Clapton pulls out of the Gary Brooker tribute.

I received an e-mail from the ticketing agency this morning:

“Sadly, during rehearsals, it was necessary for Eric Clapton to withdraw from the gala due to ill health.”

So sorry to hear. Does anyone know what it was, specifically?

~"Love is Strong"~

FTR this is the entire e-mail I received:

“We look forward to welcoming you to G Live on Monday, 4 December for our fundraising gala in memory of, and celebrating the life of Gary Brooker MBE. The performers, including Paul Carrack, Mike Rutherford, Roger Taylor, John Illsley and Mike Sanchez, under the musical direction of Andy Fairweather, have just completed three days of rehearsal, and it’s sounding superb. Sadly, during rehearsals, it was necessary for Eric Clapton to withdraw from the gala due to ill health. As a long-time friend, he is extremely disappointed not to honour Gary on Monday. Nevertheless, he hopes that his misfortune won’t affect your enjoyment of what is going to be a fantastic show, that raises funds for two charities that Gary was passionate about, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Thank you for your support.

The Gary Brooker Team"

That really really sucks. Yes, there are other big name names on there, but you can't really deny Eric Clapton was head and shoulders above them and gave the event a bit more oompf. Which I really want Gary to have, cause he was always underrated amongst those other rockers but Procol were excellent in their time.

In other news, Eric is coming to Brazil.

Belated but my few comments here to offer on the Slowhand-less “Remembering Gary Brooker” concert in Guildford last week. In short, it was a nice event and a great success. All of the musicians put on spirited performances that well made up for the absence of the biggest star of the night. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel shortchanged at all and so did everybody who was there to see the tribute, I am for sure.

As the house lights turned off, Eric’s recorded message was played, in which he apologized for his pulling out of the event. His voice was totally hoarse, giving an enough clue of his incapability to perform, unfortunately. According to Andy Fairweather Low’s words as well as what I heard from the sound man after the show, Eric was to perform Lead Me To The Water that was also the opener of his 2022 RAH show and Gin House (both were played without him).

The undoubted highlight of the night was the closing number, A Whiter Shade Of Pale (what else could it have been?). It was performed by the house band with Geoff Whitehorn, the final Procol Harum guitarist in their changing lineups, with Gary’s footage belting out the song from various ages from the 1960s to the 2000s projected on the back screen and synchronized with the live performance. A fitting tribute to the late great musician.

When I arrived back at the hotel where I stayed, I came across half a dozen guests sitting and chatting at the bar area, all show attendees, one from Scotland, another from Norway, two from the Netherlands, another two from Germany — a petit international meeting of the fans. They all looked greatly satisfied despite the initial disappointment they had felt to the announcement of Clapton’s non-appearance.
“Worth every penny,” I said to them, to which they all agreed.

Quite a few comments and photos (including the setlist) of the event are up on one of Procol Harum-related Facebooks — which I can’t see any more at the moment after I could have a glimpse of (I haven’t registered Facebook hence no log in). Worth searching if you are interested.

Sounds like a nice night. Did it have anyone from previous lineups there? Matthew Fisher? Robin Trower? I feel a star studded Gary Brooker tribute concert could really put together a unique night where it brings in a lot of former people he'd worked with, like Eric Clapton's tribute to Ginger Baker.

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RollingFreak
Sounds like a nice night. Did it have anyone from previous lineups there? Matthew Fisher? Robin Trower? I feel a star studded Gary Brooker tribute concert could really put together a unique night where it brings in a lot of former people he'd worked with, like Eric Clapton's tribute to Ginger Baker.

No, neither Fisher nor Trower turned up for whatever reason.

The forum of the German Clapton fan website has a thread for this event. There are a number of posts and some great photos from the night. Non-native German speakers can utilize DeepL for translating the comments into your language.

[www.clapton.de]

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RisingStone

Quote
RollingFreak
Sounds like a nice night. Did it have anyone from previous lineups there? Matthew Fisher? Robin Trower? I feel a star studded Gary Brooker tribute concert could really put together a unique night where it brings in a lot of former people he'd worked with, like Eric Clapton's tribute to Ginger Baker.

No, neither Fisher nor Trower turned up for whatever reason.

The forum of the German Clapton fan website has a thread for this event. There are a number of posts and some great photos from the night. Non-native German speakers can utilize DeepL for translating the comments into your language.

[www.clapton.de]

Setlist and review from that site. Too bad McCartney, Elton John, Ringo and Nick Mason could only send videos.. I would have been interested in hearing Roger Taylor tackle A Salty Dog.

