It’s said that all good things must come to an end. Proof positive of that well-known phrase is the unfortunate, imminent conclusion of British rocker Peter Frampton’s days as a touring artist. The veteran rocker, now 69 years old, has been diagnosed with a rare degenerative muscular disorder that will affect his finger flexors. Deciding to give it one last go before the condition gets gravely serious, he’s currently in the midst of his farewell from the road. Touring and performing since his teenage years with English pop band The Herd, through a stint with blues/boogie outfit Humble Pie and via his meteoric rise to the top as a solo artist in the 1970s, Frampton’s name has been synonymous with live performance for decades.
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For his final go-round, the artist is visiting venues larger than those his tours have taken him to for the last several years. Normally appearing at local performance halls and theaters, Frampton’s local swan song took place at the sprawling MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday night. With every seat in the house occupied (minus the lawn section which was closed for this event), it was clear that fans wanted one last taste of the Frampton’s dazzling guitar work and undeniable onstage charm.
The man responsible for one of the best-selling live concert albums of all time, the 1976 landmark 2-LP set Frampton Comes Alive!, knows how to work a crowd. Kicking off a two-hour set with “Somethin's Happening,” the same track that opens his well-known live album, got things off to a rousing start. Gone are his long, blonde, curly locks and the satin pants and kimonos he donned in his heyday; Frampton’s now a jeans, T-shirt and high tops guy, but his onstage prowess is as sharp as ever.
His voice hasn’t been affected a bit over the years; his smooth, sweet pipes still sound as rich as ever and his guitar work is nothing short of staggering. One would never guess Frampton is suffering from a muscular disorder based on the energy and enthusiasm he poured into his performance.
The montage of photos that flashed on the huge video screen at the rear of the stage to open the concert suggested that this would be a career retrospective. Pictures of Frampton as a child with a guitar through all his career highlights, and candid shots alongside musical contemporaries like Elton John and David Bowie, the tasteful, made for a rapid photo collection that was more than enjoyable.
While Frampton did revisit many different stages of his lengthy career throughout the night, it turned out to be less of a greatest hits-type of program than what might have been anticipated. Acknowledging tracks from his output from the ‘80s, a time when his popularity had taken a dip in comparison to that of the previous decade, Frampton unleashed razor-sharp renditions of “Lying” and “Breaking All the Rules,” two songs that, on vinyl, suffered from clumsy production.
On that same tip, Frampton also included several selections from his more recent output. His most current offering, the 2019 blues-based collection All Blues, was represented by three strong performances including a gorgeous version of the Hoagy Carmichael-penned “Georgia on My Mind” as well as a pair of covers from blues legend Freddie King. The performances only helped to show off Frampton’s versatility and his undeniable guitar mastery.
Somewhat unexpected were the artist’s long and frequent spoken interjections. While he’s never been one to shy away from onstage banter and engage with a crowd, Frampton was particularly chatty during the night. Several stories, recollections and anecdotes were shared that, surprisingly, were greeted with full attention and quiet from the large audience. Sure, some random squeals of “I love you Peter!” punctuated his lengthy spoken passages, but he remained unrattled and playfully responded to those pledges.
The crowd-pleasers were there too: tight, focused versions of his classic rock radio staples “Show Me the Way, “Baby, I Love Your Way” and the epic tour de force, the main set’s closing number, “Do You Feel Like We Do” got the audience on its feet and singing along gleefully. Frampton’s trademark talk box effect was met with massive approval during the performance and helped spark plenty of memories for the folks in attendance.
A touching, emotional moment came during Peter’s instrumental, spacey take on Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” (which was preceded by another long, spoken story-like introduction) when a photo of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden’s late powerhouse lead singer, appeared on video screens.
A nice and fitting nod to his time with Humble Pie opened the night’s encore. Raucous versions of two songs the band was known for, “Four Day Creep” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” admittedly rose to a level that the rest of the performance hadn’t quite achieved. The crunchy, urgent blues rock of these tunes could have helped liven up a main set that, while perfectly executed and enjoyable, was somewhat sedate.
Going out on a high note, Frampton closed the night and, presumably his last ever Bay Area appearance, with a stellar version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” one of George Harrison’s best compositions while with The Beatles and reminded everyone who came just how magnificent a performer he is.
Opening the night with a brief but thunderous set was Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening group. The son of the late Led Zep drummer John Bonham, the 53-year old Jason has successfully created an ensemble of musicians that pay homage and reverence to his dad’s band.
Working its way through a power-packed 50-minute set that included plenty of crowd pleasers, Bonham benefitted from the lead vocal mastery of James Dylan, who has fronted this outfit for several years. Dylan’s dynamic vocal range coupled with Bonham’s booming drum work served as the perfect kickoff for the night. Guitarist Jimmy Sakurai (who bears an undeniable resemblance to Jimmy Page) was downright flawless in recreating the licks and axe work Page is known for.
Kicking off with the chugging, heavy “Immigrant Song,” the five-piece group never let up. Classics like “Good Times Bad Times” and “Whole Lotta Love” got attendees up and out of their seats and pumping their fists but it was the set-ending “Stairway to Heaven” that took the performance to its height and allowed everyone in the venue to relive and re-experience the magic and majesty of Led Zeppelin.
Peter Frampton Set List
Somethin’s Happening
Lying
Lines on My Face
Show Me the Way
Fig Tree Bay
Georgia On My Mind
Me and My Guitar
Same Old Blues
Breaking All the Rules
Black Hole Sun
I’ll Give You Money
Baby, I Love Your Way
Do You Feel Like We Do
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Four Day Creep
I Don’t Need No Doctor
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
This article appears in Sep 5-12, 2019.