Jeff Beck at the State Theater

by Scott Lyson

I must admit that I don’t possess extensive knowledge of Jeff Beck’s catalogue. Shameful, I know. My first live experience with Beck was Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival of 2007. He definitely displayed some wicked guitar technique, but the 50 minutes of instrumentals didn’t quite connect. By the time the Crossroads festival 2010 came along, I was completely sucked into Beck’s wizardry, and one of my traveling companions was stumped, and complained that Beck didn’t do any singing. Beck’s style isn’t instantly accessible for a pop audience. Clapton has been trying to get his pals like Beck and Derek Trucks to step up to the mic and sing occasionally. Clapton succeeding in getting Beck to sing (Hi Ho Silver Lining) during some UK dates in which they shared a double bill. I seemed stumped at the notion that Clapton described himself and Jeff to be like two sides of same coin. It’s come to make sense though. Clapton is a huge star, but Beck isn’t nearly as well known to the average person off the street. In general, I think it’s safe to say that Clapton plays for the audience, and Beck plays for the guitar player. Beck has mastered the art of manipulating the sound he pulls from the guitar. Giving as much attention to knobs and dials and whammy bar as he does strings on the frets.

I wasn’t expecting to know most of the songs that Beck played Sunday night at the State Theater, but I was wrong. The first couple tunes were songs I wasn’t too familiar with, but it didn’t take long for Beck to break out some new material. Corpus Christi Carol was followed by the electrifying original Hammerhead. A great way to start a concert. An irish blues tune followed, and I’m glad Beck mentioned it, because I was blown away by the Lord of the Rings imagery that it was evoking. Beck has assembled a phenomenal band. Rhonda Smith took a bass solo after the Irish tune. Tal Wilkenfeld became quite a star by performing in the role as Beck’s bassist, but Rhonda Smith has just as great of an impact on the musical experience. Narada Michael Walden masters his drum kit like no other drummer I’ve ever seen. He keeps a loose and relaxed vibe, but plays with a hard hitting, perfect exactness. Jason Rebello filled out the sound on keys. Each of the band members were given a few moments throughout the evening to flex their muscles and shine. Smith took lead vocals on the blues standard Rollin’ and Tumblin’. Every other time I’ve heard a version of this song, it has included slide guitar, but Beck doesn’t need a slide. His crafty hands can conjure up and sound he desires. By this time in the show Beck had performed rock, blues, Irish blues, and pop songs. He continued with some rock blues with Big Block, and several members in the audience shot up from their seats after the song ended, and then again after the pop standard Over the Rainbow. They were tearing through genres and styles, jamming for several minutes at a time or for as little as two. The night moved along at a swift pace, and everyone was enjoying the experience.

Walden took his turn on vocals next as Beck busted out some Hendrix licks on a faithful version of Little Wing, that ended much too quickly. Then some more original material followed, and the set ended with a fantastic cover version of the Beatles’ A Day in the Life. This song alone provided the band to sift through genres, always with intense energy, and disciplined preciseness. The set was a fantastic blend of material. I realized that I may have been more familiar with Beck’s repertoire than I thought. All of the cover versions were fresh and exciting, which is easy due to Beck’s unique style. He doesn’t require a singer on the songs because his guitar fills that void, especially on songs like People Get Ready. Beck and his stratocaster rip through any song and deliver the goods. His white strat wasn’t the only guitar to get some use. To kick the off the encore, he played tribute to Les Paul by playing How High the Moon (with a Les Paul, of course). They utilized some pre-recorded tracks from Imelda May for the vocals. The energy skyrocketed from there as the band performed (I Want to Take You) Higher, a Sly and the Family Stone number. The rest of band all took turns on the vocals. The band momentarily paused mid-song to let Beck bring back on stage the opening act Tyler Bryant. Beck and Bryant jammed on the song, and the place was rocking. Another song from Emotion and Commotion closed out the show. Nessun Dorma, allowed for the audience to relax their energy, and Beck struck a final blow to the heart as the final notes rang out.

I can see how someone might be disappointed in the fact that Beck wasn’t being selfish and satisfying his own desires. I can see that a decade ago, Beck might have been a much more imposing presence, and played a bit harder on his guitar. Did Beck take a slight turn to towards pleasing the audience? I think he might have. He is still trying to suck the sickest sounds of his guitar as possible, but it seems he’s doing it with a bit more attention to the songs themselves. He can make anything his own, he can play within the bounds of any genre. Perhaps, this allows him to play the material that speaks more to an audience. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a crowd so blown away by the act they’ve just experienced. Even the teenage girl who was taken by her father enjoyed the show. Beck is definitely one of the greatest guitarists around today, and he may finally be receiving a larger portion of the attention and praise he deserves. He delivered nearly 100 minutes of guitar focused material that would be hard for anyone to resist.

5 out of 5 stars.