Clapton cancels shows over back injury

claptonEric Clapton has cancelled two concerts after suffering severe back pain.

The iconic guitarist is receiving medical attention after being forced to call off shows in Vienna, Austria and Stuttgart, Germany this week. It’s not known whether he’ll appear for the next scheduled gig in Oberhausen, Germany, on Friday.

A statement says: “He is currently with specialists who will be able to better determine the course of treatment. He was looking forward to these concerts and regrets that he is not to be able to perform for the fans. He would like to apologise for any inconveniences these cancellations may cause and would like to thank the fans for their understanding.”

Clapton is on the road to support his latest album, Old Sock, with the tour set to end next week.

He recently explained the title came out of a chance phone call following the release of David Bowie’s comeback single Where Are We Now? Clapton said: “I called the office and said ‘Send a message to David’s office, and just say thank you for writing such a beautiful song.’ Every now and then I feel compelled to do this when something gets me. And he came back, ‘Thanks for the shout out, old sock…really appreciate it.’ And I thought, ‘There it is.’”

The 68-year-old is celebrating his 50th year as a professional musician – but in March he revealed he was planning to retire from touring, saying: “The struggle is the travel. The only way you can beat that is by throwing so much money at it that you make a loss.

“When I’m 70 I’ll stop. I won’t stop playing or doing one-offs, but I’ll stop touring, I think.”

-Classic Rock

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