Eric Clapton Gigs

1. December 4, 1974 - Hammersmith Odeon, London.

I applied for a ticket by post but got chubbed; this was one of a mere two shows in the UK, far removed from 24 nights at the RAH! Desperate to see Eric for the first time, I decided to go down to London in any event and try my luck with the touts. I skipped whatever lectures or tutorials I had that day and set off in the early afternoon, using my student railcard on the train from Manchester. I paid a tout £5 for a £2.50 seat in the stalls (not a bad one as it turned out) but well worth every penny. The wait for Eric to take the stage for what would be my first EC gig was excruciating. Being a bit of a trainspotter - literally - in those days, I scribbled down each song from the set on a scrap of paper. Of course, there's no need to do that any more in this day and age as they're posted on t'internet by the following morning!

2. July 31, 1976 - Crystal Palace Bowl, London.

Special guests: Larry Coryell, Freddie King and Ronnie Wood.

The only time I've seen Eric at an outdoor gig. 'Coryell cuts Clapton', screamed the headline from the next weeks Melody Maker. Not strictly true, although it was one of Eric's less 'together' performances, if you get my drift. Sadly, Freddie King would die before the year was out, aged 42.

When I was living in Reading I was listening to the local radio one night when there was a phone-in competition to name the artist of a song that had just been played. Recognising it as one of Freddie King's, I phoned in and got to reminisce briefly about Freddie with Mike Vernon, producer of many classic blues records including John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton.

3. August 6, 1976 - Belle Vue King's Hall, Manchester.

Special guest: Van Morrison.

Another fairly 'shambolic' performance; I believe that Eric's voice was playing up hence Van helping out. After the show Van caught the same train as I, the 00:25 from Piccadilly to Euston (I got off at Stockport to connect with the Shrewsbury to York mail train back to Huddersfield, a very useful train for gigs back in those days before the Airport station - and hence 24-hour trains - opened). He strode purposefully across the concourse of Piccadilly station in leather jacket and jeans - and possibly rock star shades - with his guitar case in hand and accompanied by a mate. I'm convinced that no-one recognised him apart from me. I walked past his compartment on the train - even though it was a sleeper Van sat in a bog-standard second class compartment - and thought about asking him for his autograph but shyness prevailed and I continued on down the train. Ever since, I've wondered how he would have reacted had I approached him!

4. June 14, 1977 - Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France.

Special guest: Ringo Starr.

The end of my year-long stint as an Assistant Professeur d'Anglais in Martigues coincided nicely with an EC gig in Paris and my first opportunity to go to a gig outside England. After a leaving session with my Martigues friends on the evening of the 13th I caught the overnight sleeper from Marseille to Paris and headed straight to the Pavillon to buy a ticket; fortunately, there were still some available! I then checked into a hotel near the Gare du Nord and had a brief kip and a shower before going out for a bite to eat and making my way back to the Pavillon. Just outside the concert hall I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Louise Mundy who was taking the same French Studies degree course as I at Manchester University. As the seating was unreserved - the Pavillon was a bit of a dump, really; I'm sure I read somewhere that it used to be an abattoir or some such - I was able to sit with Louise and her friends for the concert.

Oh, and the ticket cost 35 FF; I reckon that would have been about £4 in 1977.

5. November 26, 1978 - The Apollo, Manchester.

Support act: Muddy Waters.

I was studying for my postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies at Preston Poly (now the rather grand-sounding University of Central Lancashire) at the time so my good friend Paul who was still at Manchester University very kindly went to the box office to get me a ticket. A stripped-down band of just EC, Carl Radle, Dick Sims and Jamie Oldaker.

Support was provided by a true blues legend in Muddy Waters. Eric never forgot the debt he owed to legends like Muddy and the three Kings - Freddie, Albert and B.B. - and supported and championed them at every opportunity.

6. May 1980 - Hammersmith Odeon, London.

Second guitar: Albert Lee.

I can't remember the exact date of this gig as I no longer have the ticket stub. According to the Slowhand Tourography, he played three nights on the 15th, 16th and 17th.

