Eric Clapton Plots 2017 American Tour Dates
Eric Clapton announced a brief run of American tour dates for 2017. The rock legend will perform at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on March 19th and 20th, followed by two shows at the Forum in Los Angeles on March 25th and 26th.
Clapton will be joined by keyboardists Walt Richmond and Chris Stainton, drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Nathan East and vocalists Sharon White and Michelle John. Blues rockers Gary Clark, Jr. and Jimmie Vaughan will serve as special guests.
The tour, which also includes a trio of May dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall, is somewhat of a surprise given Clapton’s recent attitude toward live performances. “I swear this is it, no more,” he wrote in the tour program for his run of 70th birthday shows in 2015. “I know I’ve been threatening retirement for the last 50 years, but I didn’t think I’d ever really want to stop. I love what I do and always have done, but over the last few decades I’ve found what I was always really looking for, a loving family who love me just the way I am, which means I can relax and rest when I need to, and more and more I treasure the beauty of that.”
Last May, Clapton spoke to Rolling Stone about his “spontaneous” 23rd LP, I Still Do, and was cautiously optimistic about touring with health complications: “I’ve had some health issues with my back and a neurological thing that is tricky, that affects my hands,” he said. “If there’s no serious fallout, I’ll start looking to do some work. If there is, I’ll have to figure out what to do next – maybe take it easy for a while.”
A ticket pre-sale for Chase customers runs Thursday, December 1st at noon EST through Friday, December 2nd at 11:59 p.m. EST via Ticketmaster. The general public sale begins Saturday, December 3rd at 10 a.m. local time.
Eric Clapton 2017 American Tour Dates
March 19 – New York @ Madison Square Garden
March 20 – New York @ Madison Square Garden
March 25 – Los Angeles @ The Forum
March 26 – Los Angeles @ The Forum