Eric Clapton‘s 1992 “MTV Unplugged” performance will soon grace the big screen, as well as launch on Paramount+.
With bonus content of Clapton discussing the inspiration behind songs right before he took the stage, the 90-minute special will premiere in select cinemas in the U.S. and U.K. on Monday, Jan. 27, and Tuesday, Jan. 28. Among the theaters are the AMCs in New York’s Times Square and Los Angeles’ CityWalk.
“Eric Clapton Unplugged… Over 30 Years Later” will then launch on Paramount+ on Feb. 12.
Clapton’s acoustic performance, in which he reworks his Derek and the Dominos hit “Layla” and performs a stripped-down version of “Tears in Heaven,” is one of the most famous installments of “MTV Unplugged.” In addition to performing some of his greatest songs, he also paid homage to the music that shaped him, with covers of blues standards like “Before You Accuse Me,” originally recorded by Bo Diddley, and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” originally recorded by Bessie Smith.
Clapton’s live “Unplugged” album, which followed the MTV episode, went on to sell more than 26 million copies worldwide. Clapton is an 18-time Grammy winner who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times, as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream.
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The extended, remixed and remastered edition of Clapton’s “MTV Unplugged” is a collaboration between MTV, Surfdog Records and producer John Logsdon. Bruce Gillmer and Vanessa Whitewolf serve as executive producers for MTV with Clapton, Michael Eaton and Dave Kaplan. Alicia Portugal is the series executive in charge, with Lisa Lauricella taking on the role of series music talent executive.
Watch a trailer for “Eric Clapton Unplugged… Over 30 Years Later” below.