Eric Clapton Concert

A record the world initially ignored; now ranked among rock's finest achievements.

Derek and the Dominos released "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" in 1970, featuring the iconic title track inspired by Clapton's unrequited love for Pattie Boyd. The album, recorded with Duane Allman at Criteria Studios in Miami, was initially a commercial disappointment but is now regarded as one of the greatest rock albums ever made. The band toured extensively but never completed a second album, dissolving in 1971.

A reggae-tinged cover of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" handed Clapton his first American number one.

After years battling heroin addiction, Clapton staged a comeback with "461 Ocean Boulevard", which included his cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff". The single reached number one in the United States. His return to touring marked a shift in style: less blues pyrotechnics, more laid-back, reggae-inflected grooves. The concert at the Rainbow Theatre in January 1973, organised by Pete Townshend, had been the catalyst for his recovery.

Over 200 performances at the same address; Clapton made the Albert Hall his annual home.

Clapton began his annual residency at the Royal Albert Hall in 1987, a run that would eventually stretch to over 200 performances at the venue. The residencies typically featured multiple nights with different configurations: full band, blues band, and orchestra. For many fans, securing tickets to these shows became an annual ritual. The intimate, circular architecture of the Albert Hall suited Clapton's playing perfectly, the sound wrapping around the audience in a way few other venues could match.

Six Grammys. Twenty-six million copies. One wooden guitar.

Recorded for MTV at Bray Studios in January 1992, "Unplugged" featured acoustic reworkings of Clapton's catalogue alongside the devastating "Tears in Heaven", written after the death of his four-year-old son Conor in 1991. The album sold over 26 million copies worldwide and won six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. It proved that Clapton's artistry needed nothing more than a wooden guitar and a microphone.

Guitar's greatest gathering, born from one man's battle and his wish to give others the same fighting chance.

Clapton founded the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004, held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The festival brought together the world's finest guitarists, from B.B. King and Buddy Guy to John Mayer and Robert Cray, all performing in aid of the Crossroads Centre, Clapton's addiction treatment facility in Antigua. The festival has since been held every few years, each edition a celebration of the instrument that defined Clapton's life.

Thirty-seven years on, the Royal Albert Hall welcomed Cream back to the very stage where they had said goodbye.

Thirty-seven years after their farewell, Cream reunited for four concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2005, followed by three nights at Madison Square Garden in October. Tickets sold out in seconds. The shows proved that the chemistry between Clapton, Bruce, and Baker remained intact, their improvisational interplay as thrilling as ever. It was a full-circle moment: the same stage where they had said goodbye in 1968.

Over 3,000 concerts in, and every note still counted.

Clapton celebrated his 70th birthday with two concerts at Madison Square Garden in May 2015, featuring guest appearances from John Mayer, Jimmie Vaughan, and others. By this point, he had performed over 3,000 concerts worldwide. Despite publicly discussing peripheral neuropathy affecting his hands, Clapton continued to tour, his playing perhaps more economical but no less expressive. Every note counted.

At 79, Clapton holds 18 Grammys and 280 million records sold; the electric guitar's architect still fills arenas.

In 2023 and 2024, Clapton continued touring with dates across Europe, North America, and Japan. His setlists drew from every era: Cream deep cuts alongside "Wonderful Tonight", "Cocaine", and the ever-present "Crossroads". At 79, he remains one of the most decorated musicians alive, with 18 Grammy Awards and sales exceeding 280 million records. Each concert carries the weight of a career that helped define the electric guitar as the dominant instrument of popular music.