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Eric Clapton: Chicago 2026
11 Sep 26
On September 11, Eric Clapton and his band took the stage at Chicago’s United Center. He first performed in the Windy City with Cream on April 27, 1968 at the Chicago Coliseum, during the band’s second US tour. In the decades since, fans have seen everything from surprise late-night appearances at The Limelight and the now-historic club shows at Buddy Guy’s Legends in 1994 to numerous concerts at the United Center, Rosemont Horizon, Poplar Creek Music Theater and Chicago Stadium. Tonight marked Eric’s 12th appearance at the United Center, returning to the venue and the city for the first time in four years.
Alongside Eric was his seasoned lineup of Nathan East (bass/vocals), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (Hammond organ/keyboards), Sonny Emory (drums), Sharon White (backing vocals) and Katie Kissoon (backing vocals).
The evening followed Eric’s familiar three-part format, opening electric before moving to an acoustic set and plugging back in for the remainder of the show. “Give Me Strength,” revived after more than 50 years at the tour opener, remained in the set for a third consecutive appearance and with a nod to the city itself, Eric played “Sweet Home Chicago” as the encore. The set list was:
01. Badge
02. Key To The Highway
03. Hoochie Coochie Man
04. Pretending
05. Kindhearted Woman
06. Give Me Strength
07. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out
08. Running On Faith
09. Can’t Find My Way Home
10. Layla
11. Tears In Heaven
12. Tearing Us Apart
13. Old Love
14. Wonderful Tonight
15. Crossroads
16. Little Queen of Spades
17. Cocaine
18. Sweet Home Chicago
Next up is Milwaukee on Sunday night — another city Eric first visited with Cream in 1968. It would be 15 years before he returned, headlining Summerfest on the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline in 1983, with additional headline appearances at the festival in 1985 and 2010. Eric also performed five times at the Bradley Center. The September 13 concert will mark his 11th appearance in Milwaukee and his first at Fiserv Forum.
From Milwaukee, the tour moves on to St. Paul and Kansas City before Eric heads to Austin to close out his 2026 live schedule with the Crossroads Guitar Festival at the Moody Center on September 26 and 27.
Tickets for all dates are available through EricClapton.com, and the links below:
Eric Clapton USA 2026
September 13 – Milwaukee, Fiserv Forum – Get Tickets
September 15 – St. Paul, Grand Casino Arena – Get Tickets
September 17 – Kansas City, T-Mobile Center – Get Tickets
Eric Clapton’s 2026 Crossroads Guitar Festival:
September 26 – Austin, Moody Center – Get Tickets
September 27 – Austin, Moody Center – Get Tickets