Eric Clapton on the Royal Albert Corridor in 2015; Photograph by Christie Goodwin/Redferns
Eric Clapton’s return visits to his beloved Royal Albert Corridor in London are a frequent reminder of the historical past of this uncommon relationship between artist and venue. In September 2018, it was actually carved in stone, when he grew to become one of many 11 inaugural recipients of the Royal Albert Corridor Star. When you’re visiting the well-known constructing, the star is positioned exterior, between Door 12 and the Stage Door.
The good guitarist first performed on the celebrated live performance corridor firstly of his profession, however has turn out to be well-known for his residencies of a number of nights there. The primary began on January 6, 1987; the 2019 version was his nineteenth, and took his whole of performances there to 211, together with 184 headliners. On December 3, 2019, he was there but once more to carry out two acoustic hits, accompanied by an orchestra, as a part of the British Vogue Council’s Vogue Awards 2019 gala.
That debut look of all got here in December 1964 when, at 19, Clapton was nonetheless a member of the Yardbirds, who have been a part of the invoice for a BBC TV recording. They shared it with Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, the Nashville Teenagers, Brenda Lee, and, nonetheless comparatively unknown to the UK, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Inside three months, Clapton had left the Yardbirds, for 2 transient spells with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers after which, in fact, Cream. His subsequent go to to the Albert Corridor was amongst his most well-known: it was the ability trio’s farewell live performance, in November 1968.
Clapton was again on the Albert in 1983, as a part of what grew to become often called the ARMS Live performance. Elevating cash for the Prince’s Belief and for Motion for Analysis into A number of Sclerosis, the present was prompted by the information that Ronnie Lane, previously of the Small Faces and the Faces, was affected by the illness.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana have been there that evening, to witness Clapton in a band of all the skills, with Steve Winwood, Invoice Wyman, Charlie Watts, Andy Fairweather Low — and, at one stage, a exceptional teaming of three ex-Yardbirds, as Eric performed with Jimmy Web page and Jeff Beck.
As we talked about, it was 1987 when Eric established the thought of an Albert Corridor residency, along with his A-list band that featured Greg Phillinganes on keyboards, Nathan East on bass, and Steve Ferrone on drums. That yr’s exhibits additionally featured a really particular visitor within the type of Mark Knopfler.
Over the next 9 years, Clapton performed on the Albert Corridor 134 instances, and not less than six instances yearly. In 1991, his exceptional stand of 24 nights there produced the stay album of the identical identify. In 2002, he was a central determine within the never-to-be-forgotten Live performance For George that happened after the dying of his shut pal George Harrison.
In 2005, when the momentous Cream reunion happened with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, there was just one tackle the place it might be staged. Then, when Eric returned in 2015 for the Slowhand At 70 exhibits, his second evening within the run – his 2 hundredth time on the Albert Corridor stage – was devoted to his pal and hero B.B. King, who had died the day earlier than.
“It’s a very comfortable, homey place for me. I tend to think of it as mine,” mentioned Eric in a BBC interview in 1990. “It’s got a very genteel, sophisticated and yet comfortable atmosphere.”
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