Just a quick report on the Cheap Trick/Frampton concert I saw the other night.
What a blast.
It was great seeing them and even though they are a bit older these days(Robin Zander is 62, Frampton is 65)they haven't lost any skill. I was surprised by the strength Robin Zander has in his voice at his age. I can't even talk without getting hoarse these days. Cheap Trick was a lot of fun. They played mostly their oldies(can I say oldies?) which is the stuff that brought the crowd to their feet. Guitarist Rick Nielson's son plays drums now and he did a fantastic job. And speaking of Nielson--he literally uses a different guitar for every song(I'm sure he has quite a collection) with my favorite being a Beatles one he had that had the faces of the Fab Four on it.
Peter Frampton was a riot. This is a guy having a lot of fun out there. He talked quite a bit to the audience really and seemed to enjoy an older but rowdy crowd. He made a few age jokes: "You guys are a little young to remember this one" The audience moans. "Oh...you're not? It must be the water you drink here--you look young."
Before putting his mouth on the talkbox tube he stepped back and made a show of pushing up his dentures.
"Hey Cheap Trick and I have been touring together and aren't they great?" Loud applause. "We've been staying in Philly and the I was in the city and the mayor tapped me on the shoulder..."
Crowd boos.
"Oh...we don't like the mayor?'
Crowd: No!
"So anyway...like I was saying Cheap Trick is a hell of a band."
Laughter.
He did this kind of thing all night. A really nice likeable guy.
And the music was great. I've always loved Frampton's sound. It's unique to him. And the man can play a guitar. He played a shorter set but longer songs where he could go off on riffs. He hit the big classics and played a few cover songs. The video below shows him playing one of the songs I really loved--a version of Blackhole Sun--a song I love with a Frampton sound.
I'm glad he's out there still performing. Makes me feel young.