If you can’t beat ‘em…
Peter Frampton, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 16th November 2011

By a strange but pleasant twist of musical fate my last live concert of 2011 (as regards big production tour show) features the same artist as my first 2011 gig.

And I immediately find myself revisiting the review of that earlier show:
“I will be very surprised if the ‘Comes Alive 35’ shows aren’t much better attended and sell out shows.
That in part will be because of the very nature of those shows but also because on the basis of this show/ tour, and subsequent word of mouth/ positive review, those sleeper fans will be ready to Come Alive come November.”

That writer seems to know what he’s talking about, because he was spot on.

The Peter Frampton show at the O2ABC in Glasgow earlier this year wasn’t badly attended but it wasn’t a sell-out.
At the Royal Concert Hall however, a larger and far more prestigious venue than the ABC, the only empty seats I saw were a few isolated ones in the side tiers of the upper levels.
And as much as the positive response and feedback to the earlier show was a factor, there is no doubt it was the format of this show that sold the tickets...

There can’t be many, if any, rock fans out there that are not aware of the phenomenon Frampton Comes Alive! became. That double live album elevated Peter Frampton to super-star status and defied the odds for a live record by becoming the biggest selling album in the United States in 1976.
It has since sold some 8 million copies in the US alone.

Celebrating that classic album’s thirty-fifth anniversary was therefore always going to be a smart move, both musically and as regards the interest it would generate in ticket sales.

From the opening of ‘Something’s Happening’ to the final notes of ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’ an hour and 45 minutes later, Peter Frampton and band did the FCA! album and set proud, collecting a number of standing ovations at the all seated Royal Concert Hall throughout the show.

Some of the loudest and best received reactions were somewhat predictable, such as for his most famous and successful songs ‘Show Me the Way’ and ‘Baby I Love Your Way’ (always a guaranteed sing-a-long), but the Glasgow crowd were highly appreciative throughout – not just for the quality of the songs but for the quality of the performances.

With such tried and tested numbers on display it would be very easy for a band to just go through the musical motions (and many do, especially on Greatest Hits by-the-numbers shows) but that isn’t how Peter Frampton or his band operate.

Frampton’s guitar work was, and is, exemplary. And while he sung under the notes on many of the songs (intelligent singing when you are not 25 anymore or singing high-energy hits on a lengthy world tour), even pitch-perfect ears would be struggling to hear any bum notes – musically or vocally.

‘Lines On My Face’ continues to be a Frampton tour-de-force, especially his guitar work, while the guitar driven renditions of ‘I’ll Give You Money,’ ‘Shine On’ and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ helped drive the FCA!35 set to a powerful close, culminating with a 16 minute version of live favourite ‘Do You Feel Like We Do.’

Peter Frampton may be known for his touch and tone but he can rock with the best of ‘em as exemplified on ‘Money,’ which featured some great six-string sparring from Frampton and Adam Lester.
The rest of the band are no slouches either.
This is the same group of musicians that played together on the last tour and Rob Arthur (keyboards, vocals, acoustic guitars), Dan Wojciechowski (drums) and Stanley Sheldon (bass) complete what may well be as good a band as Frampton has worked with in any era.

Stanley Sheldon first toured with Peter Frampton in 1975 and featured on the original Comes Alive! record, but there can never be a reunion of that classic line-up – sadly drummer John Siomos and keyboard/ guitar player Bob Mayo both died well before their time in 2004.

However both musicians still featured on the night, courtesy of the video screen that ran classic clips and images during the FCA!35 set, including a homage-in-pictures to both Siomos and Mayo.

Peter Frampton wasn’t here to just play classic oldies however.
After a 20 minute interval the band returned to play for a further 55 minutes with a set based around Frampton’s last two albums – six songs featured from the critically acclaimed Thank You Mr Churchill and the Grammy award winning Fingerprints, his 2006 instrumental album.

Adam Lester got to show his six-string chops on many a number but the highlight of the second set was also the surprise of the night…

One of the standout tracks on the Churchill album is ‘Road to the Sun’ featuring Frampton’s son Julian on vocals. The song was included in the set at Glasgow as Julian Frampton was in attendance and the crowd got to see and hear father and son deliver a cracking version of the number.
Frampton Jr. was flying out to LA the next day so this was a rare treat and a great bonus for the Glasgow crowd.

Road to the Sun (featuring Julian Frampton)
The second set ended in fine style with a high-energy performance of Humble Pie’s ‘4 Day Creep’ kicking into a raucous version of ‘Off the Hook,’ the infectious rollicking and roll instrumental from the 1994 album, Peter Frampton.

Frampton’s superb guitar work was then showcased on what has become his traditional encore number over the last few years, his cover of George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps.’

Many bands now perform Greatest Hits tours or play classic albums live, primarily because newer material, no matter how good that material may be, is not as well received.

Recent retro rock fashions and a new generation with a demand and preference for re-imagined classic rock mean it’s a musical fact of life.
And in some cases a musical fact of financial life. 

Even Todd Rundgren, a genuine innovator in music, has recently performed tours or select shows featuring some of his classic albums. And now Peter Frampton, even though recent studio albums are his strongest for some twenty-five years.

It’s a classic (album) case of: If You Can’t Beat ‘em, Join ‘em.

With an artist like Peter Kenneth Frampton however, it’s more a case of:
If You Can’t Beat ‘em, Better ‘em.

Because this might just be the best thirty-five year old show I’ve seen or heard.     

Ross Muir
November 2011


'Road to the Sun' audio from the official FCA!35 (Glasgow) Limited Edition CD set.
No infringement of copyright is intended.