First set (7:30-8:30):
1. Poison Ivy (Andy Fairweather Low)
2. High School Confidential (Mike Sanchez)
3. I’m Ready (Mike Sanchez)
4. Sultans of Swing (John Illsley)
5. Money for Nothing (John Illsley)
6. (No More) Fear of Flying (Nikki Lamborn)
7. Two Fools In Love (Olivia Keast and Andy Fairweather Low)
8. Let Me In (Sam Tanner)
9. Wall Street Blues (Nikki Lamborn)
10. Wide Eyed and Legless (Andy Fairweather Low)
11. How Long (Paul Carrack)

20 minute intermission

Second set (8:50-9:50):
1. (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice (Andy Fairweather Low)
2. Pandora’s Box (house band)
3. Homburg (Paul Carrack)
4. Conquistador (house band)
5. A Salty Dog (Roger Taylor)
6. The Living Years (Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack)
7. Over My Shoulder (Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack)
8. Lead Me to the Water (Andy Fairweather Low)
9. Gin House Blues (Andy Fairweather Low)
10. Blueberry Hill (Mike Sanchez)
11. A Whiter Shade of Pale (Gary Brooker and house band)

House Band:
Geoff Whitehorn - Procol guitar replacement for Trower for their entire reunited run
Josh Phillips - Procol organ replacement for Fisher
Dave Bronze - Procol bassist in the early 90s
Henry Spinetti - Procol drummer in the mid 90s
Graham Broad - Procol drummer in the mid 90s
Paul Beavis
Frank Mead
Richard Milner
Nick Pentelow
Sam Tanner

Guests:
John Illsley (Dire Straits)
Andy Fairweather Low (Eric Clapton, Roger Waters)
Paul Carrack (worked on too many things to list)
Roger Taylor (Queen)
Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
Mike Sanchez
Scott McKeon
Nikki Lamborn
Olivia Keast

"4th December 2023 - Remembering Gary Brooker MBE @ G Live Guildford (UK). The tribute to Gary Brooker in aid of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Cure Parkinson’s began with a voice message from his longtime friend Eric Clapton who was unable to attend for health reasons. His voice and breathing sounded quite rough. Musical director Andy Fairweather Low and Gary’s wife Franky then welcomed us warmly and former radio presenter Alex Dyke introduced the various artists. The concert was recorded and filmed for later release.

Gary’s life and career was celebrated with two sets containing Procol Harum or Brooker originals, classic hits by the performing guests or songs Gary used to play with other formations such as No Stiletto Shoes or Band du Lac. This was somewhat unexpected for many, myself included, but it was a selection that reflected his love of music. The guest artists in order of appearance were Mike Sanchez, John Illsley, Paul Carrack, Roger Taylor and Mike Rutherford (with Paul Carrack). Andy Fairweather Low began with Poison Ivy, originally recorded by the Coasters, which became a hit for the Paramounts, the predecessor band to Procol Harum. A few guest artists were up to the task of covering a Procol Harum or Gary Brooker song. Paul Carrack rendered Homburg and snappy dresser Roger Taylor was brave enough to sing A Salty Dog. Nikki Lamborn performed (No More) Fear of Flying and Wall Street Blues. Olivia Keast duetted with Andy Fairweather Low on Two Fools In Love.

The five-star house band consisted of Procol Harum members Geoff Whitehorn and Josh Phillips as well as past members Dave Bronze, Henry Spinetti and Graham Broad. Paul Beavis, Frank Mead, Richard Milner, Nick Pentelow and Sam Tanner completed the lineup. The programme also listed Nikki Lamborn (Never The Bride) and Olivia Keast as band members but they had no duties as backing singers. Some of the musicians and fans we had expected were missing, maybe due to circumstances beyond their control. The house band played phenomenal versions of Pandora’s Box (Frank Mead on flute) and Conquistador both featuring Sam Tanner - not Santana, as Andy pointed out! Earlier on, Sam Tanner also performed Let Me In, a track from Gary’s album No More Fear of Flying. His voice was amazingly close to the Commander’s and he is a great piano player too. It is also worth mentioning that guitarist Scott McKeon joined John Illsley, bass player of Dire Straits, on excellent renditions of Sultans of Swing and Money for Nothing. Eric Clapton was to play Gary’s composition Lead Me to the Water to which he contributed guitar at the time. Andy took over for Eric with the dedication: El, this is for you! Geoff Whitehorn, who can play anything (I echo Andy’s words), took the solo. Andy did a fantastic job as musical director, together with Dave Bronze, and we were so excited to see him back in action. He blew the roof off with his raucous Gin House Blues.

In between songs there were heartfelt messages from various people. Musicians included Nick Mason, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, You Know Who (Ringo Starr!) and Elton John who was about to start A Whiter Shade of Pale on his piano when Gary himself took over! His vocals were synchronized with various video snippets and the house band backed him live. It sent shivers down my spine and it was beautiful to share the bittersweet moments with so many friends in attendance. As you may know, Procol Harum had a very special bond with their fans. Remembering Gary Brooker was a fitting tribute to a wonderful musician and great human being who will be forever missed."

“The concert was recorded and filmed for later release.”