Continuing a look back to 2015; one of the more pleasant surprises was Peter Frampton at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ.
The show started as a reunion with many of Frampton's family members in attendance and his son Julian as the opening act. Performing an approximate 30 minute set to an appreciative crowd; the younger Frampton had every bit his father's stage persona and was a perfect choice to kick things off.
The stage was set up with a couple of chairs and a radio as Peter dialed in at 8:45 to begin his portion of this solo acoustic evening. "All I Want to Be" was first on the list and upon its completion Frampton told the first of many stories which captivated those in attendance throughout the evening; this one in particular was about a certain tuning for his guitar that he "Borrowed" from George Harrison. "I was over with George one day and he was playing in such a key that was unlike anything I'd heard and he said it was a special tuning and that it was his and I wasn't allowed to have it," he said with laugh. "So of course I stole, I mean, borrowed it from him..." and as the laughter died down the first notes of "Wind of Change" danced between the seats.
Next up was the Buddy Holly classic "Peggy Sue," which was prefaced by a neat recollection of how he met Holly's widow and the ensuing gift she bestowed upon him of a guitar headstock, "I think it was actually meant for Paul McCartney but I'm pretty sure she gave it to me because she couldn't get in touch with him."
This combination of self deprecating humor in the context of the stories along with the raw openness of a solo acoustic presentation, really personalized Frampton and allowed him to seemingly connect with the crowd in ways that a large electrified concert does not. Songs like the next two, "Just The Time Of Year" and the instrumental "Penny For Your Thoughts," which the prior he credits Joni Mitchell as his inspiration and the latter a filler track for the "Frampton" album; may not have had the same panache with more wattage behind them.
Pausing only briefly enough to introduce Gordon Kennedy, Peter gave a quick synopsis of perhaps his largest hit, "Show Me The Way," even joking that there were, "No electronics so I need you all to do the wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wahs." The crowd, now pumped up, immediately stole the lead vocal from Frampton and sang the tune from start to finish. Kennedy stayed on board for the remainder of the program as the two stage mates engaged in the guitar instrumental "Lines On My Face;" trading off licks and complementing one another's styles nicely.
"Hummingbird" was introduced by a lengthy, yet interesting dialogue involving Peter, his grandfather and a beautiful box/puzzle with an ironic twist ending. Inspired by his recent work with the Cincinnati Ballet, this once again allowed insight into the man, enhanced the song and added to the overall experience. "Heart To My Chest" was followed by a comedic exchange as a phone rang and Frampton took the call; "No the Blue Man Group is not here tonight, no we don't take requests." Shaking his head in mock disbelief he continued, "Can you believe he wanted me to do a Beatles tune?" With that he broke into "Norwegian Wood" as the crowd reaction quickly went from laughter to cheers.
"Oh Another Day" and "You Can Be Sure" proceeded a ballad which Peter dedicated to his mom and dad, Owen and Peggy Frampton. "This song gets harder to sing," he said as he caressed "Not Forgotten" out of his six string. "Take Me Back" slid right in next with little fanfare, however he next called upon his "Marvelous opening act" and Julian joined him onstage for "Road To The Sun." The elder Frampton couldn't help the smile on his face as he performed with his son; pride beaming through as bright as the stage lighting.
Keeping Julian around a bit longer; the trio had a little "Humble Pie" as they went into "Heartbeat" complete with fantastic three part harmony that drew appreciative applause from the sold out venue. "Change The World" was well done and served as a bridge to the end of the evening as Frampton divulged the story of how yet another smash was written; "Baby, I Love Your Way." "Well, I was under some pressure to produce by the record company and I was in the tropics; let's just say I saw this woman and I wrote this song on the beach. I bought this guitar before my first Humble Pie rehearsal and I'm about to play this song on it now which means I'm really old (laughs)."
Wasting little time, he launched into "Do You Feel Like I/We Do" and the faithful ate it up like candy. Another full out sing along ensued and the house was rockin' as some were transported back to that summer of '76 and others were experiencing it for the first time. The last notes rang out at 10:50 p.m. as Frampton said his thanks and exited the stage; only to return at 10:52 p.m. for a three song, nine minute encore which began with the combination of "You Had To Be There" and "Break The Rules," and ended with Peter on piano for the mellow ballad, "I'm In You."
An energetic acoustic show from one of rock's most underrated and perhaps unappreciated guitarists and performers but that doesn't seem to bother Frampton at all; he seems quite content to play the smaller venues; creating new music while opening up younger audiences to his "Old" music. A pleasant experience from the opening act, to the stories, to the material choices and all presented in a great venue which was perfect for the performance.
A special thanks goes out to "Vinny" the sound engineer who opened up his world to my photographer and I; making this a total experience from start to finish.
To discover more about Frampton and his upcoming tour dates; please go to www.frampton.com
Photo Credit: Rose Barbaree
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
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