Traffic is one the underrated classic rock bands. Led by Steve Winwood, they thrived in the late 1960's-early 1970's. They never really reunited in the 1980s or 1990s and beyond as a means to capitalize on their hits, which probably explains why they are not held in the same esteem as their more celebrated contemporaries.
This video was recorded at Woodstock '94, the last good Woodstock, held in Saugerties, New York, about 20 miles from where I write this. The band was still relatively young, and Winwood was still in his mid-40's. He certainly looks that way. In this set, they are playing their greatest hits. Note the saxophone and flute players.
Traffic was one of the first great bands to break up in the 1960s. They split in 1969, and Winwood went on to join Blind Faith, a supergroup with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, two-thirds of the Cream lineup, which itself split in 1968. Blind Faith pooped out after one great album. Traffic reunited in 1970 and recorded John Barleycorn Must Die, a fabulous album. Then they did Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys, and you know the title track. You also know Dear Mr. Fantasy, from 1968, a psychedelic classic.
Celebrate the musicianship of a band that reunited and nailed it at Woodstock '94 despite not having played together in many years. That's how great musicians work. They can recreate greatness on short notice.
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