Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler perform Cocaine in 1988

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An inspired, guest-star filled performance

Feel free to watch this entire blast from the past. However, if you skip directly to 3:48 in the top video, you'll witness an inspired 1988 performance of J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton—with an assortment of special guests, including Elton John and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler—at Japan's Tokyo Dome.

This was during the period when Clapton had turned "Cocaine" into a production, with a long band intro, background singers, a funky bass line, a lengthy keyboard solo, various stops and starts and the addition of the lyric, "ooh, that dirty cocaine."

Luckily, guitar is still at the forefront of the performace. Clapton's solo starts at 5:12.

Unfortunately, Knopfler doesn't solo in this particular version of "Cocaine."

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

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