Jeff Beck finally returned to Australia in January. It was his first time back to the country since 1977.
That’s right. One of the world’s greatest guitarists of all time was absent from the Australian stage for almost 32 years.Well, it was certainly worth the wait. The Jeff Beck performances with mind-blowing. It is almost impossible to describe how great this show was. Beck owned the audience. From the moment he came on stage, the guitar sound of Jeff Beck was captivating. You watched in awe. This was a man at one with his instrument.
The setlist was completely jazz-tinged and fusion. There was no reminder that this was the same guy who played in The Yardbirds back in the 60s. There was no pop. Beck had his one moment with the hit ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’. There was no mention of his time with Rod Stewart. ‘People Get Ready’ did not appear.
No, this was Jeff Beck displaying his craft, not his catalogue. The better known ‘Cause We Ended Up As Lovers’ was a crowd favorite. ‘Big Block’ and ‘The Pump’ reminded us that there was a master guitarist at work.
When he ended with The Beatles ‘A Day In The Life’, Jeff played a Beatles song that not even The Beatles had ever performed live and he made it his own.
To witness the mastery of Jeff Beck was a once in a lifetime experience. Anybody who has ever picked up a guitar or has even thought about it needs to see Jeff Beck live at least once in his or her lifetime.
Special mention should go to his band including 22 year old bass player, Tal Wilkenfeld from Sydney. There is a story in itself in Tal. She was 16 when she left school and moved to America. She has played with the Allman Brothers Band, Chick Corea, Steve Vai, Susan Tedeschi and Herbie Hancock. I repeat, she is 22.
Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa band) was on drums. David Sancious (The E Street Band) was on keyboards.
Jeff Beck will perform in Auckland tonight and then perform shows in Japan between February 7 and 19.
