MILAN- Veteran rock guitarist Eric Clapton made a striking political statement during his concert at the Forum in Assago, Milan, by performing with a guitar painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag and dedicating one of his songs to Gaza.

The performance took place on May 28, 2025, and featured a rendition of Blue Dust, a track originally written as a tribute to the late guitarist Jeff Beck. Clapton announced that for this tour, he has rededicated the song to the Palestinian people.

“It’s the same song, but I’ve dedicated it to the situation in Gaza,” Clapton said. “It’s called *Blue Dust, because that’s probably all that will remain. And I play it with a guitar painted like the Palestinian flag.”

The Stratocaster Clapton used on stage was painted in red, green, black, and white the symbolic colors of the Palestinian flag.

As reported by Il Fatto Quotidiano, this is not the first time Clapton has expressed support for the Palestinian cause. He previously dedicated another track, Prayer of a Child, to Palestine, and performed with the same painted guitar during his show at the Lucca Summer Festival in 2024.

Though Clapton is not typically known for making political statements during live performances, he had already shared his views publicly in a 2024 interview with American YouTuber David Spuria, host of the channel Real Music Observer. In that interview, Clapton controversially claimed:

“Israel controls the world. Israel pulls the strings.”

Clapton’s Milan concert marked another instance of the musician using his platform to express solidarity with Gaza, drawing both praise and criticism across social and political lines.
PS