Sunday with Jeff Beck
After spending most of Sunday grading papers, I punched out at 4:00 and hied over to Four Peaks to meet Ken and Zilla for beer and grub, and then we headed out to see Jeff Beck in concert.
Jeff Beck was one of the first live acts I ever saw, way back when with my older brother Mike and my friend Todd, when Beck was touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan. A spectacular show, that was.
They say rock is a young man's game, but they is on crack. You want the surgeon who's performed five spectacular operations, or the one who's done the procedure 50,000 times and hasn't yet lost a rib-spreader inside a patient? Jeff Beck has been a dazzling guitarist for at least 40 years, and his skill and sense of taste have just gotten increasingly sublime. He opened with "Bolero" and closed with "Over the Rainbow," and in between he made his guitar growl and sing and shimmer without affectation, pretense, or posing. He remains one of the greatest players on Earth, and last night he was effortlessly superb.
His singer, Beth Hart, was also impressive. She'd come out for a song or two, powerfully belt out some blues, and then retire backstage for another several songs. Kind of like an NBA player who's good for 20 points off the bench.
Also very good to hang out with the boys. Zilla saw that my back was bothering me still after a couple of pints and prescribed red wine. I'm appointing him my new physician.
Jeff Beck was one of the first live acts I ever saw, way back when with my older brother Mike and my friend Todd, when Beck was touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan. A spectacular show, that was.
They say rock is a young man's game, but they is on crack. You want the surgeon who's performed five spectacular operations, or the one who's done the procedure 50,000 times and hasn't yet lost a rib-spreader inside a patient? Jeff Beck has been a dazzling guitarist for at least 40 years, and his skill and sense of taste have just gotten increasingly sublime. He opened with "Bolero" and closed with "Over the Rainbow," and in between he made his guitar growl and sing and shimmer without affectation, pretense, or posing. He remains one of the greatest players on Earth, and last night he was effortlessly superb.
His singer, Beth Hart, was also impressive. She'd come out for a song or two, powerfully belt out some blues, and then retire backstage for another several songs. Kind of like an NBA player who's good for 20 points off the bench.
Also very good to hang out with the boys. Zilla saw that my back was bothering me still after a couple of pints and prescribed red wine. I'm appointing him my new physician.
4 Comments:
Jeff Beck is just one of those players I'm grateful is out there making his magic ... I love the cover of Manic Depression he did with Seal on a Hendrix tribute album.
By Michael van Eekhout, at Mon Oct 02, 12:19:00 PM MST
Yeah, that's a great version of Manic Depression, yup.
By Greg van Eekhout, at Mon Oct 02, 07:57:00 PM MST
I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn back in the late 80's when he was touring with Robert Plant. Jeff Beck may play a good guitar and all, but can he work the full epic drama of a big fan at the front of the stage blowing his hair back as he gazes keenly out into the distance? I'm thinking no.
By Karen, at Mon Oct 02, 09:25:00 PM MST
Certaintly no Big Log, that Jeff Beck fellow.
By Greg van Eekhout, at Tue Oct 03, 05:39:00 AM MST
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