Thank You Mr Frampton
Peter Frampton, O2ABC, Glasgow, March 2nd.
The O2ABC theatre, like many such concert halls, has a couple of bars within the complex and one of my friends had noticed one of the bar-staff had a remarkable resemblance to a Scottish tennis player of some renown.
“What’s Andy Murray doing behind the bar at a Peter Frampton gig?” He queried.
“It’s obvious – he’s serving.” I replied.
Thank You Glasgow.
I’m here for three hours.
But I'm just the support - check out the main act...
Peter Frampton is certainly trying to make up for lost time.
It’s been more than six years since he played tour dates in the UK and those last appearances were part of a Monsters of Rock bill that included Thunder and Deep Purple.
2011 however is a different story.
The Glasgow show was part of the UK and European schedule making up the final leg of the Thank You Mr Churchill tour.
In November Frampton will be back in the UK with the Comes Alive 35 tour, which will feature the classic Frampton Comes Alive! album as the core of the shows, played in its entirety.
“It’s been too long!” shouted Peter Frampton, the first in a long line of good natured banter and dialogue with the audience.
It has indeed Mr F, and six years plus a handful of months can be a long time in rock and roll…
In 2004 it was in front of an audience of nearly 10,000 although it has to be said a large amount of that audience were primarily Purple people, but it was a well received set nonetheless.
It was also the highlight of the bill for me, but then I’m a big Peter Frampton fan and have always been very particular about the Purple periods that appeal to me.
In 2011 it was in front of a three quarter full O2ABC theatre.
There were a number of reasons for a smaller-than-expected audience for such a name artist, a significant one being the fact that an important football game between Glasgow’s two biggest clubs was being played on the same night and at almost the same time.
But a six year plus drought as regards live appearances is also, unarguably, a major factor.
Peter Frampton is well aware it’s time to reintroduce himself to his UK audiences and he does command a very large sleeper fan base.
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.
Back in 2004 it was a restricted set of around 75 minutes, but this time the audience got their money’s worth – and then some.
For less than £30 (an absolute bargain considering the artist in question and this day and age of obscene over-priced ticketing) Peter Frampton and band delivered an almost flawless three hours of Frampton favourites, a few tracks from his Grammy Award-winning Fingerprints album of 2006 and five songs from his latest offering Thank You Mr Churchill.
And some Humble Pie classics were thrown in for good measure.
The rocking instrumental ‘Off The Hook’ from the Peter Frampton album opened proceedings, followed in quick succession by ‘Plain Shame’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed Sealed Delivered,’ recorded by Frampton on I’m In You nearly 35 years ago.
And that’s part of the charm of Frampton's musical catalogue and his decades of musicianship.
Classics such as ‘Lines On My Face’ and ‘Baby I Love Your Way ‘sat timelessly alongside equally excellent Churchill material like the heavy and edgy ‘Asleep at the Wheel’ and the lighter but no less poignant ‘Vaudeville Nanna and the Banjolele.’
Highlights were too many to mention, but the ‘Fingerprints’ instrumentals ‘Float’ (a lovely change of pace) and ‘Black Hole Sun’ (the Soundgarden number) were particularly strong live.
The standout instrumental however came from the Churchill album, with a brilliant performance from the band on the ‘Suite: Liberte’ medley.
And as regards the band?
Keyboard player (and guitars and vocals) Rob Arthur is a talented performer and great fit for this Frampton five-piece.
Guitarist Adam Lester is another fine fit and great soloist in his own right, taking a number of leads while Frampton rocked to the rhythm.
Dan Wojciechowski holds a solid beat at the back with no little flair.
And last and not least, the return of Stanley Sheldon on the bass guitar.
Sheldon was part of the classic line-up that featured on Frampton Comes Alive! and with the forthcoming Comes Alive 35 tour his return couldn’t have been better timed. His introduction to the crowd drew one of the biggest cheers of the night.
For those who have never seen a Peter Frampton show or perhaps not since back in the day, the talk box is still a featured performer as are the two songs where that guitar & vocal effect is put to best use: ‘Show Me The Way’ and ‘Do You Feel Like We Do.’
The latter is the ultimate show-stopper and set closer in one package.
Frampton’s Humble beginnings were also on show, and a highlight, with renditions of Humble Pie’s ‘4 Day Creep’ and ‘Shine On,’ probably the finest back-to-back songs of the night for the older Frampton and original Pie fans.
Humble Pie were also remembered during the encore with an extended version of ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor.’
Rob Arthur took the Steve Marriott vocal parts on the Pie numbers and Frampton’s comments and reflections on his late musical colleague and friend brought on another of the loudest cheers of the evening.
An acknowledgement and a respect for one of rock’s great voices and characters.
The final song of the night, George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ was first recorded by Frampton in 2003 and he has performed it at most shows since.
The song was also one of many to feature some superlative guitar work from Frampton, who seems to get better with each passing album.
Fingerprints showcased his many six-string styles and Churchill produced some of his deftest and heaviest touches. Live, he simply excels.
And for that, Thank You Mr Frampton. Thank You Very Much.
