Eric Clapton fans erupted in fury over the weekend after Slowhand walked off stage in Glasgow without offering an explanation.
He suffered technical issues during the show at 12,000-capacity Hydro venue on Saturday, and left the stage midway through a performance of classic track Cocaine, with his band following.
He told the crowd: “Sorry about that,” before launching into High Time We Went – but left the stage without saying anything else. Audience members, who’d paid an average of £60 a ticker, began booing as the house lights went up and crew began dismantling the stage set.
Clapton’s Facebook page appeared to have been shut down as a result of negative comments, but audience members expressed their feelings elsewhere. Veteran Scots rock DJ Tom Russell said via Facebook: “Eric was sounding good, then about an hour and 15 minutes he seemed to go off in a huff. Show over. Poor way to treat 12,000 customers who paid good money.”
Ken Dunsmuir responded: “All it needed was a tour manager or somebody to come out and give an explanation. Not too much to ask, is it?”
Simon Harris added: “Eric was on superb form, as was his band, but the sound was shocking from the start. The final straw during Cocaine was when bass feedback returned yet again, but worse than ever, drowning out everything. Clapton was not at fault – the gig could clearly not go on.”
A statement on Slowhand’s website later explained: “Unfortunately 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 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 one hour, 35 minutes, 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.”
A Hydro spokesman said: “The production team 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. Our staff did their best to convey information to customers as it became known.”
