A Celebration of 50 Years of Music
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| Presentation album | I Still Thu |
|---|---|
| Beginning of the tour | 19th March 2017 |
| End of the tour | 18th September 2017 |
| Total concerts (by continent) |
* 3 in Europe
|
| Concerts in total | 11 (13; 2 canceled) |
| revenue | $ 23,006,014 |
|
Japan Residency Tour (2016) |
A Celebration of 50 Years of Music (2017) |
Eric Clapton World Tour (2018) |
|---|
A Celebration of 50 Years of Music ( German : "A celebration of 50 years of music") was a concert tour by the British guitarist Eric Clapton . The tour began in New York City on March 19, 2017 and ended in Inglewood on September 18, 2017 . The Brit played a total of eleven concerts in the United States and Europe . As part of the nearly sold-out tour, Clapton performed in front of more than 110,000 concertgoers and raised around 23 million US dollars .
backgrounds
Announcement
On September 20, 2016, the concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall were announced through the management of the rock guitarist. The press release said the three concerts would be the only ones in the UK and Europe in 2017. The concert tickets were available either via the ticket hotline, on the official website of the Royal Albert Hall or from the official fan club. On November 28, 2016, two concerts in New York's Madison Square Garden and two appearances at The Forum in Los Angeles (Inglewood) were announced.
Regarding his performances in North America, Clapton wrote in his touring program: “I swear it was. I know I have been threatening my touring business for the past 50 years, but I didn't know if I really wanted to quit. I love what I do and always have. But in recent years I have found what makes me happy. A family that loves me for who I am. That means that I can relax and rest with her when I need it. I am learning to appreciate that more and more often. I hope that I can give the old stuff a new life and will enjoy the time [...] ”.
marketing
In order to maximize the sales of the concert tickets, the concerts in Europe and North America were promoted with different press releases. For example, when Clapton appeared as a guest on The Rolling Stones album Blue & Lonesome . In addition, Clapton was often in the media, as he auctioned off memorabilia and equipment from his private property for the benefit of the alcohol and drug rehabilitation center he founded in 1998, the Crossroads Center in Antigua . In December 2016, Clapton's appearances in Great Britain and the United States were promoted again with the release of the live album and the live DVD Live in San Diego .
The vinyl re-release of the two albums Unplugged (originally released August 18, 1992) and Fresh Cream (originally released December 9, 1966) helped the concert tour gain access to a larger audience. The US-American instrument manufacturer Fender also promoted Clapton's live performances with a special model of the Eric Clapton Stratocaster series , which was presented at the NAMM Winter Show in January 2017 .
Ticket sales
All tickets for the concerts in the Royal Albert Hall were sold out on September 22nd, 2016. The concerts on March 19 and 20, 2017 were completely sold out. The British rock musician played in Madison Square Garden for two days in front of a total of 30,826 concert-goers. Tickets for these performances were available for $ 494, $ 289, $ 189 and $ 69. These two sellouts raised a total of $ 7,454,614. With that, Clapton made it to number two of the most successful concerts in Billboard Magazine in the first quarter . The concerts at the Royal Albert Hall were also sold out. Here, 14,319 spectators attended the three concerts at ticket prices of $ 260.55 and $ 39.08 respectively. Here Clapton rose again to number two on the ticket charts.
The New York concerts in September were not sold out as the Briton sold only 25,440 out of a possible 26,371. Cards from $ 494, $ 289, and $ 189 to $ 69 were available here. With revenues of $ 5,582,572 it was only enough for eleventh place on the Billboard ticket rankings. All four of the concerts at Forum Inglewood were sold out. Here the British singer performed in front of a total of 47,216 spectators and was able to generate revenues of $ 7,627,138 and thus reach number six on the ticket charts. Due to the low availability of concert tickets and their mostly high prices, fans and the press publicly complained to Clapton and his management in 2017.
