It was never anything less than an unmitigated pleasure to see the late Jeff Beck in concert. Invariably there would be at least one moment–and sometimes more–than he would dazzle in such a way to elicit laughter out loud, as often as not accompanied by the thought of “How did he do that?!?”
And that ever so rare sensation was no less abiding over the years, quite the contrary in fact, because particularly in the passage of the last decade or so, El Becko seemed to realize he had a loyal following before which he could indeed feel perfectly comfortable in his own skin.
Why else would he perform with actor Johnny Depp as he did in the last twelve months or so? It wasn’t just to support the release of 18, the studio album they recorded together: the two men had bonded in recent years through a shared passion for hot rods as well as music, so it was hardly surprising to hear of the record or, in the wake of British dates immediately following the conclusion of Depp’s defamation trial, to discover the men were sharing stages.
Given the absolute lack of careerism and/or mercenary marketing in Beck’s history, the events were indicative of a humility that equaled his passion for playing. Jeff had an ongoing love-and-hate relationship with his guitar that was no doubt the primary source of his impeccable if unpredictable logic in handling his instrument. The gentility with which he coaxed bittersweet notes from the strings was at least equal to, if not greater than, the savagery with which he wrangled noise from the fretboard (as often as not by the abandoned use of the whammy bar).
The dynamic range of Jeff’s musicianship was all the more miraculous to hear in the spontaneity of the moments he was on stage. Here are five instances where the author was graced with sheer guitar prowess..
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Civic Center, Springfield, MA 4/26/75 – Jeff Beck and his compact band of accompanists took the stage with no more fanfare than that which accompanied the release, earlier in this same year, of Blow By Blow, the LP now regarded as the watershed album of the former Yardbird’s career. Arriving at the venue early and falling into conversation with a fellow who turned out to be a regional promotions person for Columbia/Epic Records, I ended up with a seat at stage left positioned a bird’s eye angle on Beck and looking across the stage to drummer Bernard Purdie, bassist Wilbur Bascomb and keyboardist Max Middleton; all the better to be dazzled with their unity but even more so the lightning quickness with which Jeff moved both his hands: I knew full well he overdubbed to at least some extent on his albums, but this experience cast doubts about exactly how much he had to?!?
Palace Theater, Albany, NY 10/11/76 – Seemingly even more spontaneous than the previous occasion, the gamut of dynamics this autumn evening really did not expand much during the Jan Hammer Group’s mercifully short opening segment. When Jeff Beck strode cockily on stage to join the ensemble, however, he brought an almost reckless, impromptu approach to the proceedings: so much for bland jazz- rock fusion with the ensemble in the roiling throes of “The Train Kept A-Rollin'”! The smiles El Becko exchanged with the former keyboardist for the Mahavishnu Orchestra was tangible evidence of the pleasure they derived from collaborating, but hardly so much as the whiplash call and response on “Blue Wind” that restored musical legitimacy to that technique.
Fieldhouse at SUNY Plattsburgh, NY 10/10/80 – Seated at some distance from the stage in the cavernous, drafty room didn’t lessen the anticipation to see Jeff Beck again at this show in support of There And Back. Nevertheless, it was altogether astounding when, almost immediately upon taking the stage with his quartet, Beck unleashed the mammoth crashing chord that opens “Led Boots” (from 1976’s Wired): the near overwhelming sonic rush seemed to push the concrete walls outward on both sides of the edifice. During selections derived primarily from the prior three George Martin-produced studio albums. Beck and company played with a preternatural combination of precision and abandon that was readily apparent despite the lack of intimacy in the room; the mutually inspired musicianship may have, in fact, reached its peak with Simon Phillips’ drum solo, the absolutely musical likes of which prompted even the bandleader to applaud!
Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH 9/13/2006 – Having issued a rather checkered string studio albums since the 1999 release of Who Else!, Jeff Beck was apparently touring for the fun of it this fall and it showed. He seemed completely at ease for the duration of his time on stage, whether barreling through “Going Down” (in the somewhat blowsy presence of vocalist Beth Hart) or generating much more sublime moments on “Scatterbrain.” The pinnacle of it all, however, was the moment El Becko returned to the stage for the encore: after slathering his hands with baby powder (all the better to slide along that fretboard!), he then tossed a small cloud of the substance toward the audience as if blessing them for their devoted presence. His tender, exquisite reading of “Over The Rainbow ” only completed the portrait of a man altogether satisfied with his station in life and benefiting from it.
Madison Square Garden, New York NY 2/19/10 – Whatever the rationale behind this co-billing of iconic guitar heroes, there’s no question Jeff Beck stole the show from Eric Clapton this mid-winter evening in The Big Apple. The former’s self-assurance not only took the form of hosting a small string section to effectively replicate arrangements that would appear on the forthcoming Emotion & Commotion album, but also in the striking bravado with which Jeff commanded the stage: it was as if he was used to playing such massive venues rather than the small-to-medium-sized theaters to which he was unfortunately relegated without the benefit of Slowhand on the marquee. The latter’s devotees may have believed he was simply deferring to his successor in the Yardbirds on this date, but especially when the two played together near the end of the concert, it was far more plausible Clapton was simply intimidated by Beck. And rightly so: even as the latter laughingly stumbled on the stairs taking the stage for this interlude, he galvanized the attention of the audience.
