Thirty years ago this week, Stevie Ray Vaughan played the final show of his career when he opened up for Eric Clapton at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.
At the end of Eric Clapton’s set, Vaughan returned to the stage alongside Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and his brother Jimmie Vaughan for an epic, 16-minute jam on Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago.” It was the final performance of Vaughan’s life.
Shortly after the concert ended, Vaughan and three members of Clapton’s crew boarded a helicopter to travel to Chicago’s Midway Airport. It was a foggy evening and the pilot crashed into a ski hill near the venue shortly after takeoff, killing Vaughan and everyone else on board.
