24 March 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com happeningsthismonth The Kingdom gets a chance to see this member of rock and roll royalty in action at this year’s Spring of Culture festival. After much denial and widespread disbelief the rumour was finally put to rest when the Ministry of Culture and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) came out with the official announcement about the Eric Clapton concert. “We are proud to host Eric Clapton in Bahrain as part of the 9th Spring of Culture festival. This concert is part of a diverse programme of art, music and theatre that offers Bahrain residents and international visitors a range of cultural experiences,” says Leema Haddad, from EDB. “Eric Clapton is a legendary guitarist and the public interest in the concert has been remarkable.” The show marks the last leg of Clapton’s early 2014 tour that brings him to Bahrain via Japan, South-east Asia and Dubai. Known to the world as ‘Slowhand’, he enjoys the deserved status of a rock ‘God’ to guitarists around the world. Many fans in the country showed immense excitement at the news but the bleak prospect of actually acquiring a show ticket soon overshadowed it. The tickets to the show were priced at BD30 to BD50 but within just a few hours of going on sale were sold out. Many names, one soul The 18-time Grammy Award winner is no stranger to the shores of Bahrain, and has been photographed a few times during the Formula One season in the past. His affinity with the Middle East actually goes beyond the motorsport events that take place here. The song Layla, one of his most popular hits, is inspired by the classical poetry of Nizami Ganjavi and the Persian folk tales of Layla and Majnun. Part of the British Blues boom of the 60’s, Clapton’s journey in music began when his grandmother bought him an electric guitar when he was in his early teens. He was a guitarist in quite a few bands before he tasted chart success with the Yardbirds in the mid-60s. Their single, For Your Love, reached number two in the UK chart in 1964. From this point on, there was no looking back for him. A short stint with John Mayall’s Bluebreakers was followed by the birth of Cream in 1966. Fame wasn’t always a welcome friend, and that led Clapton to produce work under different names. He even worked with George Harrison under the names Delaney and Bonnie and wrote Layla while he was part of Derek and the Dominos. Numerous bands and collaborations later he released his first solo album, titled Eric Clapton, in 1970. The only triple inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, either as an individual or in a group, he performs live in Bahrain at Arad Fort on March 8. E Visit www.springofculture.org. A Maestro Plays! Eric Clapton When? March 8 | Event? Eric Clapton concert | Venue? Arad Fort When? March 2-6 Event? Japanese Makie Exhibition Venue? Bahrain National Museum When? March 3 Event? Ghalia Bin Ali concert Venue? Shaikh Ebrahim Centre When? March 5 Event? Ramsey Lewis and Philip Bailey concert Venue? Arad Fort When? March 6 Event? José Carreras performance Venue? Bahrain National Theatre When? March 7-9 Event? The Child and the Magic Spells Venue? Cultural Hall When? March 12 Event? The Vienna Boys’ Choir Venue? Cultural Hall When? March 13-15 Event? Art market Venue? Bab al Bahrain and Manama Souq When? March 14 Event? Mohammed Abdo concert Venue? Arad Fort When? March 20-22 Event? China National Acrobatic Troupe Venue? Arad Fort When? March 26 and 28 Event? Gibran, The play Venue? Cultural Hall When? March 27-30 Event? The Very Hungry Caterpillar Venue? Alumni Club When? March 27-April 6 Event? Bahrain International Book Fair Venue? BIECC When? March 28-29 Event? Troy Venue? Arad Fort Spring of Culture
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