Having parted company with his American, largely Tulsan, band, Eric had assembled a band of crack British musicians including Albert Lee, Gary Brooker and Chris Stainton for this tour and the Another Ticket album.

7. February 25, 1981 - The Rainbow Theatre, London.

Second guitar: Albert Lee.

Other than the outdoor Crystal Palace gig, this was the only time I've ever stood at an Eric gig; quite a contrast to the sedentary RAH experience. Still, we did manage to get to the very front of the stage for a close-up view of the slowhand technique.

8. May 21, 1983 - The Apollo, Manchester.

Second guitar: Albert Lee.

As I wrote in They Bleed Red, White and Black, pretty much the perfect day. I caught an early train from Reading to Huddersfield, spreading myself out in First Class - one of the perks of working for British Rail - with the broadsheets to read the previews of the Cup Final. I watched the final with Mum and Dad - United almost lost it at the death when Gordon 'And Smith Must Score' Smith should have won it for Brighton - then jumped into Dad's car to drive over to Manchester for Eric's gig at the Apollo. Even having to pay a little scrote a quid to 'mind' the car couldn't spoil a superb day.

9. September 20, 1983 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Special guests: Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and others.

This was the ARMS (Action Research into Multiple Sclerosis) Benefit Concert for which Eric was musical director. Even with tickets costing a hefty £25 - although that included a £17.50 donation to the charity - I was determined to go, given the star-studded line-up which would be the first time that Eric, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page had performed on stage together; they didn't disappoint. At the end of the show Ronnie Lane, himself an MS sufferer and whose plight had inspired the event, came on stage to lead the entire cast of musicians through a rendition of Goodnight Irene.

10. June 21, 1984 - Earls Court Arena, London.

This was actually a Roger Waters show to tie in with his Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking album. As Eric had played lead guitar on the album I guess it made sense for him to reprise his role on the tour. Apparently, his manager was against the idea, believing that a player of Eric's stature shouldn't be playing a supporting role. No matter, he did the tour anyway and the upside was that, freed from his band leader and singing responsibilities, Eric was able to concentrate solely on his guitar playing which allowed him to really let rip and deliver some of the best solos I've ever seen him play. As I recall, it was a show of two halves; the first half consisted of the Hitch Hiking album pretty much in its entirety and the second half saw them play Pink Floyd numbers such as Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.

11. March 5, 1985 - Wembley Arena, London.

Special guest: Dan Aykroyd.

This show was notable for the guest appearance, in Elwood Blues persona, of Dan Aykroyd who joined the band for the encore, Further on up the Road.

12. January 20, 1989 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Drums and vocals: Phil Collins.

This concert marked the start of our annual winter pilgrimages to the Royal Albert Hall. I'd joined Eric's fan club but it folded soon after, Eric stating that he could no longer spare the time that had to be put in to give members a worthwhile, value for money experience. I received a (partial) refund but, more importantly, for the next decade or so I got priority booking to all his UK shows in advance of tickets going on general sale. This meant that we almost invariably got good seats in the front 12 or so rows in the stalls. Nowadays, to be in with a chance of getting such good seats, you have to have your finger poised on the mouse of your PC the very minute that tickets are released for sale.

The band for this show was the stripped-down half-British, half-American four-piece comprising EC, Phil Collins, Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes. This years RAH stint comprised 12 shows.

13. February 4, 1990 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Special guests: Robert Cray and Buddy Guy.

This year 18 RAH shows were performed. But rather than 18 performances of the same set, Eric divided the stint into four differently themed shows, namely four-piece band, big band, blues night and orchestral evening.

Tonight was a blues night with Robert Cray and Buddy Guy sharing the stage and transforming the RAH into a blues club. One for the purists; anyone expecting Wonderful Tonight or Layla would have been disappointed.

14. February 10, 1990 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

This was an orchestral evening with the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. A totally different show and set list from the one we saw a mere six days earlier that fully justified an expensive weekend in London. The centrepiece of the show was a fairly lengthy suite composed by Michael Kamen that has never been officially released.

