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A high-quality audience master from this year’s European tour, the Paris performance! Eric Clapton, who energetically toured Europe one month after his Japan performance in April, has released a stereo audience recording master from the Paris performance on May 31st! While a high-quality complete recording by a local taper has previously been released, this newly acquired master is different. While the sound image is more distant than the Uxbridge recording, which was recorded with a sound source comparable to the previous Japan performance, it is still a good recording. This was the only Paris performance, the second to last show of the tour. Clapton’s enthusiasm was incredible, allowing you to enjoy a fulfilling performance at the end of the tour. While there were no surprises in the setlist, it was a unique performance that was typical of Clapton, continuing from his Japan performance. Speaking of the Paris performance, it’s still fresh in our memory that he performed at the same venue at the same time last spring, but the setlist was significantly different, capturing the charm of Clapton’s new appearance in Paris. This work captures the full scope of the Paris performance, which was the culmination of the 2025 European tour! To get a glimpse of the intention behind this set list, which was put together by the now 80-year-old, let’s take a look at the origins of each song (each song is listed based on the year it was first performed or recorded; ” ” indicates the album it appears on). Cream era: White Room, Crossroads, “WHEELS OF FIRE,” Sunshine of Your Love, “DISRAELI GEARS,” Badge, “GOODBYE” Blind Faith era: Can’t Find My Way Home, “BLIND FAITH” Derek and the Dominos era: Key to the Highway, Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, “LAYLA AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS” Solo era: (70s) Kind Hearted Woman Blues, “CROSSROADS 2,” “ME AND MR. JOHNSON,” Golden Ring, BACKLESS, Cocaine SLOWHAND (80s) Old Love, Before You Accuse Me, “JOURNEYMAN” (90s) I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man, “FROM THE CRADLE,” Tears in Heaven, “RUSH,” “UNPLUGGED” (00s) Little Queen of Spades ME AND MR. JOHNSON Looking at the set, we can see that, like his Japan concert in April this year, there were no selections from his 2010s albums, which were primarily covers. Instead, four Cream songs were included, surpassing his Derek and the Dominos days. This shows how proud Clapton himself is of his career with Cream. Seven of the 15 songs were blues, typical of Clapton, and three of those were Robert Johnson numbers. This also offers a glimpse into Clapton’s passion and commitment. Looking at the overall performance, it’s clear that the selection spanned his entire career. This Paris performance at age 80, a setlist compiled for his longtime European fans, could be said to sum up his career. Conversely, these are the songs Clapton wants to play now, at 80 years old. It was a setlist worthy of Clapton’s long career, satisfying both his old fans and those following “Unplugged.” And Clapton was in top form that day. Despite being 80 years old, he played a grueling eight shows in nearly two weeks, and yet on this day, he delivered a fiery, high-energy performance without a single hesitation. He aggressively attacked every song with a solo. Like his Japan performances, this European tour kicked off with the hard-hitting, high-energy number “White Room” from his Cream days, and his performance of this song was once again powerful. The opening intro, befitting the performance, heightened the excitement. Sonny Emory’s powerful drumming and the female chorus created an overwhelming impact, making this a truly powerful opening. His final solo, featuring a thrilling wah pedal, unleashed a barrage of exquisite phrases, brimming with Clapton’s signature vocal talent. The following blues, a masterful performance, has become a concert staple. And before the acoustic set, he chose the Cream smash hit “Sunshine of Your Love.” Before the opening riff, the band added an intro similar to that used on last year’s Latin American tour. This section alone has a great groove that makes you wish it could continue. Clapton was totally into this part. The introduction to his solo in the middle section featured a flowing solo that perfectly matched the melody, with the phrases from “Blue Moon” ringing out. The band then moved on to an acoustic set, starting with a mellow rendition of Robert Johnson’s “Kind Hearted Woman Blues.” This was considered