Eric Clapton ended his concert in Madrid early last week after a vinyl record thrown from the audience struck him in the chest. The 81-year-old guitarist had just finished performing 'Cocaine' at the Movistar Arena when the object was launched from the crowd, as shown in a video shared on social media. Clapton recoiled briefly before walking off stage and did not return for the planned encore.
The incident occurred during Clapton's first performance in the Spanish capital in 25 years. He was expected to play 'Before You Accuse Me' as an encore, a song that had closed previous shows on the European leg of his 2026 tour. Despite the disruption, Clapton appeared uninjured and went on to perform in Barcelona on Sunday as scheduled.
Fans on social media criticised the audience member responsible and expressed disappointment over the shortened show. One fan wrote on X: 'Waiting more than 20 years for Eric Clapton to come and for some overexcited fan to cut the concert short ahead of time by throwing a vinyl record at him that nearly hit him square in the face. He walked off and never came back.' Another added: 'Got cheated of an encore after idiotic fan threw a cardboard LP sleeve onto stage that struck Clapton.'
Clapton's European tour continues with performances in Mannheim on 13 May, Cologne on 15 May, and Munich on 17 May. He will then return to the UK for a one-off show at the Sandringham Estate in August before beginning a US tour in September, culminating at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Austin, Texas, which he founded to support his addiction treatment facility in Antigua.
The incident adds to a growing list of performers being struck by objects thrown from crowds. Recent cases include Bebe Rexha being hit by a mobile phone in New York in 2023, Harry Styles struck in Vienna, and Kelsea Ballerini hit by a friendship bracelet in Idaho.