15. February 5, 1991 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Drums and vocals: Phil Collins.

A record-breaking 24 nights this year which yielded the appropriately-titled 24 Nights album. The show for which we were allocated tickets was the first night and again featured the four-piece Anglo-American line-up comprising EC, Phil Collins, Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes. But, inconveniently for us, the show happened to fall on a Tuesday. However, unusually for Eric there was no support act on this tour which, given the anticipated early finish, meant that we would be able to get down and back in a day, saving on hotel costs and only using one day out of our holiday entitlements. We got a late-morning train down to Kings Cross and had an early dinner at Topkapi, a Turkish restaurant on the Marylebone High Street, before the show. Although the tickets stated a start time of '19:30 prompt' the band didn't actually take the stage until 19:50, finishing just after ten. But we still managed to catch the 23:15 train from Kings Cross back to Wakefield.

As we again had good seats in the stalls - row 11 - I sneaked my trusty Nikon FM and 135mm lens into the show. A fairly fast film meant that I didn't need flash and I came away with some pretty good shots, even if I do say so myself. One day I'll get myself a scanner or upgrade my printer and scan them into my PC and post them on here. Watch this space, as they say.

16. February 7, 1992 - Sheffield Arena, Sheffield.

A very enjoyable show with good seats in the seventh row of the arena floor.

17. February 16, 1992 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Eric played a mere 12 - compared to last year - shows at the RAH this year. But having enjoyed the Sheffield show so much, we fancied seeing Eric again at the RAH so I rang my good friend Pauline who somehow managed to secure us seats in one of the boxes. I can't remember how much over the top we paid but it was well worth it for seats in the front row of an eight-seater box. We were even allowed to take a bottle of wine with us into the box to enjoy during the show!

18. March 6, 1993 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Support act: Jimmy Vaughan with special guest Lou Ann Barton.

As last year Eric played 12 nights at the RAH this year. This show was an R'n'B evening; the Slowhand Tourography doesn't list the sets for any of the nights.

19. October 3, 1993 - Sheffield Arena, Sheffield.

Support acts: ZZ Top and Joe Cocker.

Another charity concert, this time for SHARP, a chemical dependency centre. It was an all-star line-up with support provided by ZZ Top, aka The Men with the Beards as my best mate Fozzy dubbed them, and the great Joe Cocker on fine form in his home town.

If you want to have a laugh at us playing drunken air guitar along to Gimme All Your Lovin' click here.

20. February 24, 1994 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Support act: NIne Below Zero.

As last year and 1992 Eric played 12 nights at the RAH this year. I applied for and received four tickets for tonights show in the confident belief that I would easily be able to find a couple of friends who would be interested in coming along. In the end there were no takers so we decided that our best bet would be to sell them to a tout on the evening of the show. As it turned out we managed to sell them for more than the face value - I recall that we got £50 or even £60 for two £22.50 tickets - but the tout failed to sell them on, as was evident by the two spare seats next to us. Result!

21. February 25, 1995 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

As was now the norm Eric played 12 nights at the RAH this year. This was another all blues show, this time in support of the From the Cradle album. I distinctly remember a few punters walking out half way through, presumably because they weren't being treated to the hits. All I can say to them is that they missed a show during which Eric played with a fire and passion that I'd rarely encountered during the previous twenty shows.

22. March 2, 1996 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Support act: Big Town Playboys.

Yet again 12 nights at the RAH; this time we were allocated seats for the penultimate night on Saturday the 2nd. This season featured the 11-piece band including the Kick Horns.

23. October 16, 1998 - Earls Court Arena, London.

Support act: Bonnie Raitt. Special guests: Bonnie Raitt and B.B. King.

