Carrying water for Parsons Street

[JeffB]

Great thread Rob!.

Thanks.

[Kuz]

PF last two albums are simple amazing. As Rob said PF is a GREAT guitarist and people should check out his recent work to reaffirm this.

[Guest HRB853370]

Interesting day. First, for clarification: We were playing inside, next door to the amphitheater Frampton was scheduled to play. Rain and angry skies all day moved Frampton inside, into an adjacent theatre. We were playing an exhibition hall throwdown for the Rotary club and the public, the Rotary Club being involved in a charity tie-in to Frampton's show. Our place had the big video screen displays of all Rotary's "good works;" new cars from local dealers, on display; a catered VIP area; a stock car from Petty Enterprises, as they have a hugely successful camp for exceptional kids; beer, wine, and food vendors; and the Gibson traveling showroom, attended by local Guitar Center personnel. A veritable aircraft hanger...huge. I know some of you guys have played venues like this. The worst acoustics I've ever encountered! We were on a booming elevated temporary stage. Concrete floor...did I mention it was huge? Reflective walls. And a fabric ceiling, which I thought might help a little, but it was suspended so far above us, it didn't matter. Several people said the sound guys did a good job of taming it out front, if one stood right in line with the PA, but onstage, I've never heard anything like it. Kind of a perpetual subsonic boom, accompanied by what sounded like giant rotating galvanized buckets filled with shards of broken glass.... I could distinguish nothing on stage! I couldn't even hear myself, not because of volume...we were turned down. I could sort of hear me, when I soloed, from behind the PA column. Not a good way to monitor what's going on. So, given the acoustics, that beautiful 535 tone was completely lost to me in a wolly, woofing nothing. I sounded like Matheny, with his amp under a mattress. So I had to play the Lester for most of the two sets, the solid body just cutting better...not well...just better.

 

About Frampton's set...one set, two hours and fifteen minutes.... I thought, "Yeah, he's always been a good player, and there's the story of the Custom, and Humble Pie and the Camel, and the hits...." We've all seen The Re-treads on tour, seemingly trading on distant history...poorly, the "Star" surrounded by terrific support players, young enough to be his grandkids, making him sound better than if he was actually good. Frampton had surrounded himself with fabulous players! And it was all they could do to keep up with him. He's a terrific pop/rock songwriter! Strong hooks and melodies, great changes, all that! We've had a bunch of "best player" threads on the HOC, and I don't think Peter Frampton shows up very often on them. Something about his "Popstar" legacy precludes that, for some reason. But as a player, last night, he was downright...fierce! Yeah, they played "the hits" because the room wanted them, but he also did some stuff from the Grammy winning instrumental album Fingerprints...extending solos, trading with the others in the band, and just generally killing it! Even covered Black Hole Sun. But the big thing for me, is that he still plays the '54 on tour. Played it for about half the numbers. I'm sure he gets the pick of the litter, the other Pauls and 335's he plays, but the tone of the old Paul is truly distinctive! Just...better! Just incredible!

 

Sorry about the acoustics snafu. It happens! Last time I saw Peter in concert, Fingerprints was just released. He killed Black Hole Sun. Glad it was enjoyable. What was the encore, "lines on my face"?

[yoslate]

Will, While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

[RhoadsScholar]

Very nice story and thanks for carrying the torch for Heritage. Like Skydog said, you probably sounded better than you thought.

[bolero]

wow great story, thx!

 

I never knew frampton had new music out, will have to check it out

 

 

too bad about the lousy acoustics, still must have been a rush to play there!