Frampton's Guitar Circus at State Theatre Minneapolis (7/21/13) live review

Setlist Tour Dates 07/26/13 Airway Heights, WA Northern Quest 07/27/13 Manson, WA Deep Water Amph 07/28/13 Tulalip, WA Tulalip Resort Casino 08/05/13 "Bethlehem Musikfest" 08/06/13 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion 08/07/13 Simsbury, CT Simsbury Meadows 08/08/13 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion 08/10/13 Atlantic City, NJ Mark G. Etess Arena 08/11/13 Vienna, VA Filene Center 08/13/13 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amph 08/14/13 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion 08/16/13 Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park 08/17/13 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah's Casino 08/18/13 Kansas City, MO Kauffman Center 08/20/13 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amph 08/21/13 Albuquerque, NM Route 66 Casino 08/23/13 Las Vegas, NV LVH Theater 08/24/13 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre 08/25/13 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Theatre 08/28/13 Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery 08/30/13 Lincoln, CA Thunder Valley Casino 08/31/13 Paso Robles, CA Vina Robles Amph 10/20/13 Paris, France Zenith Paris 10/22/13 Dresden, Ger Messehalle 10/24/13 Erfurt, Ger Messehalle 10/25/13 Regensburg, Ger Donau-Arena 10/26/13 Berlin, Ger Max-Schmeling-Halle 10/29/13 Dusseldorf, Ger Mitsubishi Electric 10/31/13 Stuttgart, Ger Hanns Martin 11/01/13 Dortmund, Ger Westfalenhalle 1 11/02/13 Mannheim, Ger SAP ARENA 11/05/13 London, UK Roundhouse Read More Peter Frampton Peter Frampton is an English musician, singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive! .…

KENNY WAYNE SHEPHARD

Peter Frampton has run off and joined the circus. Not an actual circus, mind you, a Guitar Circus that he brought to the State Theatre for over three hours of time-honored hits, technical wizardry, and musical theatrics that pleased the mostly baby-boomer crowd. Frampton’s Guitar Circus, touring since May and through the end of the year, brings guitar legend Peter Frampton back out on tour, with a few of his similarly-skilled axe-wielding friends-- in the case of the Minneapolis date, Toto’s Steve Lukather and opener Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

While his long blonde locks of the 70s have faded to minimal greying hair, Frampton’s guitar skill has become more honed and varied over the decades, able to still rock at volume pushing levels as well as delicately dissect an acoustic number, with voice lowered a few octaves but still impressive and familiar as ever. His crackerjack band included long-timer Stanley Sheldon on fretless bass, Adam Lester on guitar, Dan Wojciechowski on drums, and MN native Rob Arthur on keyboards, who even waved at his grandmother in attendance.

The set surprisingly started with two deep cuts, “Magic Moon” then “Doobie Wah”, both from Frampton’s 1974 album, ‘Somethin’s Happening’, which allowed the band to stretch and prepare their musical chops for the rest of the evening. The appropriate “Lines on My Face” followed with Frampton waxing poetic about his seminal live album of 1976 and pointing out someone in the audience who held the vinyl high.

Toto’s Steve Lukather then appeared mid-set, which gave a needed charge to the proceedings and ramped immediately into one of the band’s biggest hits,1978’s “Hold the Line”, with Frampton as backup. Frampton mock dueling instrumentally with Lukather was visually thrilling and lived up to the circus tour name, both feeding off of, and complementing the other’s riffs.

With Lukather retreating backstage, Frampton continued the set with “Baby I Love Your Way”, a soft rock classic that morphed into a theatre sing-a-long, crowd swaying to and fro, while photographs of a younger Frampton illuminated the digital screen behind the stage. Following, he mentioned his 2006 instrumental album, ‘Fingerprints’ (much to the loud chagrin of one excited concertgoer in the audience) and played his version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” as only Frampton could, complete with feedback, roaring chords as verses, and talk box choruses.

An 18 min. “Do You Feel Like We Do” ended the main set, effective but somewhat shorter than in his heyday, when he was known to surpass 30 min with the song. “Off the Hook”, from his 1994 solo album started the encore, and the show ended with a bang, as Steve Lukather returned for a celebratory cover of The Beatles “ While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd opened the evening with a dazzling 60 min. set, taking the audience on a journey of songs from his debut at age 17 with 1995’s ‘Ledbetter Heights’, to his most recent, ‘How I Go’ (2011, Roadrunner Records). Shepherd’s guitar fireworks were more dramatic than Frampton’s and helped by his A-List backing band (Noah Hunt - lead vocals, Chris Layton (from SRV & Double Trouble)- drums, Tony Franklin (from Jimmy Page/Paul Rodgers The Firm)- bass and Riley Osbourn (from Willie Nelson / Lost Gonzo Band)- keyboards. Sound was mixed well for both acts, which is sometimes not the case for this venue.

All in all, a three hour-plus guitar extravaganza that often lived up to its circus naming, and was entertaining as any tightrope walker or sword swallower.

Peter Frampton at the State Theatre, Minneapolis (07/21/13) (with guest Steve Lukather on the right)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ frampton.com