The Cream of Clapton Band, featuring members with close family ties to the great English guitarist, begin an extensive European tour next week, to be followed by a North American leg.
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The band features Eric Clapton’s nephew Will Johns on lead guitar and vocals and Eric’s longtime bassist Nathan East’s son Noah, alongside Dylan Elise from Blood, Sweat & Tears on drums and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Steve Ball, who recently toured with The Music of Cream.
The tour has the endorsement of Clapton himself, who has not only told the band that he is “honored and pleased” that the show is hitting the road this year, but contributed a short video with Nathan East to announce the tour.
The band’s set includes classic Clapton hits and favorites and has a special focus on such albums as Behind the Sun, August, and Journeyman, which have been a particular influence on its members. Songs from that era include such hits as “Forever Man,” “Behind The Mask,” “Tearing Us Apart,” and “Bad Love.”
Says Johns, who is the son of famed engineer and producer Andy Johns and nephew of Andy’s esteemed producer brother Glyn: “Of course, we will be playing classics like ‘Cocaine,’ ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ ‘Badge,’ and ‘Layla.’ But there are so many great songs that haven’t been performed for some time, like the gold and platinum-selling albums Behind the Sun, August, and Journeyman, which ultimately led to Eric’s record breaking 24-night residency at the Royal Albert Hall. We’ve added an energy, groove and flair that’s very much our own. We will have everyone up and dancing from the get go!”
He adds: “Eric and I went fishing recently, and one of the first things he said was, ‘So I hear you and Nathan’s son are going on tour playing my music?’ When I asked him if he was alright with that he told me, to my absolute delight, that he was honored. It means the world to me to have his blessing and we are all super excited about our new concert tour. Eric and Nathan even recorded a short video for us!”
Read more about the Cream of Clapton Band and their full tour schedule.