Gary Clark Jr.
British Summer Time
Hyde Park
London, England
July 8, 2018

Recorded by Daspyknows
Diamond VIP-Back Rail Dead Cener (Appx 45 feet from stage)
Schoeps MK4/NBox PLatinum DR-2D 24 Bit 48K


Processed using Soundforge 11, resample, to 16bit 44.1K
TLH to convert to Flac

Master 2018.66

01. Catfish Blues
02. Ain't Messin 'Round
03. Travis County
04. Next Door Neighbor Blues
05. When My Train Pulls In
06. Low Down Rolling
07. Our Love
08. Bright Lights


Day 3 of the taping vacation. The day between the show was spent at a local pub
watching the World Cup which was a lot of fun and getting together with a taper friend
well known for his Clapton videos (spoiler alert, some unreleased goodies coming soon)
and an intro to another video taper from Denmark who was in London for the show and who
recorded Clapton next to me. I then made an early night of it since Sunday was going to
be a long day with 5 bands. I woke up early and got everything organized. We then had
brunch at a French restaurant near our flat to get a good meal in me then Uber to the
show. I arrived shortly before doors opened and was able to get in without difficulty
and got my spot. The back barrier to the section had been moved a bit closer so it was
a good move to bring my MK4's instead of the MK41's. Before the music started I met up
with a few more folks in the Diamond section who were at Desert Trip. They were able to
get a spot on the rail. They also took care of me with food and water which was
appreciated. They also mentioned they saw another Desert Tripper who was looking for me
(more about that later).

First up was Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real. I have really enjoyed past sets from
Willie's son whether he is backing Neil Young or playing on their own. Lukas mentioned
he had played with Neil a day earlier and then flew across the pond. Despite the sparse
crowd early in the day the band played a solid set. Surprisingly he avoided any Neil
Young songs although he did make mention of playing with Neil. After the set a supply of
food and water was brought by which was highly appreciated. Saved me a trip out into the
crowds.

Next up on the bill was Gary Clark Jr. I have seen him many times the last few years and
always enjoy his sets. This time was no different. He sounded great as did his band. This
was the loudest set of the day and you can hear someone ask to turn the bass down. It
sounded good but there is a point where the bass is briefly much louder. In some ways I
get the feeling he channels Jimi with his playing and I had that feeling at this event.
The hour or so he played was just not long enough but that is the nature of festivals. At
least I know I am seeing him again for a full show in the near future.

By the time Steve Winwood came on stage the crowd had filled in. This was his first time
at Hyde Park since the epic first Blind Faith show. Winwood commented about that, the
difference in temperatures and in ticket prices. He has always been one of my favorites
and I would put him in the category with the great English artists of the era although
now he seems to be under appreciated in my opinion. This set was largely comprised of
songs from his days with Traffic, Blind Faith and Spencer Davis Group with Them Changes
from Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsies thrown in. The versions of Can't Find My Way
Home, Had to Cry Today and Low Spark was the highlight of the day for me. Winwood and
his band were on fire. Of all the times I have seen him solo this would be the best of
the bunch. For me, the only way to improve the set would have been for Clapton join for
a song or two. Alas, that was not meant to be.

By the time Carlos Santana and his band came on the crowds had arrived. It was crowded
but not uncomfortable and the heat had started to break. Carlos comes out on fire to
heat the crowd back up. The set included many of his more familiar numbers and some
songs I was less familiar with but all were played with fire. During the set the guy from
Desert Trip found me and wanted to say hi. All I can say is ANYONE who tries to talk to
me during the music while I am recording is not going to be received favorably. When
taping I don't want to talk for obvious reasons. The time to talk is between sets. He
came back immediately after the set ended but since it was before I even had a chance to
shut down I didn't have time for him. Those who know me know that the recording comes
first, especially for a show like this.

Finally,it was time for Eric Clapton. I was set to go and to my right the video taper
was ready to go. We weren't sure whether security would object so he just went for it.
Luckily security didn't seem to object. That would not have been the case for Paul
Simon the next week. The anticipation of the set largely was about what surprises there
might be in the set. The set started out without any real surprises but the version of
Got To Get Better In A Little While was amazing. This led to the acoustic portion which
included an acoustic Layla although Doyle did play an electric guitar. After Tears In
Heaven we got the first surprise. Marcy Levy came out and joined the band for an
electric version of Lay Down Sallie and followed it up with The Core which I had seen for
the first time in Greenwich. After that the set returned to the standards until the
encore. Carlos Sanatana joined Clapton onstage for the encore. Was hoping for Steve
Winwood too but that was not meant to be. Carlos seemed to enjoy the moment which was
a first for me. After the shown we finally made it to a restaurant for a late night
dinner and drinks to celebrate a great day of music and a successful day of recording.
Just the basic taper requests here and please no vitriol:
Don't be an ass by selling this or using it in a video that is sold
Don't modify the info file
Don't remaster and/or post on other sites that are not 100% free
If shared keep info file intact but create a second file
Don't convert to lossy formats except for personal use
Do support the artists