I wrote the following review for an assignment in one of my workshops. It’s a little dated, but the concert continues to resonate with me. It was a great show, and I still get teary-eyed when I think about it.
In August, I indulged my love of classic rock music by going to see Peter Frampton. It was a poignant show to go to because it was part of his farewell tour. Suffering from a rare degenerative muscular disorder called Inclusion-Body Myositis, Frampton will eventually lose his ability to play guitar.
The opening act was Jason Bonham’s Evening with Led Zeppelin. As the name implies, the show consisted of Led Zeppelin covers. I’m a little fussy about tribute bands that cover only one artist or group. And I understand Jason Bonham is rock royalty as the son of original Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham. However, I don’t like seeing a cover band at a major ticketed concert. Like millions of others, I’d rather see the original band if I’m dropping a substantial amount of cash to see a show.
Frampton opened with an obscure but favorite song of mine, Somethin’s Happening. His voice was clear and crisp and sounded not much different than I remember from my first concert back in 1975. His guitar playing was tight, his fingers hitting every note. His band, a perfect accompaniment. He played another favorite of mine, Lines on My Face, before launching into his mainstay favorites like Show Me the Way and Baby, I Love Your Way.
Frampton did his fair share of covers, too. In addition to a few from his recently released album All Blues, he performed an inspiring rendition of Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden. Saving the best for last, his cover of The Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps was emotional. Knowing it was the last song of his last concert I’d ever see, tears rolled down my cheeks.
Thankfully, Frampton continues to tour as long as his health lets him. Check out his website for 2020 dates, but you’ll have to travel to Europe. Let’s hope he stays healthy enough to make another trip around the States. One more time.
SETLIST: click on link to see music videos
* Baby (Somethin’s Happening)
* Lying
* Lines on My Face
* Show Me the Way
* Fig Tree Bay
* Georgia On My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra cover)
* Me and My Guitar (Freddie King cover)
* Same Old Blues (Freddie King cover)
* Breaking All the Rules
* Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
* (I’ll Give You) Money
* Baby, I Love Your Way
* Do You Feel Like We Do
Encore:
* Four Day Creep (Ida Cox cover)
* I Don’t Need No Doctor (Nickolas Ashford cover)
* While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles cover)
My Idle Ramblings 