Clapton hits the park

HE hinted three years ago that he might give up touring, but Eric

Clapton hasn’t thrown in the towel yet.

The 72-year-old rock superstar is the latest act to be announced for next year’s British Summertime shows in Hyde Park, where he’ll headline on July 8.

Despite suffering with nerve damage in recent years, the musician shows no signs of retiring.

“I had quite a lot of pain over the last year,” he told Classic Guitar magazine in 2016. “It started with lower back pain and turned into what they call peripheral neuropathy, which is where you feel like you have electric shocks going down your leg.”

He admitted that the condition makes playing the guitar more difficult. “I can still play. But it can be hard work sometimes.”

The veteran of classic groups including The Yardbirds and Cream – who is ranked second only to Jimi Hendrix in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists – also had to postpone two concerts in Los Angeles earlier this year due to severe bronchitis.

That hasn’t stopped him signing up as the latest Summer Time headliner though. He’s performed in Hyde Park three times before, firstly as a member of the supergroup Blind Faith in 1969. His bandmate then, Steve Winwood, will be supporting him at the show next year. He returned to the venue in 1996 and 2008.

“I have happy memories of performing in Hyde Park in the past and I’m really looking forward to playing there again – the whole atmosphere is very special,” he enthuses.