I saw Nathan East and didn't know it.

[gumbynotpokey]

I was at Alpine Valley on the first of the two nights that Cray opened for Vaughan who opened for Clapton. The second night was Stevie's last show.

By the way, I'll never forget sitting there after Clapton (who brought out Jeff Healey during the encore) got all done and listening to the choppers go in and out as we stared straight into the pea-soup-thick fog and asked each other, "How are they doing that? You can't see a single thing in that fog."

It never occurred to me to look up who played bass that night until now (and I was young and dumb at the time and simply didn't know). It was Nathan East!

Hey everybody, I saw Nathan East!

Obviously, that was an incredible night, and now I know it was amazing for ANOTHER reason.

[mixtapelove]

I know a few people who were at that concert; said it was a weird experience. I was too young so I didn't go. I saw Rush there a couple of years later.

I skied on that mountain for years not really knowing why it was significant... now it kind of creeps me out.

That's the first time I have heard about what Clapton said.... that's very spooky.

[hgiles]

I wouldn't have known it either...I just found out he's not white.

[gumbynotpokey]

Yeah, as opposed to Tommy who played bass in Double Trouble for Stevie. Nathan played that night in Clapton's band.

[MyMusic]

Nathan has on occasion been Clapton's music director.

[howlin]

Out of the blue I ran into Nathan in Munich in 1999. I was so shocked that my first was to blurt out, "Nathan? Nathan East?" He said, "Yeah". I was so dumbstruck that all I could say was, "What are you doing here?" He said that he was there for a Phil Collins gig and then asked, "What are you doing here?" I started to tell him I was there visiting with this woman from Innsbruck but when I went to introduce her I realized that she had vanished into the crowd oblivious to the encounter to which I said, "Gotta go!"

2 years later I was hired to shoot for 2 days during a recording session that he was on and about half-way through the day he started talking to me about photography wanting to know how I could shoot in such low-light. After I explained I mentioned that we had met in Munich and he said, "Oh yeah, wasn't that amazing. Of all the people there the 2 Americans run into each other".

Next time was when I was hired to shoot Larry Carlton for B-Band in a No. Hollywood studio during a 4 Play session. By then I think he might have thought that I was stalking him or something because when we were introduced he just looked at me kinda funny. After that I'd hang out with his brother James who was playing in a band with the rep from B-Band. Just as nice a guy.