Just saw Jeff Beck

[TG]

...in Dublin. Been wanting to see him play live for years, and it was worth the wait. Great gig, but Tal seemed very tired or something and kept sitting down.

I've basically studied his playing on recordings and DVDs and he seems to have got a batch of new licks lately. Saw several tricky ones I've never seen/heard before. He nailed Where Were You effortlessly too.

[Doug 54]

!!

A true inspiration to me, JB is.
Doesn't rest on his laurels--
particularly-- he isn't trapped in pentatonic purgatory



!!

[kyle1167]

I too have been waiting.

[Mark Davis]

Thats who I wanna see most.

Tal too.

[absurdplanet]

Good for you TG!
JB is my ultimate Guitar Hero . . .
The last 10 years--he's toured a lot--I've only missed this last tour drats
He can play it all--with style
I really want to see Tal--I've seen him with the rest of this band a few times; is Vinnie hot or what?
I really can't think of any player more original or versatile these days.
He's the "Gov," helped create or created more styles in electric guitar than he'll ever get credit for.
The rest of us are trying to catch up--ain't gonna happen.
To me--it's all about being as original as you can be--you have to be yourself.
His style is just that--his style. For over 40 years we've been blessed--what a great trip it's been!

[Mark Davis]

Of that whole group of guitar gods from England Beck at 65 yrs old just keeps getting better and Clapton Page and Townsend will all agree with that statement

[TG]

Originally Posted by absurdplanet

I really want to see Tal--I've seen him with the rest of this band a few times; is Vinnie hot or what?

Yes, the drumming was spectacular. But he does do an awful lot of jazzy improvising and on some of the trickier songs timing-wise...like Blast From The East and that fast jazzy thing they did at the beginning of the Ronnie Scotts DVD...we noticed them losing it and having to get back on time with a bit of 'head nodding'. It was good but it was obviously putting some serious pressure on Tal and the keyboard guy since there was sometimes more syncopation than rhythm, if you know what I mean, and obviously the guitar work was spontaneous and 'out there' much of the time. Those 2 did a good job of holding it all together.
Tal really did seem tired and a bit fed up though. Been a long tour, I guess. Must be difficult to stay bright and perky every night. Her bass had a strange EQ too with surprisingly little low end for a bass (but I don't think being tired had anything to do with that ).
Hard to believe Jeff is 65 by watching him.

[Mark Davis]

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born 24 June 1944)

he just turned 65 last week. I agree hard to believe.

Unlike alot of other people who retire @ 65 I just see Beck getting better and better as time goes on.

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born 24 June 1944)

he just turned 65 last week. I agree hard to believe.

Unlike alot of other people who retire @ 65 I just see Beck getting better and better as time goes on.

Amen!

But don't forget "Jeff's Boogie" ... Hee, hee! That one really impressed me back in the late 60's!

[Doug 54]

don't 4get-- he took/takes care of 'imself

vegeterian 30+ yrs, I think he pretty much eschewed drugs thru the yrs-- contraire to most his peers,
kept a healthy perspective of his musical place with his true passion-- rods.

Now.... the tinnitus thang. well- he must be ding something right to cope!

[Mike Eskimo]

Yes, the drumming was spectacular. But he does do an awful lot of jazzy improvising and on some of the trickier songs timing-wise...like Blast From The East and that fast jazzy thing they did at the beginning of the Ronnie Scotts DVD...we noticed them losing it and having to get back on time with a bit of 'head nodding'. It was good but it was obviously putting some serious pressure on Tal and the keyboard guy since there was sometimes more syncopation than rhythm, if you know what I mean, and obviously the guitar work was spontaneous and 'out there' much of the time.

Vinnie has a very loose definition of time-keeping.

But when they do some of the more "electronic" stuff from Beck's last 3 albums Vinnie is spot-on.

Bozzio (when he wasn't in show-off mode) was Beck's strongest drumming foil.

[Flashback]

Beck is 65!?

Man. He changes with age which I enjoy so much. I feel like all his other peers have been stuck for a very long time. He never stops innovating.

And the trem abuse makes me cry I wish I could do it as well as him!

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by Doug 54

don't 4get-- he took/takes care of 'imself

vegeterian 30+ yrs, I think he pretty much eschewed drugs thru the yrs-- contraire to most his peers,
kept a healthy perspective of his musical place with his true passion-- rods.

Now.... the tinnitus thang. well- he must be ding something right to cope!

He likes hot rods too so that and guitars are keeping him young.

Im almost positive he is wearing a wig but I dont care he has to look like Beck always has.

Ive always wondered about the shirts without sleeves he seems to wear alot wonder why?

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by Flashback

Beck is 65!?

Man. He changes with age which I enjoy so much. I feel like all his other peers have been stuck for a very long time. He never stops innovating.

And the trem abuse makes me cry I wish I could do it as well as him!

Beck just does everything on the trem its a major part of his sound.

Whats funny is when he plays a tele without the trem he still sounds like Beck.

[TG]

Another thing. After some particularly heavy whammy use he noticed between songs that his tuning was way out on a few strings. Did he go over to a stage tuner to tune up or grab another guitar from the tech? No. He just grinned, strummed an open D chord and twisted a few tuners. Another strum...another twist, and off they went again.

