Eric Clapton Issues Apology After Walking Off Stage Early

You don’t expect to hear booing at an Eric Clapton, yet the guitar legend was indeed met with the Bronx cheer after he walked off stage just a few words into a performance of “Cocaine” in Glasgow on Saturday night. Fans were given no explanation at the time for Slowhand’s early departure, but Clapton has since issued a statement about the situation.

Here’s what Team Clapton posted on Facebook about the Glasgow show:

Unfortunately last night in Glasgow we experienced a steadily worsening technical problem with the PA system that the band battled with throughout the show but by the last song of the set it became unbearable on stage and Eric was unable to complete that number. During the encore break we were able to reset and the band finished as planned with the last number.

The usual touring set length runs at 1hr 35 mins so in fact the full set was performed apart from the entirety of “cocaine” which had to be curtailed.

Eric is nevertheless sorry for the break in the concert and the disappointment of his fans.

The venue issued a statement reading:

The production team for last night’s performance suffered a technical issue which resulted in the concert ending earlier than anticipated.

By the time the venue had been made aware of the circumstances patrons were already leaving the bowl.

However, our stewards and staff did their best to convey this information as it became known.

Clapton’s tour continued last night in Leeds without incident, where Eric and his band made it through a complete version of “Cocaine.”