Artist to play Eric Clapton tribute show

Published 5:13 pm Wednesday, May 25, 2016

(Submitted photo)

(Submitted photo)

THREE OAKS, Mich. — At age 13, most adolescents have no idea what they want for breakfast, let alone what they want to do with the rest of their life.

That wasn’t the case for a Shaun Hague.

When other people his age were playing video games and learning the ropes of teenage life, the Somerset, Massachusetts, native was discovering a passion that he would carry with him into adulthood.

“I immediately took to the guitar. I was hooked,” Hague said in an interview recently. “I could listen to a song, and learn it almost verbatim on my own. It was at that time I realized I had a great ear for music.”

Jamming out to classic rock icons like the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, Hague would spend several hours a day playing music on his guitar — which he learned to play only by ear. To this day, despite the countless hours he has devoted to his passion, Hague admits he has never really learned how to read sheet music.

“Everything I know is just based off of using my eyes and my ears,” he said.

Today, Hague is 32, and he still spends several hours a day playing music.

He says his biggest moment, though, was when he discovered Eric Clapton.

It was the English guitarist and three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who Hague connected with through blues and who “hit a nerve” in him.

Attending Eric Clapton concerts were what Shaun called both “an honor and learning experience.” He attended his first in 1998.

“I left that concert full well knowing that being a musician was what I wanted to be,” he said. “It changed my life and set me on a path that I am still happily on today.”

Inspired, he began playing Eric Clapton’s music. Some of his favorites include “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Pretending,” “The Core,” “Layla” and “Broken Hearted.”

“I leave every concert of his thinking, ‘I could be so much better.’ He’s just that good.”

Years of passionate playing and touring led to the concert Hague will play at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks Saturday. Hague will be going “back to his roots” performing a tribute to Eric Clapton.

“[The Acorn] is a great little spot hidden away up the road. The building is so old with so much history. It’s unique,” said the musician, who owns a summer home in Grand Beach, a straight shot down Red Arrow Highway to Three Oaks. “There’s good energy in there — great sound. It’s great for a band of that size.”

Hague has also booked a great deal of his clients at this location for that reason.

“It’s nice to finally get to play there myself,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of people play there and it’s great.”

The concert begins at 8 p.m. and will last approximately 90 minutes. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on the Acorn’s website.

Hague will be playing music from Clapton’s entire career, ranging from the mid ‘60s to the ‘90s.