Would Eric Clapton’s anti-vax views keep you from attending his concert?

“Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Keep Britain white.”

“Do we have any foreigners in the audience tonight? If so, please put your hands up. So, where are you? Well, wherever you are, I think you should all just leave. Not just the hall, leave our country. I don’t want you here in the room or in my country.”

That was a rant from a drunken Eric Clapton at a concert in 1976. He used his inebriated condition as an excuse for his racist ramblings.

“I can’t take this BS any longer. It’s gone far enough. You want to claim my soul. You’ll have to come and break down my door.”

Almost fifty years after his concert ‘misstep’, those are the words Clapton sang. His song, “This Has Got To Stop” became an anti-vax, anti-lockdown anthem. Eric Clapton, along with fellow musician Van Morrison became one of the faces of that movement. They helped spread dangerous misinformation that led to people becoming ill or losing their lives.

This week it was announced that Eric Clapton will be performing in Chicago this September. There will be two nights of concerts at the United Center. They will be his first shows in the city in more than a decade.

I go way back with E.C. He’s in the top five of my all-time favorite musicians. Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & the Dominoes. solo work….love them all. So many of his records are part of my go-to, must-have music. His last Chicago concert with Steve Winwood was spectacular.

But, you can be a legendary performer and still hold repugnant views. You can be great at your job while being a bad person. Eric Clapton tried to show us who he is in 1976. We didn’t want to believe it because we loved his music. He was a hero to many of us. We were young and we were naive. Almost five decades later that naivety is gone. When people show us their true colors, we now believe them.

Normally, an Eric Clapton concert would get me excited. I’d be among the first to try to get tickets. But, his behavior over the last couple of years has turned me off so much that I’m a probable no. I used to be able to separate my core beliefs from those of my sports and music heroes. I can’t do that anymore. Why spend your money on something that goes against all your beliefs?!

Eric Clapton is just another example of your heroes disappointing you. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize this.

Related Post: Your heroes are going to disappoint you

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