News
Clapton Kicks Off 2014 Tour In Japan
18 Feb 14
Eric Clapton kicked off his 2014 Tour in Tokyo on February 18. This year marks 40 years of touring Japan for Eric. And like his first visit in 1974, he opened the Japanese dates at the Nippon Budokan. The sold-out crowd was in their seats before lights out and the concert started promptly at 7PM which is the norm in Japan. Eric and his band treated the audience to the guitarist’s biggest hits, blues and gems from his back catalog with quite a few surprises including “Honest Man,” “After Midnight” and “Alabama Woman”. The complete opening night set list was:
01. Tell The Truth
02. Key To They Highway
03. Pretending
04. Hoochie Coochie Man
05. Honest Man
06. Wonderful Tonight
07. After Midnight
08. Driftin’
09. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
10. Alabama Woman
11. Layla
12. Tears In Heaven
13. How Long (Paul Carrack / Vocals)
14. Before You Accuse Me
15 Little Queen Of Spades
16. Crossroads
17. Cocaine
18. High Time We Went (Encore – Paul Carrack / Vocals)
This was Eric’s first solo tour of Japan since 2009 (his last visit to the country was in 2011 on a double-bill with Steve Winwood). For this tour, he put together an exciting new band featuring familiar faces from recent tours and some old friends. Joining him on stage are Chris Stainton (keyboards), Paul Carrack (keyboards), Nathan East (bass), Steve Gadd (drums), Michelle John (backing vocals) and Sharon White (backing vocals).
Chris is celebrating 35 years working with Eric on the road and in the studio this year. He first joined Eric’s band in 1979 and has been there the entire time except for two short breaks from 1989-1992 and 1998-2001.
Eric is back at the Budokan for three more concerts on February 21, 23 and 28 with stops in Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka scheduled in between. From Japan, he heads to Thailand, Singapore, Dubai and Bahrain where he’ll wrap the first leg of the tour on March 8. Later in the year, Eric will bring his tour to the U.S., U.K, Germany, Austria and Poland.
CALLING ALL CLAPTON FANS!
As always, Where’s Eric! will be publishing set lists and reviews in the 2014 Eric Clapton Tour Archive here on whereseric.com but WE! can’t do it without YOU! If you’re heading to one or more of the gigs in the next few weeks, help keep your fellow fans informed. Thousands of EC’s fans from all over the world visit whereseric.com daily to check out what songs are played and read what other fans have to say about the shows. Here’s how to help:
– Send an email to info@whereseric.com with
– Show date and venue name
– The complete set list
– Your review
– Include your name and city so it can be included with your review (no aliases or anonymous submissions, please. Upon request, we will use your first name and surname initial only.)
– Feel free to include information about EC’s guitars, amps and effects pedals
– You can also send your photos from the concert or of memorabilia. Things like tickets, handbills, programmes, posters or local concert advertising (the best photos may be even be published in Where’s Eric! Magazine).