Eric Clapton/London,UK 2.4.1988 Jewel Version

Unreleased high-quality audience shots from the 1988 RAH performance! The same person who filmed “ROYAL ALBERT HALL 2017 3rd Night: The Video” also released audience shot footage taken in 1988! This is a complete recording of the final day of the 9-day performance at the Royal Albert Hall on February 4, 1988, which was the starting point of Eric Clapton’s Celebrate Tour to commemorate his 25th anniversary of his debut. The first 43 minutes are a fixed shot capturing the entire stage view from the second floor stand directly in front of the stage, but after that it is a close-up shot centered on Clapton. Perhaps due to the quality of the analog video camera at the time, the focus is a little soft, but there is no color loss, and it is clear that Clapton, with his dark beard, was holding a pewter gray custom strat and wearing a shiny fabric suit (he takes off his jacket after the run). The sound is also fine with a good audience recording. For this release, it has been meticulously digitized and remastered from analog tape. A big topic of this Celebration Tour was that Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler participated as a friend and supported Clapton throughout the entire tour. Clapton responded by featuring Knopfler on the Dire Straits song Money For Nothing. There were two other highlights of the day. The first was that Phil Collins joined in on drums from Behind The Mask until the end of the encore. In other words, there was a double drum in this part. He was also good friends with Clapton, so he probably wanted to celebrate this tour together. The second was that in the middle of the encore, Further On Up The Road, which followed the introduction of the band members, Clapton played Freddie King’s Hide Away, which he covered during his time with the Bluesbreakers. Moreover, it was a twin lead in unison with Knopfler. In addition to the full set list that gives a bird’s-eye view of Clapton’s 25-year career, there are many highlights like the ones mentioned above, so I think you will enjoy it as a valuable record of the 25th anniversary celebration tour. Now, as for this performance, let’s first look at where it fit into the 25th anniversary tour that took place that year. ・January 22nd – February 7th 1988: UK tour, including 9 consecutive performances at the Royal Albert Hall (Mark Knopfler participated) ←★Here★　April 18th 1988: Anthology box set “CROSSROADS” released　・June 5th – 6th 1988: Appeared with his own band at the “Prince’s Trust Concert” held at the Royal Albert Hall (Elton John participated) ・June 8th – 9th 1988: Brixton Rehearsed with Dire Straits at the Academy. June 11, 1988: Performed with Dire Straits at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert. July 2, 1988: Performed at the Picnic Concert, a charity event in Surrey, England. September 1 – October 8, 1988: Toured the U.S. on tour. October 11, 1988: Performed at a Jack Bruce concert at the Bottom Line, a club in New York. October 31st to November 5th, 1988: Japan Tour; November 28th, 1988: Appeared at a charity event at the Hard Rock Cafe in London. Performed on stage with Jeff Beck and Mitch Mitchell; December 23rd, 1988: Appeared at Gary Brooker’s Stiletto Shoes gig in Dunsfold, Surrey, UK. This was a large-scale world tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut and to express their gratitude to their fans for their long-time support along with the release of their anthology album. The highlight of the tour was the early UK performances, which mainly featured consecutive performances at the RAH. The set list was made up of masterpieces that represent their 25-year career, and it is also attractive that you can see (and hear) many popular numbers such as Run, Same Old Blues, Holy Mother, Badge, and Let It Rain, which were dropped from the set during the autumn Japan tour. In particular, the long original blues Same Old Blues, which creates a seductive atmosphere with its solo that makes extensive use of sustain and bends, Like Blues and the studio version, the band’s potential is fully demonstrated throughout the album, including the gorgeous Behind The Mask, played with Phil Collins’ drums, and Layla, which beautifully colors the intense solo in the middle and the coda that emphasizes the melody, maximizing the synergy with Mark Knopfler. This is the first public audience shot video of the 1988 Celebrate Tour RAH performance. Royal Albert Hall, London, UK 4th February 1988 1. Crossroads 2. White Room 3. I Shot The Sheriff 4. Wonderful Tonight 5. Run 6. Same Old Blues 7. Tearing Us Apart 8. Holy Mother 9. Badge 10. Let It Rain 11. Cocaine 12. A Remark You Made 13. Layla 14. Behind The Mask 15. Sunshine Of Your Love 16. Money For Nothing 17. Hide Away / Further On Up The Road COLOUR NTSC Approx.134min. Lineup: Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals Mark Knopfler – guitar Alan Clark – keyboards Nathan East – bass Steve Ferrone – drums Ray Cooper – percussion Katie Kissoon – backing vocals Tessa Niles – backing vocals