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Jeff Beck in Sydney Tuesday NIght Anyone who's keen he's playing The Enmore on Tuesday night.
Rhonda Smith on bass Narada Michael Walden on Drums Jason Rebello on Keys What a line up....should be a great show! "I have a date with Lisa. Isn't that wonderful?" | |
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Here are a couple of reviews from his tour so far in Australia
MELBOURNE Jeff Beck returned to Melbourne last night just over 12 months after his previous appearance in this city and fresh from winning a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental for his moving version of the Beatles classic A Day in the Life. The Palais Theatre was the perfect venue to see Beck and his band of funky virtuosos entertain a packed house of mainly youthful baby boomers. Beck has a reputation for pushing the envelope in his live performances sometimes with mixed results, this was not one of those nights. From the outset it was clear that Beck was in control. The change in band lineup with the addition of former Prince bassist Rhonda Smith and Narada Michael Walden for his 2010 tour has brought a fresh if not heavier sound to Beck’s playing and performance. The heavier lineup juxtaposed with the addition of new ballads off his masterful new album Emotion and Commotion made for one of the most dynamic performances I’ve seen by any artist. Equipped with his own signature series white Fender Stratocaster Beck’s legendary attack on the guitar was in full flight. His amazing right hand finger picking technique has the potential to change the way players approach electric guitar playing, as long as players study the technique and have the ability to utilise it. The concert was filled with many of Beck’s classics, Blast from the East, Behind the Veil, Brush with the Blues, ‘Cause we Ended as Lovers to name but a few. Every song was a highlight in its own right with some outstanding exceptions. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ A traditional blues songs with sketchy origins, this piece has been recorded and played by hundreds of artists and was a staple of any blues band to come out of 60’s Britain. Beck’s treatment retained the distinctive percussive driven elements of many previous versions but took the song to another place with the aid of Rhonda Smith’s soulful vocals and slap bass. Born out of the British blues explosion, songs like this are Beck’s bread and butter and are a perfect example of his ability to stand apart from his peers with an attack and phrasing that is all his own. Big Block Named after Chervolet Big Block engines from the 1950’s, a car and an engine that Beck is renowned for restoring in his spare time, his passion for the subject matter was on display ten fold at the Palais. I’ve heard numerous versions of this song and without a doubt last night’s concert was the most inspiring. The precision and ferocity of Beck’s playing could only be compared to a force of nature, elements of which the audience were delighted to be exposed. A Day in the Life Always a bold ambition to reinterpret any Beatles classic there have only been a handful of successful attempts, this is one of them. Beck’s ability to respire energy and innovation into household melodies is core to his genius as a musician. Whereas most guitarist could do a respectable job for this song, very few can find as many interesting ways to navigate the melody through a maze of bends, harmonics and tremolo and still ensure the integrity of the melody arrives on time and in one piece. Angels (Footsteps) Most guitar players who transition there playing from orthodox to slide in the scope of one performance usually have to change guitars to one with heavier strings and a higher action to make life a great deal easier. Beck doesn’t do that, his slide playing is as accurate and warm as his orthodox playing. This song not only highlights this aspect of his playing but takes it to an altitude that very few other guitarists can function at. Most dramatic of all comes in the third and final movement of the song where Beck with slide in right hand taps out the theme at an excruciatingly intricate third octave above the original melody, a place most guitarists barely know exists. There are numerous other examples I could cite from what was an outstanding concert. A solid test of a concert’s success is the banter overheard from fellow concert goers. Usually no matter how well it went you will over hear someone, usually a middle aged woman or a smug late thirty something male, complaining about some aspect of the gig. Last night there was nothing but praise for the British maestro who, at the age of 65, is the Peter Pan of the guitar and if last night was anything to go by he will continue to inspire future generations to rock out! ***** Palais Theatre Friday, March 26 ON THE eve of the grand prix in the next suburb, Jeff Beck delivered an aural version of speed, power and grace that ended too early. The applause was still ringing in the rafters after the second encore. Here was a master at work. He held court, imperious in his playing, playful in his almost self-deprecatory acceptance of the warm recognition for his work. Beck doesn't say much in his shows, and he never sings. Why sing when he can play? And how he can play. He was backed by Narada Michael Walden on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass and Jason Rubello on keyboards. Together they fused into a unit that displayed equal parts virtuosity and an organic cohesiveness. Walden and Smith at turns locked into grooves so ferocious and throat-pumping as to rumble to the centre of the earth and then broke out into jaw-dropping solos. They almost stole the show, but not quite. For this was Beck's night. He stormed, shredded, caressed and cradled his way through Hammerhead and Big Block, soared with tremulous delicacy on Somewhere over the Rainbow and Nessun Dorma, paid homage to the Beatles with A Day in the Life and ended with another cover, this one of Stevie Wonder's Cause We've Ended As Lovers. Beck on Friday night fused two hands and electricity into a higher art. Music Royalty in Motion | |
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