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Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Matt Owen

Eric Clapton ends gig early after being hit by object thrown from crowd

Eric Clapton performs onstage during Day 2 of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival at Crypto.com Arena on September 24, 2023.

Eric Clapton brought a show in Madrid, Spain, to a premature end after he was hit by an object thrown by an audience member.

As captured in footage from the show, Slowhand was nearing the end of his performance at the Movistar Arena last Thursday (May 7) when what appeared to be a vinyl record was thrown, hitting the guitarist in the chest.

Clapton was winding down the set at the time, having just finished performing his cover of J.J. Cale’s Cocaine. Because of the incident, he didn’t return for the expected encore, which would have been Before You Accuse Me.

“Very sad image today in Eric Clapton concert in Madrid,” wrote on X account. “Some guy threw something to EC at the end, ending with no encore.”

Clapton was in the middle of an EU tour, which is set to conclude in Germany this week with shows at the SAP Arena in Mannheim (May 13); Lanxess Arena in Koln (May 15); and Olympiastadion München (May 17).

The blues guitar icon will return to the US later this year for a six-date tour of North America, kicking off September 6 in Detroit and wrapping up in Kansas City on September 17.

Like the Europe shows, Clapton will be joined by his usual backing band comprising Doyle Bramhall II and Nathan East, as well as drummer Sonny Emory, and keyboardists Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon.

Visit Eric Clapton’s website for a full list of dates and tickets.

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