81-Year-Old Eric Clapton Revives Forgotten Classic After 51 Years

Eric Clapton opened his short U.S. tour with a set full of familiar favorites, deep cuts, and one especially surprising throwback. During his Sept. 6 concert at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, the 81-year-old guitarist reached back more than five decades and performed “Give Me Strength” for the first time since 1975.

According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Clapton’s song originally appeared on his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard, and its return immediately stood out in a night built around music from across his career. Instead of playing “I Shot the Sheriff,” a song he had regularly included in recent overseas shows, Clapton shifted into the acoustic portion of the evening and revived a track fans had not heard live in generations.

A Beloved Eric Clapton Song Returns to the Stage After More Than 50 Years

March 27, 2013 – Gwinnett, GA – Eric Clapton and his band made a stop on their tour at the Gwinnett Center Arena in Gwinnett, GA, where they performed for a sold-out crowd of fans. Photo credit: Dan Harr/AdMedia

Clapton opened the acoustic section with “Give Me Strength,” marking its first documented live performance in more than half a century. According to the setlist. FM, he had last played the song in July 1975 during a concert in Kansas City while touring on a bill with Santana. That long gap made the Detroit performance one of the biggest surprises of the night.

Eric Clapton has been critical of the COVID-19 response but is proceeding with caution. / Ref: LMK73-J2271-090718
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The song’s comeback also carried an interesting bit of history. “Give Me Strength” served as the B-side to “I Shot the Sheriff,” making Clapton’s decision to skip his usual hit and bring back the lesser-heard track especially fitting. The acoustic portion expanded to eight songs and also included “Running on Faith” from Journeyman and Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” with longtime bassist Nathan East handling lead vocals.

A Career-Spanning Set Proves He Still Has Plenty of Fire

10 September 2017 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Eric Clapton. 2017 Toronto International Film Festival —”Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars” Premiere held at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Photo Credit: Brent Perniac/AdMedia

The concert spanned several eras of Clapton’s career, featuring “Wonderful Tonight,” “Cross Road Blues,” “Little Queen of Spades,” and “Cocaine.” The nearly two-hour, 18-song set mixed solo hits with music from Cream and Blind Faith, along with rarely performed tracks. At 81, Clapton continues revisiting different corners of a career spanning more than six decades.

For longtime fans, the return of that Eric Clapton song offered the kind of moment concertgoers can never quite predict. A track that had disappeared from his live sets for more than 50 years suddenly became part of the present again. Clapton’s U.S. tour continues with stops including Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul before wrapping in Kansas City on Sept. 17. After that, he heads to Austin for his Crossroads Guitar Festival, proving there are still plenty of stages ahead for one of rock’s most enduring guitarists.