Dear Mr. Fantasy

The highlights,for me,were Paul Weller and house band performing a spectacular rendition of Paper Sun. The band and Paul hit all the nuance of the song, probably Jim and Traffic's finest moment. Simon Kirk sings very nicely Whale Meat Again. Joe Walsh, with Jon Lord on Hammond and Bill Wyman, bass, do 40,000 Headmen and John Barleycorn Must Die. Joe straining just a little with age to hit all them high notes pretty successfully. But the most surprising highlight of this disc, one I did not anticipate at all is the appearance of the former Cat Stevens. After a very warm introduction to the song Man Without A Country I was very pleased that Cat/Yusef has not lost any range or delicacy in his singing. One of the last of the old guard that still sounds like his younger self. This performance made me a fan of this song of which I knew nothing prior. And then Gary Moore, of whom I knew basically nothing other than name recognition. Turns out Gary sings with a very strong, gutsy voice and is easily one of the best guitarists today. After hearing Gary sing here,I'd love to hear the original version by Jim. Weller returns with a rendition of the little heard Traffic single "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush"-just delightful! I'm so glad he chose to do this song, it's a real treat. And the version Paul and the house band perform is spectacular. Definately a highlight. Pete Townsend's appearance is just him and his acoustic guitar singing "No Face No Name No Number" which is a beautiful song as done originally on the first Traffic album. Pete takes a valiant stab at the song but it just made me yearn to hear the original again. Jim's brother Phil came out on stage looking rather like a cabbie or a dishwasher perhaps but I have to tell you, Phil sang really good with loads of feeling and professionalism. And the fact that this is Jim's brother permeated the atmosphere like no other performer there that night could bring. A definate highlight.          2/14/09