one of Johnson’s favorite blues tracks, and a staple on this tour. They then played “Golden Ring.” This heartwarming love song is a mellow number that shines live, and was well-received by the Paris audience. They then moved on to “Can’t Find My Way Home,” featuring bassist Nathan East on vocals. East has also included this number on his solo albums, and it has been a constant feature of his performances on stage since the 1990 “Journeyman Tour.” Featuring this song, a favorite of Nathan’s, shows Clapton’s gratitude for his longtime contributions. The acoustic set concluded with the classic “Tears in Heaven.” It was a must-have for fans following “Unplugged.” The second half of the set, a standing-room only electric set, featured a string of classic Clapton numbers, clearly demonstrating his strong form. The classic “Badge” brought the stage back to life, and his solo here was superb. Next came “Old Love,” hailed as the highlight of his Japan tour. I can confidently say that this performance of “Old Love” was a masterpiece! It was a stunning performance, showcasing all of Clapton’s technique, vocal talent, and compositional ability. Even if you’re not a Clapton fan, any rock fan will be deeply moved by the fact that Clapton, at the ripe old age of 80, was able to pull this off. Naturally, the audience erupted in applause. It’s truly amazing that Clapton can play like this at 80 years old. The jam-like section in the middle is rich with improvisation, reminiscent of his 1998 “Pilgrim Tour,” before a light-hearted rhythm is used to launch Tim Carmon’s passionate synth solo. His playing, equally impressive as Clapton’s solo, drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. And once again, the finale, from “Cross Road Blues” to “Cocaine,” brought the show to a climax. Clapton’s playing was particularly energetic, but the entire band was also impressive. Each solo was filled with passion. The intro to “Cocaine” this time began not with Nathan’s bass solo, but with a call-and-response scat vocal sung by him. Clapton’s mid-song, again featuring a stunning wah-wah stomp, was a truly captivating ending, as was the case in Japan. The encore remained unchanged from the first day of the tour, playing “Before You Accuse Me.” Clapton was in such good form that the band’s groove really stood out. As per previous performances, the middle section featured a development from Freddie King’s “Hideaway,” and the closing section also featured a snippet from “Sweet Home Chicago.” The Paris performance, towards the end of the tour, also evoked the energy of Clapton and his band, demonstrating his continued vitality at age 80. No, let me rephrase that: not just impressive for an 80-year-old, but Clapton’s playing on this day was in no way inferior to his playing in the 2000s (i.e., when he was in his 50s). His performance on this day is definitely worth listening to. As an aside, following the previous London and Milan performances, “Wonderful Tonight” and “Layla” were not performed on this day. Clapton was upset that Pattie Boyd, who was George Harrison’s wife at the time, had put up for auction a love letter he sent to her in 1970, and so he did not include these two songs related to Pattie on last year’s tour. However, as this was a European tour including the UK, he probably did not want to perform them on this tour. Nevertheless, the Paris audiences would not have been dissatisfied with Clapton, who gave such a good performance. Clapton is scheduled to resume touring energetically from September. Although it is slightly further away than the recordings made with sound sources comparable to those used in Japan, it is still a good enough recording. This is a world premiere sound source provided by the recording author!! Accor Arena, Paris, France 31st May 2025 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc:1 (47:00) 1. Intro. 2. White Room 3. Key to the Highway 4. I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man 5. Sunshine of Your Love 6. Kind Hearted Woman Blues 7. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out 8. Golden Ring 9. Can’t Find My Way Home 10. Tears in Heaven Disc:2 (57:13) 1. Badge 2. Old Love 3. Crossroads 4. Little Queen of Spades 5. Cocaine 6. Before You Accuse Me Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals Doyle Bramhall Ⅱ – guitar, vocals Chris Stainton – piano, keyboards Tim Carmon – hammond organ, keyboards Nathan East – bass Sonny Emory – drums Sharon White – backing vocals Katy Kissoon – backing vocals
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