Eric Clapton officially kicked off his European tour Saturday night with the first of two shows at London's Royal Albert Hall, a venue he has played more than 200 times 1964 debut there with The Yardbirds.
Clapton kicked off his 17-song set with a cover of his friend and occasional bandmate Gary Brooker's "Lead Me To the Water," while a photo of the Procol Harum founder was projected for the audience behind the stage. Brooker, who passed away in February from cancer, recorded the song in 1982, which featured Clapton, George Harrison, Phil Collins, Albert Lee and several others.
Clapton also performed "Layla" twice -- the Unplugged version during the acoustic set, and the electric version later in the show. He did a second night at the venue Sunday night. His tour will resume on May 17th in Zurich, Switzerland.
Here’s a peek at Clapton’s song list from the Royal Albert Hall shows:
- Lead Me To the Water
- Key To the Highway
- Pilgrim
- River of Tears
- I Shot the Sheriff
- White Room
- Heart of a Child***
- Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out***
- Smile***
- Layla*** (acoustic)
- Tears in Heaven***
- Badge
- Wonderful Tonight
- Crossroads
- Little Queen of Spades
- Layla (electric)
- High Time We Went (encore)
***Acoustic set with special guest Andy Fairweather Low
[Source: Classic Hits Today]