On This Day, Jan. 6, 1987: Eric Clapton kicked off his first Royal Albert Hall residency

On This Day, Jan. 6, 1987 …

Eric Clapton kicked off a six-night residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall, treating the crowd to such classic songs as “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “Cocaine” and more, including Cream tracks “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love.”

The residency soon became an almost yearly event for Clapton. In 1991 he played a whopping 24 shows at Royal Albert Hall, which broke his own record for the longest run of concerts at the venue.

During that run, Clapton performed with three lineups — a rock band, a blues band and an orchestra. In June he released a box set, The Definitive 24 Nights, featuring performances from that run.

Clapton’s most recent Royal Albert Hall residency took place in May 2024, playing four nights at the venue. He’s set to return for three nights in May 2025.

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