Jeff Beck kicked off his U.S. tour at the Paramount
in Seattle, WA on February, 15th, and wrapped it up with two
nights at Roseland in New York City. With Beck's latest solo
output coming off the heels of "Who Else", (grammy nominated
in 1999), "You Had It Coming" generates guitar sounds that baffle
even the most trained ear.
He opened the Roseland show with "Earthquake",
the edgy guitar tirade off the newest record. Later, he went
on to play "Roy's Toy" and "Dirty MInd", both of which were
stunning in performance and kept true to the record. Beck has
refined his artistic expression and cultivated his skill over
the years. He keeps getting better on his instrument. He has
developed a style of cutting edge music that fuses pure rock
guitar with contemporary electronica. The result is a truly
innovative instrumental artist.
The highlight of the show for me was when Beck
played the fourth track off the new record, entitled "Rollin
and Tumblin". This blues-sounding, Muddy Waters classic was
enriched by soulful vocals and was a definite crowd pleaser.
Another treat was the guitar sounds of Jennifer Batten, a solo
artist who also accompanied Beck on his last road trip.
Beck continues to experiment. With three and a
half decades as a recording artist under his belt, it's a wonder
he can still astound us with the multiple voices he is able
to pull out of his guitar. He is unlike anything you've ever
heard before.
So there you have it, Jeff Beck is someone not
to be missed next time around. At 55 years old, Beck has proven
to be a veteran guitar god on the cutting edge of the instrumental
rock scene. Only the most adaptable shall prevail!
