UPDATE: Small Weekly Gets Scoop on Private Eric Clapton Concert

By: E&P Staff In a nice little scoop for a small town paper, The Fairfield County Weekly in Connecticut will reveal today, in its June 14 edition, that Eric Clapton is to be paid $1.5 million to perform in late July at a private concert organized by Raymond T. Dalio, the hedge-fund executive.

The New York Times, tipped off by the paper's editor, Tom Gogola, offered advance word Wednesday morning.

The concert will take place at the Belle Haven Club in Greenwich, Conn. Under terms of the agreement, ?no public press or announcement pre- or post-event is permitted.? Well, so much for that.

The Times reports: "The agreement says the performance, to benefit the China Care Foundation, is expected to be attended by '350 invitation-only guests.'" Dalio, the founder, president, and chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates, has more than $30 billion in hedge-fund assets.

"Besides Mr. Clapton?s fee for a 60- to 70-minute show," the Times (via the Weekly) reveals, "the agreement calls for a $1 million donation to 'a charity of Mr. Clapton?s choice to be paid the night of the show.'"

The Weekly put the article, by Gogola, up on its Web site last Wednesday. Gogola said the paper was choosing to not reveal the exact date of the concert.

There are security concerns, as described in this paragraph:

"The issue for Greenwich lawmen when it comes to these super-exclusive private events is security, says Sgt. Timothy Berry, special events coordinator for the Greenwich Police Department. Berry, who says he will be one of about 12 off-duty police officers paid by China Care to provide security for the show, says that in years past, 'we?ve had people try to walk in, swim in?but there will be a number of police officers there on the perimeter' to keep out gate-crashers and see to it that the people who pay 'several thousand dollars' for tickets enjoy the show undisturbed. 'It?s held in a completely private setting in that it?s a private club located in a private residential area,' Berry says, 'so it?s easier to control in that it?s entirely private?we can limit access.' Without naming names, Berry did aver that this year, security is more of a concern 'with this particular act than in years past.'"