After an unbroken run of ten residencies of varying lengths at the RAH between 1987 and 1996 there would be no official UK shows during 1997. But in 1998 Eric played three shows at Earls Court and one at the NEC in Birmingham in support of the Pilgrim album. A 10-piece line up was accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra with Nick Ingman as conductor. Moreover, Bonnie Raitt, whom we've seen as a headlining act in her own right on three occasions, was the support act. As if that wasn't enough, the legend that is B.B. King joined Bonnie and Eric on stage for the encores. At the time of writing - 7 June 2008 - B.B. and Buddy Guy are the only surviving US blues legends that I can think of. Long may they continue.

24. February 6, 2001 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Support act: Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack.

Special guests: The Impressions.

Back at the RAH for six shows this year, one of which, according to the Slowhand Tourography, was cancelled. A varied set which kicked off with an acoustic section and featured The Impressions on a couple of numbers half way through the show.

Support was provided by Doyle Bramhall II who would later join Eric's band as second guitarist. He's still with Eric today and will feature on the 2008 world tour.

25. July 19, 2003 - Kings Dock, Liverpool.

This show was one of the annual Liverpool Summer Pops series of concerts and was billed as John Mayall and Friends. It was held to celebrate John's impending 70th birthday and to support the UNITE for UNICEF charity with all net proceeds going to UNICEF. The friends were Mick Taylor, Chris Barber and, of course, Eric who was introduced by John with the rather pointed comment 'the first time we have shared a stage together in 37 years.' Interestingly, just a few weeks before the concert I'd read a contemporary interview with John in which he complained that Eric had always knocked back all requests for a reunion and that he couldn't understand why; bet you cringe when you read it now, John!

It was an enjoyable and historic show, my only gripe being that there was - relatively speaking in terms of their respective statures in the music business - too much Mick Taylor and Chris Barber and not enough Eric.

This show marked the start of what seemed like a deliberate attempt by Eric to get back to his roots and achieve a kind of closure with his past collaborators; a Cream reunion and a Blind Faith reunion - of sorts - would follow in 2005 and 2008 respectively, although sadly I didn't get to see either. I missed out on the Cream RAH shows as tickets went on sale - and sold out within hours - whilst we were in Goa; with hindsight I should have got a ticket off a tout or one of the more 'respectable' scalping agencies, if that's not a contradiction in terms. Given Ginger's complaints that Jack deliberately attempted to drown him out at the Madison Square Garden shows - the mutual loathing evidently not having been tempered even after 37 years or so - and Jack's precarious state of health, it seems certain that the MSG shows marked the final chapter of the Cream story.

26. April 29, 2004 - Evening News Arena, Manchester.

MC: Peter Kay. Support act: Robert Randolph & The Family Band.

This show was notable for the impromptu appearance of Peter Kay who introduced Eric onto the stage. I read somewhere that he used to make a habit of it at the MEN Arena around this time; apparently, one performer, whose name escapes me but I seem to recall was a male, MOR singer, was distinctly unamused by it!

27. May 9, 2006 - Evening News Arena, Manchester.

Support act: Robert Cray. Slide guitar: Derek Trucks.

With the wonderful Derek Trucks, nephew of the Allman Brothers Band's Butch Trucks, playing Duane Allman's slide guitar parts and Doyle Bramhall II singing Bobby Whitlock's parts on Anyday, Got to Get Better in a Little While and, of course, Layla, it brought back memories of a Derek and the Dominos gig. Not that I ever saw them, of course; they did play the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in 1970 but I was only 15 at the time.

Great seats in the seventh row of the arena floor.

28. May 25, 2006 - Royal Albert Hall, London.

Support act: Robert Cray. Slide guitar: Derek Trucks.

This was one of seven nights at the RAH this year. The set list was similar to Manchester but Anyday from the Layla album was dropped and replaced with Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad from the same album. For a number of reasons, I thought that this was a better show than the Manchester one; Eric seemed more relaxed to be on 'home turf', the audience was more enthusiastic and receptive and the RAH is a more intimate venue than the rather soulless MEN Arena.

29. June 23, 2008 - Trent FM Arena, Nottingham.

Support act: Robert Randolph & The Family Band.

A detailed review can be found in my blog.