Jeff Beck

(May 19, 2015; THE FOX THEATRE, Saint Louis MO)

Apparently just about everyone I know had seen Jeff Beck in concert except me. Beck, one of the greatest guitarists of all time, has gone long stretches in his storied career without touring extensively, but in the past few years he has come to Saint Louis several times, and finally, I had the opportunity to catch him. And, while I hardly needed any additional proof that he is a hall of fame axeman (past listens to BLOW BY BLOW and WIRED, as well as countless sessions for others made that abundantly clear), nothing quite encapsulates what a major talent can do like seeing them under optimal circumstances in a live setting. And that’s what Beck’s appearance at the Fox Theatre drove home: This guy is just amazing. Some legendary guitarists can be showoffs onstage, and I personally tend to get really bored listening to some well known stringmen merely show how many notes they can whip outta their guitar fluidly and energetically. Making it musically soulful and stirring, that’s what separates the legends from the showoffs. And Beck is a legend, through and through. He plays beautiful, clean melodies and runs that can soothe and serenade or rock your socks off. It’s always about melody and atmosphere with Beck; his innate sense of variety and tonal discipline makes the music rich and powerful. Having a crack band and superb sound enhanced the experience all night at the Fox.

Beck performed some well-known covers such as Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” (one of a handful of songs performed with riveting style and sass by his vocalist and harp player, Jimmy Hall), Hendrix’s “Little Wing” (performed widely by so many artists but near definitive here), Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” (funky as hell), and a totally bewitching “A Day In The Life,” the Beatles classic that you wouldn’t think could be so mesmerizing as a slow instrumental, but it sure as shit is, as envisioned by Master Beck. The grace and melodicism Beck infused the song with at this show made for spine-tingling sonic bliss. So were some of the other slower, almost ambient numbers like Nicholas Meier’s “Yemin,” Nitin Sawhney’s “Nadia” and Beck’s own “You Never Know” and “Corpus Christi”. To be able to hear every note squeezed out of a guitar the way Beck does it, and get the sense that each of those notes MATTERS and is part of a crafted piece of tonal expression on a personal level, is something you hear and respond to, emotionally. Technique alone is not enough. You gotta have the heart and soul to really touch the listener, and that’s what Beck does so beautifully.

His band, including peerless female bass player Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph, and Nicolas Meier on textural guitar that provided a perfect complement to Beck’s electric mastery, was astonishing. Beck was generous in giving them all sublime moments, but the audience always knew just who was in charge. Some of the notable rousing numbers included Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “A Lotus On Irish Streams” (a thrilling band workout), Beck’s “Big Block,” the Lonnie Mack tune “Lonnie On the Move” (good showcase for the amazing Jimmy Hall) and the blues classic “Rollin’ and Tumblin,” during which the band hit one hell of a musical peak, with some of Beck’s most furiously energetic lead runs. For the encore, we were treated to a gently evocative “Danny Boy,” and, in one of Beck’s few utterances of the night, a tribute to the just deceased B.B. King, with “The Thrill is Gone.” Throughout, the sound was excellent, the band were superb, and Beck, smiling and smoothly brilliant, seemed to be having a fantastic time. Just what you want to see from a guitar hero, along with tasteful choices and a perfect balance to the performance. It was great stuff, and I came away with a far better appreciation of just what Master Beck is capable of, making it all seem so effortless.