Funnily enough, that was one of the moments that most impressed me. Like someone relaxed at a jam session in a local pub.

[J-man]

TG, you lucky SOB.. I really want to go see JB live.

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by TG

Another thing. After some particularly heavy whammy use he noticed between songs that his tuning was way out on a few strings. Did he go over to a stage tuner to tune up or grab another guitar from the tech? No. He just grinned, strummed an open D chord and twisted a few tuners. Another strum...another twist, and off they went again.

Funnily enough, that was one of the moments that most impressed me. Like someone relaxed at a jam session in a local pub.

That makes me wonder how many Gigs Jeff has done.

Check out these old pics.

[brewwagon]

is that a hand gun on the chair?



bw

[TG]

Originally Posted by brewwagon

is that a hand gun on the chair?



bw

If it is then it's a toy or something. The pic was taken in Britain.

[absurdplanet]

One of the things Beck doesn't get credit for is--he has a "pet shelter" at his home. He pays out of his own pocket to rescue, feed, shelter, and medically treat stray animals! Someone visiting his in Surrey said he saw about 30 cats in the cat area alone. So, when you buy a Beck CD--you're also helping animals too.

Im almost positive he is wearing a wig but I dont care he has to look like Beck always has.

I read that Jeff still has his own hair--but he has to dye it nowadays.

I recently read that a classical piano teacher uses a few of Jeff's pieces that move from 8/8 to 7/8 as teaching tools; assigns them to her students to learn timing and melody. She rates his pieces with the masters like Schubert and Mendelssohn. I don't know if I'd go that far??

I heard he was using another amp, other than the Plexi's he's used for the last few years. Anyone know anything about this?

Jeff's had an amazing career--we're lucky he's still out there recording and gigging; continuing to grow and blossom--always evolving.

A nice album of recent pictures

http://www.pbase.com/soulfulimpressions/jeff_beck

[TG]

Originally Posted by absurdplanet

One of the things Beck doesn't get credit for is--he has a "pet shelter" at his home. He pays out of his own pocket to rescue, feed, shelter, and medically treat stray animals! Someone visiting his in Surrey said he saw about 30 cats in the cat area alone. So, when you buy a Beck CD--you're also helping animals too.


I read that Jeff still has his own hair--but he has to dye it nowadays.

I recently read that a classical piano teacher uses a few of Jeff's pieces that move from 8/8 to 7/8 as teaching tools; assigns them to her students to learn timing and melody. She rates his pieces with the masters like Schubert and Mendelssohn. I don't know if I'd go that far??

I heard he was using another amp, other than the Plexi's he's used for the last few years. Anyone know anything about this?

Jeff's had an amazing career--we're lucky he's still out there recording and gigging; continuing to grow and blossom--always evolving.

A nice album of recent pictures

http://www.pbase.com/soulfulimpressions/jeff_beck

Didn't know about the cats.

It did indeed look like his own hair.

I couldn't see the amps since a PA speaker was in the way (I was on the end of the second row) and I didn't check out the stage beforehand...wish I did now...but I did see a Marshall or 2 on the way in. My friends who were more central did say there was another amp there but couldn't say what it was.

[Thorpey]

man Jeff was an is THE MAN!!! true guitar hero... didnt get caught up in his own ego like clapton... rock on man!!!

[Steinar G]

Originally Posted by TG

Didn't know about the cats.

Me neither, but it makes sense. With Beck being such a strong individualist I can imagine he and cats understand each other very well...

[Wardpike]

Who's got a link for up to date accurate Beck concert listings?? He's my main guitar hero and I really want to see him whilst I still have a chance.

[TG]

Originally Posted by Wardpike

Who's got a link for up to date accurate Beck concert listings?? He's my main guitar hero and I really want to see him whilst I still have a chance.

This perhaps.

(He's in Canada next week...)

[Iain]

I was at his Glasgow gig. Very impressive, not just for the playing but for the simple fact that he looked astonishingly vital for his age and roamed the stage energetically for 2 hours.
He seemed to have 2 Marshall stacks (no mics on them) and another stack (I didn't see a name on it), which was miced up. Behind his Marshalls were 2 more cabs, one of which had 2 mics on it. No idea what was going on with them all in terms of what we were hearing out front - maybe somebody else knows.
He used 3 pedals: a distortion, a rotary of some sort and (I think) a Flanger. He used he distortion a lot but the other 2 sparingly. He also had a foot-shaped wah-style pedal...but never touched it.
A little table by the drums held his slide and some talc (although, oddly, he got a roadie to toss him some talc from the wings).

Tuning stayed very stable (a wee tweak at the start of "Day in the Life", that's all) despite the whammy work and his tone was very clear.
Tal sat down a few times in Glasgow, too, by the by.

Anyway, it was a treat to see and hear JB play: his control over the guitar is really quite something!

[DMace]

Jeff Beck is the Muhammad Ali of electric guitar.

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by DMace

Jeff Beck is the Muhammad Ali of electric guitar.

Ya his tremelo floats like a butterfly and his leads sting like a bee.

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Ya his tremelo floats like a butterfly and his leads sting like a bee.

[Telarkaster]

I can't wait, I'm seeing him on Monday night. Hopefully Tal will have rested up and the rhythm section will be in sync.