Ross Muir
March 2011
Peter Frampton, O2ABC, Glasgow, March 2nd.
The O2ABC theatre, like many such concert halls, has a couple of bars within the complex and one of my friends had noticed one of the bar-staff had a remarkable resemblance to a Scottish tennis player of some renown.
“What’s Andy Murray doing behind the bar at a Peter Frampton gig?” He queried.
“It’s obvious – he’s serving.” I replied.
Thank You Glasgow.
I’m here for three hours.
But I'm just the support - check out the main act...
Peter Frampton is certainly trying to make up for lost time.
It’s been more than six years since he played tour dates in the UK and those last appearances were part of a Monsters of Rock bill that included Thunder and Deep Purple.
2011 however is a different story.
The Glasgow show was part of the UK and European schedule making up the final leg of the Thank You Mr Churchill tour.
In November Frampton will be back in the UK with the Comes Alive 35 tour, which will feature the classic Frampton Comes Alive! album as the core of the shows, played in its entirety.
“It’s been too long!” shouted Peter Frampton, the first in a long line of good natured banter and dialogue with the audience.
It has indeed Mr F, and six years plus a handful of months can be a long time in rock and roll…
In 2004 it was in front of an audience of nearly 10,000 although it has to be said a large amount of that audience were primarily Purple people, but it was a well received set nonetheless.
It was also the highlight of the bill for me, but then I’m a big Peter Frampton fan and have always been very particular about the Purple periods that appeal to me.
In 2011 it was in front of a three quarter full O2ABC theatre.
There were a number of reasons for a smaller-than-expected audience for such a name artist, a significant one being the fact that an important football game between Glasgow’s two biggest clubs was being played on the same night and at almost the same time.
But a six year plus drought as regards live appearances is also, unarguably, a major factor.
Peter Frampton is well aware it’s time to reintroduce himself to his UK audiences and he does command a very large sleeper fan base.
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.
Back in 2004 it was a restricted set of around 75 minutes, but this time the audience got their money’s worth – and then some.
For less than £30 (an absolute bargain considering the artist in question and this day and age of obscene over-priced ticketing) Peter Frampton and band delivered an almost flawless three hours of Frampton favourites, a few tracks from his Grammy Award-winning Fingerprints album of 2006 and five songs from his latest offering Thank You Mr Churchill.
And some Humble Pie classics were thrown in for good measure.
The rocking instrumental ‘Off The Hook’ from the Peter Frampton album opened proceedings, followed in quick succession by ‘Plain Shame’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed Sealed Delivered,’ recorded by Frampton on I’m In You nearly 35 years ago.
And that’s part of the charm of Frampton's musical catalogue and his decades of musicianship.
Classics such as ‘Lines On My Face’ and ‘Baby I Love Your Way ‘sat timelessly alongside equally excellent Churchill material like the heavy and edgy ‘Asleep at the Wheel’ and the lighter but no less poignant ‘Vaudeville Nanna and the Banjolele.’
Highlights were too many to mention, but the ‘Fingerprints’ instrumentals ‘Float’ (a lovely change of pace) and ‘Black Hole Sun’ (the Soundgarden number) were particularly strong live.
The standout instrumental however came from the Churchill album, with a brilliant performance from the band on the ‘Suite: Liberte’ medley.
And as regards the band?
Keyboard player (and guitars and vocals) Rob Arthur is a talented performer and great fit for this Frampton five-piece.
Guitarist Adam Lester is another fine fit and great soloist in his own right, taking a number of leads while Frampton rocked to the rhythm.
Dan Wojciechowski holds a solid beat at the back with no little flair.
And last and not least, the return of Stanley Sheldon on the bass guitar.
Sheldon was part of the classic line-up that featured on Frampton Comes Alive! and with the forthcoming Comes Alive 35 tour his return couldn’t have been better timed. His introduction to the crowd drew one of the biggest cheers of the night.
For those who have never seen a Peter Frampton show or perhaps not since back in the day, the talk box is still a featured performer as are the two songs where that guitar & vocal effect is put to best use: ‘Show Me The Way’ and ‘Do You Feel Like We Do.’
The latter is the ultimate show-stopper and set closer in one package.
Frampton’s Humble beginnings were also on show, and a highlight, with renditions of Humble Pie’s ‘4 Day Creep’ and ‘Shine On,’ probably the finest back-to-back songs of the night for the older Frampton and original Pie fans.
Humble Pie were also remembered during the encore with an extended version of ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor.’
Rob Arthur took the Steve Marriott vocal parts on the Pie numbers and Frampton’s comments and reflections on his late musical colleague and friend brought on another of the loudest cheers of the evening.
An acknowledgement and a respect for one of rock’s great voices and characters.
The final song of the night, George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ was first recorded by Frampton in 2003 and he has performed it at most shows since.
The song was also one of many to feature some superlative guitar work from Frampton, who seems to get better with each passing album.
Fingerprints showcased his many six-string styles and Churchill produced some of his deftest and heaviest touches. Live, he simply excels.
And for that, Thank You Mr Frampton. Thank You Very Much.
Ross Muir
March 2011
