Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton has revealed that he is not particularly proud of his performance at The Last Waltz, the 1976 farewell concert by The Band. In a new interview with YouTube channel The Real Music Observer, Clapton said that he was disappointed with his playing on the song "Further on Up the Road" after his guitar strap came loose during the solo.
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"I get the guitar solo and I immediately have to give it away to Robbie!" Clapton said. "I was so annoyed with myself. I was just on automatic pilot at that point."
Clapton also said that he was not feeling well on the day of the concert and that he was not prepared for the level of intensity of the performance.
"I was just not in the right place," he said. "I was not feeling well and I was not prepared for the intensity of the show."
Despite his disappointment, Clapton said that he is grateful for the opportunity to have played at The Last Waltz, which he called "a great night of music."
"It was a great honor to be asked to play," he said. "The Band were one of my favorite bands and it was a privilege to be a part of their farewell concert."
The Last Waltz was a star-studded event that featured performances by many of the biggest names in music, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Van Morrison. The concert was filmed by Martin Scorsese and released as a documentary in 1978.
Clapton's performance at The Last Waltz is often cited as one of his weakest, but the guitarist's comments in the new interview suggest that he is now at peace with his performance.
"I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed of it either," he said. "It was just one of those nights."