Concert cancellations
On March 24, 2017, Clapton's management announced via social networks such as Twitter and Facebook , and later officially via Clapton's website as well as that of the concert promoters and ticket offices that Clapton could not hold his concerts in Los Angeles because he had severe bronchitis suffer. Clapton's personal physician did not allow him to appear in the Inglewood Forum due to the severity of the illness and in view of Clapton's age of 71 at the time. Clapton apologized to his fans and shortly afterwards announced four concerts in Los Angeles. Clapton was initially cared for in a hotel room in Los Angeles until he was followed and photographed by paparazzi while on his way home on March 29, 2017 at LAX Airport . On March 29, 2017, a video was published on the Internet platform YouTube showing Clapton in a wheelchair with his family in his illness phase. This paparazzi video received heavy criticism on the internet.
occupation
The following musicians performed during the tour.
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Setlist
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During concerts in Europe and North America, Clapton typically played fifteen to sixteen songs per night with one or two encores. The set lists for the European and North American concerts did not differ significantly. The British guitarist mainly performed blues pieces such as Hoochie Coochie Man , Key to the Highway , Driftin 'Blues , Little Queen of Spades and Before You Accuse Me . During the set list, which Clapton performed while sitting and listening to the acoustic guitar (acoustic & seated), he played mostly hit songs like Layla , Bell Bottom Blues , Tears in Heaven and Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out from his MTV Unplugged album.
Clapton only performed the J.-J.-Cale cover Somebody’s Knockin 'on My Door from the album I Still Do , which was released in 2016 . Clapton ended the concerts with classics from his repertoire such as Crossroads by Robert Johnson , Wonderful Tonight , Badge , Sunshine of Your Love by Cream , I Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley and Cocaine by JJ Cale. As an encore during the three concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, Clapton and his band performed the title Hight Time We Went by singer Joe Cocker , who died in 2014 . Paul Carrack sang this encore, while Clapton only contributed the background vocals.
Tour dates
| No. | date | country | city | Venue | Number of visitors | revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | ||||||
| 1 | 19th March 2017 |
 United States
|
New York City | Madison Square Garden | 30.826 / 30.826 | $ 7,454,614 |
| 2 | 20th March 2017 | |||||
| 3 | March 25, 2017 | Inglewood | The Forum | - | ||
| 4th | March 26, 2017 | |||||
| Europe | ||||||
| 5 | May 22, 2017 |
 United Kingdom
|
London | Royal Albert Hall | 14,319 / 14,319 | $ 2,401,690 |
| 6th | May 24, 2017 | |||||
| 7th | May 25, 2017 | |||||
| North America | ||||||
| 8th | 7th September 2017 |
United States
|
New York City | Madison Square Garden | 25.440 / 26.371 | $ 5,582,572 |
| 9 | September 8, 2017 | |||||
| 10 | 13th September 2017 | Inglewood | The Forum | 47.216 / 47.216 | $ 7,627,138 | |
| 11 | 15th September 2017 | |||||
| 12 | 16th September 2017 | |||||
| 13 | 18th September 2017 | |||||
| Summary | 117,801 / 118,552 (99.37%) |
$ 23,006,014 | ||||
reception
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| New York Times | (negative) |
| Variety Magazine |
 
|
| Guitar World |
|
| New York Daily News |
|
| Billboard Magazine | (positive) |
New York Times critic Giovanni Russonello described Clapton's appearance in New York's Madison Square Garden as listless and sluggish. The journalist rated Clapton's guitar playing as slow and disinterested. Only at the end of the concert, according to Russonello, did Clapton wake up and feel like the concert, the audience, the arena and its music. With only one encore, Clapton then dragged himself to his hotel, wrote the disappointed New York Times. Variety Magazine's editor Erin Nyren , like the New York Times, was equally disappointed with Clapton's listless appearance at the Los Angeles Forum. She criticized Clapton's lack of communication with the audience and his band. Although there was nothing wrong with the musical performance, according to Nyren, the entire concert felt like a game without a passion for music and the evening. Guitar World magazine praised Clapton's musicality and professionalism during the tour and only gave one star for communication. The New York Daily News were won over by Clapton's concert and gave five out of five possible ratings, as did Billboard Magazine .
gallery
- Concert photographs from May 24, 2017
Clapton (right) with Doyle Bramhall II (left)
View of the stage in the Royal Albert Hall
Clapton plays Down and Out in London
Clapton with drummer Steve Gadd (back)
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Publications
- The May 24, 2017 appearance was taped by a Japanese television station for potential broadcast.
