Eric Clapton refuses to play venues requiring vaccines

[jethrofloyd]

British rock icon Eric Clapton has said he will not perform at venues that require concertgoers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said proof of vaccination must be shown at clubs and venues from September.

Clapton said he will not perform anywhere there is a "discriminated audience present".

His announcement came through the social media accounts of an outspoken anti-vaccine activist.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57934379

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

He Will only play this song on Replay 

Cause he must be high as a kite

[Silver]

“I took the first jab of AZ [AstraZeneca] and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days,” Clapton wrote. “I recovered eventually and was told it would be 12 weeks before the second one…”

He continued: “About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers.

“Needless to say the reactions were disastrous. My hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks. I feared I would never play again (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.)

“But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”

Eric Clapton describes “severe reactions” to AstraZeneca vaccine: “I feared I would never play again” | Guitar.com | All Things Guitar

So he opted to have protection against Covid himself, but is happy to add his voice to the anti-vaxxers. 

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Ted E Hughes

[Essan]

34 minutes ago, Ted E Hughes said:

“I took the first jab of AZ [AstraZeneca] and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days,” Clapton wrote. “I recovered eventually and was told it would be 12 weeks before the second one…”

He continued: “About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers.

“Needless to say the reactions were disastrous. My hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks. I feared I would never play again (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.)

“But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”

Eric Clapton describes “severe reactions” to AstraZeneca vaccine: “I feared I would never play again” | Guitar.com | All Things Guitar

So he opted to have protection against Covid himself, but is happy to add his voice to the anti-vaxxers. 

 

I'm curious, Is Clapton suggesting that the Covid vaccine caused his peripheral neuropathy?   Or just that it flared up - probably quite coincidentally?  

Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy

The main symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can include:

• numbness and tingling in the feet or hands
• burning, stabbing or shooting pain in affected areas
• loss of balance and co-ordination
• muscle weakness, especially in the feet

 

After I had the vaccine I got drunk.  Does this mean the vaccine causes drunkedness? 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/

[rashore]

I realize he's anti-vaccine and all... but I can't help but feel this is a wee bit of a PR stunt too. 

[+OverSword]

Good for him.  I am fully vaccinated and did so without reservation.  That said vaccine development is usually a ten to fifteen year trial period in the USA and is that time period for good reason, so I will never blame anyone who decides they don't want to risk side effects that could possibly turn up in the future.  It's not stupid not to take the vaccine it just means you should continue to take greater precautions if you didn't because you are at higher risk.

[+OverSword]

2 minutes ago, rashore said:

I realize he's anti-vaccine and all... but I can't help but feel this is a wee bit of a PR stunt too. 

Why?  How could this make him more money?

[Silver]

7 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Why?  How could this make him more money?

It increases his audience size to start with, quite obviously. Makes him seem a bit of a rebel too, rock fans like that in their heroes.

And gets him a bit of publicity.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Ted E Hughes

[Silver]

14 minutes ago, Essan said:

I'm curious, Is Clapton suggesting that the Covid vaccine caused his peripheral neuropathy?   Or just that it flared up - probably quite coincidentally?  
 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/

I looked at his underlying condition, too. That would have been discussed with him, and he would have been able to make a choice. He is obviously cynically on the make.

[rashore]

Just now, OverSword said:

Why?  How could this make him more money?

He's about to kick off a nice little U.S. tour in September and setting up his reserve to cancel shows if he wants starting with the Royal Albert Hall next year. PR now will help drive attendance of the shows. 

[+OverSword]

4 minutes ago, Ted E Hughes said:

It increases his audience size to start with, quite obviously. Makes him seem a bit of a rebel too, rock fans like that in their heroes.

And gets him a bit of publicity.

Stop.  Who are we talking about here?  When do you suppose the last time Clapton didn't sell every seat where ever he played?  1962?

[+Liquid Gardens]

6 minutes ago, OverSword said:

That said vaccine development is usually a ten to fifteen year trial period in the USA and is that time period for good reason, so I will never blame anyone who decides they don't want to risk side effects that could possibly turn up in the future.

From what I can find long term effects from vaccines, at least leading to the recall of the vaccine, are very rare.  We also have now over a billion doses that have been given worldwide so that ship has already sailed, I think that's likely more valuable than a 10-15 year trial period by a large margin.  Too bad that Clapton had a bad reaction and even more too bad that he's now drifting into anti-vax lunacy; if he really believed what he supposedly heard that 'the vaccine was safe for everyone' then that's on him for not paying attention or discussing with his doctor whether his existing issue with neuropathy may be an issue.  I've never heard anyone (except in anti-vaxxers' supposed quotes) claim that vaccines are safe for everyone.

[+OverSword]

2 minutes ago, rashore said:

He's about to kick off a nice little U.S. tour in September and setting up his reserve to cancel shows if he wants starting with the Royal Albert Hall next year. PR now will help drive attendance of the shows. 

See above.  Does not need to do that.

[+OverSword]

2 minutes ago, Liquid Gardens said:

From what I can find long term effects from vaccines, at least leading to the recall of the vaccine, are very rare.  We also have now over a billion doses that have been given worldwide so that ship has already sailed, I think that's likely more valuable than a 10-15 year trial period by a large margin.  Too bad that Clapton had a bad reaction and even more too bad that he's now drifting into anti-vax lunacy; if he really believed what he supposedly heard that 'the vaccine was safe for everyone' then that's on him for not paying attention or discussing with his doctor whether his existing issue with neuropathy may be an issue.  I've never heard anyone (except in anti-vaxxers' supposed quotes) claim that vaccines are safe for everyone.

