There were lots of reasons to be psyched about Peter Frampton's show at the Beacon. I've never seen him before, he's one of 'Ark's favorites and he always reminds me of my Great Aunt Ruthie -- a rockin' soul if ever there was one -- who just loooooved him. Plus, although any show at the Beacon is special, this one was being recorded for release. He was playing the entire "Frampton Comes Alive" set (including rarities only found on the deluxe release) and his son, Julian, came out for a couple numbers.
But the spotlight was clearly on the reunion between Frampton and the custom 1954 Les Paul guitar that was used on the landmark live album. That guitar was thought lost forever when a cargo plane crashed in 1980. But the guitar had been picked up in the wreckage and played around Caracas, and a local customs agent helped forge its return to a very grateful Frampton. The Beacon show was to be the first place it was played publicly.
It was a sensory experience when Peter brought the guitar out for "Do You Feel Like We Do," the seminal song that closes the live album. Just goosebumps of all kinds, eyes tearing up and all that kind of wonderful stuff that comes from being part of such a legendary moment. It sounded beautiful -- obviously well rested up (see Peter's picture of the guitar being put to bed the night before the show). The notes just reverberated through the crowd and all the years they were apart kind of melted away.Not to make light of the rest of the show, for Frampton showed what a profoundly great musician he is throughout the course of the evening with great little bits of occasional storytelling -- like how "Show Me the Way" originally bombed as a single, until he was asked to release the live version and that shot up the charts.
It's easy to see how he might have gotten stuck in the quagmire of pop icon with affable hits such as "Show Me the Way" and "Baby I Love Your Way." But that belies his real power as a musician, because even back then, he had reinvisioned the Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash" with a funky slow groove.
We got two takes of the heart-felt "All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side)," an early crowd participation number and later more of a cool jazz version with no bells and whistles that was just as powerful.
And all the so-called fans who ran off the minute the "Frampton Comes Alive" segment of the show ended missed some really great stuff. Frampton won a Grammy in 2007 for Best Pop Instrumental Album for "Fingerprints" and it's really obvious why. He's such a virtuoso that he can take something that one might wrongly have suspected to be off his radar like Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and make it his own.
Peter brought out son Julian for two numbers, and the kid has a strong voice, although both his numbers came across as a little perfunctory. But it was fun to watch them mix it up and the songs were well assisted across the board by Peter and his band.
Mark was sitting on the trump card, though, a song he expected me to realllllly love. And we finally got it to end the night, as THE guitar returned again for another perfect selection, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Can't imagine what that must have been like for Mr. Frampton, because just witnessing that felt like holding a winning lottery ticket. Definitely looking forward to hearing more out of both of them, and not just on the upcoming DVD.
