused rendition of "Knocking On Heaven's Door", or "Layla" with its soaring guitar postlude, or even "Wonderful Tonight" which is probably's Andrea's favorite Clapton offering.
I chose "After Midnight", but not the '70 release. I never could get into that version. It always seemed too...peppy, even a little campy. But something happened on the way to the 80's. When it was repackaged on the '88 album, Crossroads, it was a whole different animal. Like a naive little kid who had to grow up fast in a bad neighborhood, the latest incarnation was somber, harder, and with a bit of an edge. In Clapton's hands, the guitar nearly growled at you.
Mom always said, "Not much good ever happens past midnight." Well, if this song was playing in the background, I'd be willing to tempt fate.
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