I agree with you that it's safe for most people and will probably not have adverse effects down the road for most of us.  I also believe that taking it should be nobody's business but your own.  Like the flu vaccine, not being vaccinated should not put you in a different social class.  I don't see Clapton as being anti-vax here, I see him as being non-discriminatory.

Edited July 23, 2021 by OverSword

[Silver]

18 minutes ago, OverSword said:

I agree with you that it's safe for most people and will probably not have adverse effects down the road for most of us.  I also believe that taking it should be nobody's business but your own.  Like the flu vaccine, not being vaccinated should not put you in a different social class.  I don't see Clapton as being anti-vax here, I see him as being non-discriminatory.

I agree not to have it is a choice. But if you don't, you can't go to places that demand it. Same as no one has to take  a driving test if they don't want to. But then you don't get to drive on public roads.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Ted E Hughes

[rashore]

7 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Stop.  Who are we talking about here?  When do you suppose the last time Clapton didn't sell every seat where ever he played?  1962?

 

7 minutes ago, OverSword said:

See above.  Does not need to do that.

Because most touring artists do PR. Even big popular acts do PR. Even Clapton has indeed done PR before, and he's done it since 1962. It's kind of standard practice in the industry. Even better since he has been around long enough to see how music and politics can grind- he knows how to play the PR game almost as well as he plays guitar. 

[+OverSword]

1 minute ago, Ted E Hughes said:

I agree not to have it is a choice. But if you don't, you can't go to places that demand it. Same as no one has to take  a driving test if they don't want to. But then you don't get to drive on public roads.

Same as if you don't agree with homosexuality you don't have to bake a cake for a gay wedding?  

[+OverSword]

5 minutes ago, rashore said:

 

Because most touring artists do PR. Even big popular acts do PR. Even Clapton has indeed done PR before, and he's done it since 1962. It's kind of standard practice in the industry. Even better since he has been around long enough to see how music and politics can grind- he knows how to play the PR game almost as well as he plays guitar. 

PR, not PR stunts.  But in this case all Clapton has to do is give ticket master permission to sell the tickets and ten minutes later the show is sold out.  No more PR necessary than announcing the tour.  I think he's doing this because he doesn't believe in discrimination and he's a big enough name that he can fly in the face of venues that don't agree with him and he will come to no harm.  Now if a venue want's to require that you prove you are vaccinated before entry then they will not be making money working with Clapton.  What's the problem here?

Edited July 23, 2021 by OverSword

[rashore]

10 minutes ago, OverSword said:

PR, not PR stunts.  But in this case all Clapton has to do is give ticket master permission to sell the tickets and ten minutes later the show is sold out.  No more PR necessary than announcing the tour.  I think he's doing this because he doesn't believe in discrimination and he's a big enough name that he can fly in the face of venues that don't agree with him and he will come to no harm.  Now if a venue want's to require that you prove you are vaccinated before entry then they will not be making money working with Clapton.  What's the problem here?

The tour was announced in June... and there's still tickets available at all the U.S. venues, including good seats close to the stage. Royal Albert Hall next year, now that one is getting closer to sold out, though there is still seats available in the outer circles. 

I don't think there is a problem with artists doing PR stunts, or PR in general really. It's just part of the industry. 

[+OverSword]

Alrighty then.  You were probably right this was PR and now more people will know he his playing.  

[+Liquid Gardens]

1 hour ago, OverSword said:

I also believe that taking it should be nobody's business but your own.

As long as the unvaccinated stay isolated with no physical contact with other people, I'm fine with that.  If they don't, it is no longer nobody's business but their own.

 

[Silver]

1 hour ago, OverSword said:

Same as if you don't agree with homosexuality you don't have to bake a cake for a gay wedding?  

No, you have to bake a cake. But you don't have to have sex with a man.

[+OverSword]

23 minutes ago, Liquid Gardens said:

As long as the unvaccinated stay isolated with no physical contact with other people, I'm fine with that.  If they don't, it is no longer nobody's business but their own.

 

Do you also feel that way about the annual flu vaccine?  Why or why not?

[+Liquid Gardens]

8 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Do you also feel that way about the annual flu vaccine?  Why or why not?

No.  When was the last time we had a flu pandemic that killed millions of people in a year? The normal flu kills about a 10th of what Covid has killed in a year, and that's with us locking down society.

And question to you, what would you have recommended be done with Typhoid Mary?  Nothing, 'nobody's business but her own'?

[+OverSword]

12 minutes ago, Liquid Gardens said:

And question to you, what would you have recommended be done with Typhoid Mary?  Nothing, 'nobody's business but her own'?

I would be fine with Mary being around people that were vaccinated against typhoid and recommend that everyone get that shot if they don't want typhoid.

Quote

No.  When was the last time we had a flu pandemic that killed millions of people in a year? The normal flu kills about a 10th of what Covid has killed in a year, and that's with us locking down society.

The seasonal flu does kill only 250,000 to 500,000 a year, no telling what that number may be without a vaccine though, true?  So if by 2023 we are down to only 250,000 or 500,000 covid deaths a year or even a million, you would be fine with people not disclosing they're vaccination status?

One more question, now that you are vaccinated how worried are you that you will contract covid from someone that is not?  Myself, on a scale of one to ten I'm at a 1.5 maybe, or not too concerned.

Really the covid vaccine got me more sick than I've been in years.

Edited July 23, 2021 by OverSword