Peter Frampton's aptly titled "Guitar Circus" tour recently made a stop at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall and undeniably dazzled the rowdy Sunday night crowd, which came to see some real guitar wizardry and got a lot more than they bargained for.
The mega-star who rose to astronomic proportions iof popularity in the 1970's has never stopped doing his thing; consistently releasing albums since the meteoric success of his record-breaking concert LP, Frampton Comes Alive in 1976, the phenomenal guitarist continues to wow live audiences with his dynamic performances and his unequivocal gift of stage presence and charm.
Taking the stage just after 9 p.m., Frampton opened his set with a real obscurity: "Magic Moon," a deep album cut from 1974's Somethin's Happening, which, on a personal level, got things off to a rousing start. Mixing hits with deeper album tracks has always been a gift of Frampton's. While he's quick to reward the casual fans with all the obvious numbers they might have come specifically to hear, he never forgets about the solid base of loyal followers who have stuck with him throughout the decades and through styles, record labels, ups and downs.
Breezing though a smart, well-paced set, Frampton took time to acknowledge cheers and screamed requests to the best of his ability. He engaged in a particularly entertaining repartee with an adoring female fan wearing a very sparkly and eye-catching outfit in the second row. In his own witty and self-deprecating manner, he joked about never being able to land a hot number like her. "Nowadays, all the women say 'where's the hair?'" he joked, referring to the loss of the golden, curly shoulder-length locks he sported for most of his career. He seemed to be enjoying the exchange and the looseness of the night, and those good vibes carried over into his blistering 2-hour set.
Not surprisingly, the loudest and most spirited responses came when Frampton launched into "Baby, I Love Your Way" and "Show Me The Way," two of his biggest hits that are still classic rock radio staples. While audiences are usually pretty sedate and laid back at the Hall, Sunday night's near sell-out crowd was ready to have fun and fans weren't shy about leaping out of their seats and singing along loudly. Frampton seemed to be thrilled by the liveliness of the very vocal crowd.
As a special treat for the Florida leg of the tour, Frampton shared the stage with legendary rhythm and blues guitarist Steve Cropper, best known for his blistering work with Booker T. and the M.G.'s. Cropper sat in with Frampton's stellar four-piece band and took center stage for a short set that boasted some of the most impressive material he's ever had a hand in creating. The still-funky and dance-inducing instrumental gem from 1962, "Green Onions," drew the eager crowd to their feet again and got the entire place boogieing. Keyboardist Rob Arthur showed off his chops on the organ-heavy number and played ferociously. The entire band seemed to revel in the opportunity to blow the dust off of such classic material. Cropper's set also touched on another classic Booker T. number, "Hip Hug Her" and the soul gem he co-wrote with Wilson Pickett, "In The Midnight Hour." It was hard to tell who was enjoying the set more – the audience or the musicians on the stage.
Frampton had a few more tricks up his sleeve; he delivered a rousing rendition of his epic crowd-pleaser "Do You Feel Like We Do" as well as a superb instrumental cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun." He was also re-joined by Cropper in the encore and set-closing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," a Beatles cover that turned into a red-hot screaming guitar duel between the two axemen on stage. While never reverting to self-indulgent noodling, the two men with very different styles paired up and delivered what was arguably the most jaw-dropping moment of the night. It's rare to see two virtuosos on stage having this much fun while showing off their enormous talents and passion for the guitar before an appreciative crowd but thankfully, Cropper and Frampton defied all conventions and turned the performance into a memorable display of sheer professionalism and delight.
Opening the show was Blues/Pop guitarist Robert Cray. Backed by his tight three-piece band, Cray coolly strolled through a 60-minute set that drew plenty of wild applause and cheers from the audience. Touching mainly on more of his well-known material ("Smoking Gun," "I Guess I Showed Her"), Cray sailed though his 10-song set with ease. Working his way through what seemed like an endless supply of Fender Stratocasters, Cray showed off his unmistakable chops and his fine, smooth vocal delivery.
While the evening was a guitar enthusiast's dream come true, the enjoyment was felt by all and made for one hell of an entertaining Sunday night for all in attendance, if the constant stream of appreciative noise the crowd responded with all night long was any indication.
Peter Frampton Set List:
Magic Moon
Doobie Wah
Lines on My Face
Show Me the Way
Double Nickels
(I'll Give You) Money
Baby, I Love Your Way
Steve Cropper Set:
Green Onions
In The Midnight Hour
Hip-Hug-Her
Can't Take That Away
Black Hole Sun
Do You Feel Like We Do
encore:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (with Steve Cropper)
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2013.