Eric Clapton brought his Madrid concert to an abrupt end after having an object lobbed at his chest.
The 81-year-old rock and blues musician took his European tour to the Movistar Arena last night, where he seemingly had every intention of treating the crowd to an encore after his song Cocaine.
However, after being pelted by what looked to be a vinyl record, the star left the stage and did not return.
Footage circulating on social media captured the moment, with Eric taken aback when the item hit him.
Smiling and waving to the audience as they cheered wildly, he was making his way backstage in the classic ‘we’ll pretend like this is the end of the show, but we all know I’m coming back to sing the big hits’ moment.
He stopped in his tracks, though, and the smile fell from his face when a vinyl still in its packaging was hurled in his direction.
Fans began sharing their videos after a fellow attendee criticised the concert.
@doron_ros on X branded the show ‘by far the worst’ they had ‘ever seen’, urging others to ‘save [their] money’.
‘No hello, no goodbye, no band intro, no energy, no encore — just boredom with a guitar,’ the user wrote.
In response, @HertzFrancisco shared @Paulhewsonrm’s clip of the vinyl-throwing incident, which was taken close to the front row, writing: ‘There was a good reason for no encore’.
@cromotocaster declared they felt ‘deeply ashamed as a Madrilenian and Clapton’s huge fan’, while @AxLorente raged that the person responsible ‘f***ed up an ending that was gonna be gorgeous.’
@AlertyQ was also mad that ‘one idiot [ruined] it for everyone’, with @CarlosMore74 echoing: ‘What a shameless jerk, the one who threw the vinyl. He ruined the final party of the magnificent concert we were enjoying. He made the Spaniards look like savages who don’t know how to treat legends.’
While the thrower’s identity is unknown, and it’s unclear whether they were reprimanded, @marugan_olalla claimed the person responsible was a band member wanting to ‘promote’ their own music.
Meanwhile, Spanish publication El País reports that the fan did not intend to harm Eric, having attached a ‘note of affection’ to the thrown vinyl.
Still, it’s claimed that the singer ‘became angry’ afterwards; hence, his decision to scrap the encore.
The star himself is yet to address the ordeal.
He will next take to the stage on May 10 in Barcelona at the Palau Sant Jordi before travelling to Germany next week.
The Ripley-born guitarist will perform just one UK date as part of his tour, which lands on August 23 at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he’ll be joined by Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood.
Later this year, Eric will tour across North America and headline the Crossroads Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
The carnage of last night’s show in Spain is far from the first time an artist has been hit with a flying object while trying to entertain an adoring crowd.
You may remember the 2023 era when concertgoers were chucking things at celebs left, right, and centre.
This included country singer Kelsea Ballerini rushing off stage in a panic after being hit in the eye by a bracelet, Bebe Rexha needing stitches after a phone was thrown at her at speed, and Ava Max getting slapped by a stage invader who ‘scratched’ the inside of her eye.
The baffling craze also saw artists handed unusual objects, such as Pink, who was given everything from a cheese wheel to a fan’s mother’s ashes. As you do.
Reps for Eric Clapton have been contacted for comment.
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