Steve Winwood Brings Higher Love to The Space at Westbury

Steve Winwood is a force to be reckoned with. The 67-year old artist has been performing for over 50 years and shows no signs of slowing down. His sold out performance at The Space at Westbury on April 23rd was attended by fans spanning a wide range of ages – demonstrating the enduring quality of his music.

As most know, Winwood began his musical career as a 15-year old organ player with the Spencer Davis Group in the early 1960’s. Also during that time, he met and played with another musician who he would work with on and off until this day – Eric Clapton. In 1967, Winwood, along with Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood formed Traffic, whose hits are now classics. In the later 1960’s, Winwood formed what might be considered the very first “supergroup” – Blind Faith – with former members of Cream, including Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. The group released just one self-titled album, but it contained the gorgeous Winwood anthem, “Can’t Find My Way Home.” In the 70’s, Winwood started a solo career, and he continues to make music to this day.

To truly understand the breadth of talent and versatility that Winwood possesses, you need only look at the list of artists for whom he has done session work. It runs the gamut from Lou Reed to Jimi Hendrix, from George Harrison to Gov’t Mule, and from Billy Joel to Talk Talk. The guy has chops and is not afraid to use them. It’s worth noting, of course, that Winwood is a multi-instrumentalist, as comfortable on the Hammond B-3 as he is on the guitar. He’s also been known to play bass and drums.

For his show at The Space, Winwood was backed by four superb musicians – Richard Bailey, Jose Neto, Paul Booth, Edson “Cafe” Da Silva – all formidable in their own right. Although he only performed about a dozen songs, they gave a well-rounded overview of his career, from his time with the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, and as a solo artist. Winwood both opened and closed with Spencer Davis songs – a rousing “I’m a Man” to start, and an equally energetic “Gimme Some Lovin’” as the final encore. Winwood sounded great – both vocally and instrumentally. He may be avoiding some of the highest notes, but it’s done so subtlety that it’s not at all noticeable. Frankly I was astounded at how great he sounded – I might have believed it was the late 1960’s!

Winwood performed several Traffic songs, including “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” (an audience favorite), “Dear Mr. Fantasy” (one of the two encores), “Pearly Queen,” “Glad” (the incredible instrumental from the John Barleycorn Must Die album), and my favorite, a long extended jam of “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” featuring some impressive solos from his backing musicians. Winwood’s Blind Faith period was represented with a stunning version of “Can’t Find My Way Home.” His solo period was represented by the fan favorite, “Higher Love,” which had the audience dancing in place (I logged 3,000 steps on my Fitbit from this show). And even Winwood’s continued collaboration with Eric Clapton was represented by two songs they’ve done together in the past – “Them Changes” (a Buddy Miles cover) and “Dirty City” (from Winwood’s 2008 album, Nine Lives, recorded with Clapton on guitar).

From start to end, a great show with the only complaint being that the crowd would have liked to stay there all week and listen to Winwood (and he probably has enough material to make that a possibility).

Opening for Winwood was Marc Scibilia, a singer-songwriter who saw success with a 2012 self-titled EP which garnered attention when some of the songs were featured on TV shows such as Bones and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Scibilia’s full-length CD is due out this year, and what he played at The Space was quite impressive in a sort of roots-rock, Jakob Dylan/Ryan Adams/Bruce Springsteen sort of way. Especially wonderful was his heartfelt rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” which had been used in a Superbowl commercial. While Scibilia played a guitar, he was backed by a very talented young musician named Eric Montgomery who did a variety of back-up duties including vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums and drum machine. Keep an ear out for Scibilia’s new CD – his performance was very promising.

A note about the venue: The Space at Westbury has an excellent sound system, and numerous options for those who want a drink with their music (there are several bars throughout The Space). If you are a short person or dislike crowds, it may be worthwhile to invest in seats, or standing room in the raised area. The general admission area in front of the stage is standing room for most shows, and if you are vertically challenged, viewing the performer from that spot might be an issue. Check The Space’s website for the seating info for each particular show.