- The concert on September 15, 2017 was broadcast live (social networks) by the concert agency CHASE USA.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eric Clapton Concert Setlist at Madison Square Garden, New York on March 19, 2017. Setlist.FM, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Clapton Concert Setlist at The Forum, Inglewood on September 18, 2017. Setlist.FM, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ a b May 2017: Eric Clapton Returns To The Royal Albert Hall For 3 Shows. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, September 20, 2016, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ March 2017: Eric Clapton Returns To North America For 4 Shows In NYC & Los Angeles. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, November 28, 2016, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Clapton Contributes To 2 Tracks On Rolling Stones' Blue & Lonesome. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, October 7, 2016, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Signed Items From Eric Clapton's Personal Collection To Aid Crossroads Center. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, October 10, 2016, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ DVD / Blu-ray Live In San Diego Available March 2017. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, October 10, 2016, accessed December 7, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Clapton Unplugged Recorded 25 Years Ago. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, January 16, 2017, accessed December 7, 2018 .
- ↑ Fresh Cream Deluxe Out January 27. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, January 14, 2017, accessed December 7, 2018 .
- ↑ Journeyman Relic Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster Announced. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, January 20, 2017, accessed December 7, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Current Boxscore ( Memento from April 5, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Current Boxscore ( Memento from June 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Current Boxscore ( Memento from October 25, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Bob Allen: U2's Joshua Tree 2017 Tour Earns $ 316 Million. In: Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc., November 1, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ^ Catherine Valenti: Concert Ticket Prices Rise, Sales Fall. ABC News , July 9, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Becca Longmire: Eric Clapton appears frail after canceling gigs due to severe illness. The Express , April 30, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Chris Jancelewicz: Eric Clapton seen in wheelchair after canceling shows due to severe illness. Canadian Global News, March 31, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Clapton seen in wheelchair after announcing he has severe bronchitis. Fox News , March 30, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Clapton In A Wheelchair At LAX After Canceling Shows Due To Severe Bronchitis on YouTube , March 29, 2017, accessed July 5, 2018 (amateur recording).
- ↑ EC Band Lineup Change For Spring Shows. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, March 6, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ May 24, 2017 - Eric Clapton & His Band. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ March 19, 2017 - Eric Clapton & His Band. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ March 20, 2017 - Eric Clapton & His Band. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ 22 May 2017 - Eric Clapton & His Band. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Eric Clapton - High Time We Went (Live at Royal Albert Hall 2017) on YouTube , May 26, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 (live recording).
- ↑ a b Giovanni Russonello: Review: Onstage, a Subdued Eric Clapton Focuses on the Blues. The New York Times, March 20, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Erin Nyren: Concert Review: Eric Clapton Lets the Music Do the Talking at Final Forum show. Variety Magazine, September 19, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ^ A b Alan Paul: Review: Eric Clapton Lets His Guitar and the Blues Do the Talking at the Garden. Guitar World Magazine, April 22, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ a b July Garden: Eric Clapton Performs MSQ Show. New York Daily News, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ^ A b Frank Scheck: Eric Clapton Celebrates His 50-Year Career With a Retrospective Show at Madison Square Garden: Concert Recap. In: Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc., March 20, 2017, accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ^ Music - Eric Clapton. The Guardian , accessed July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ 15 September 2017 - Eric Clapton & His Band. Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine, accessed July 4, 2018 .
Web links
- Complete tour archive at Where's Eric! (English)
- A Celebration of 50 Years of Music at Setlist.FM (English)