Imelda May – WrAnTz

Sad to hear of the passing of Jeff Beck. An unsung hero of the rock world, a guitarists guitarist.

I have been going to concerts for over fifty years. Although, I feel blessed to have seen Jeff perform live, twice, during those fifty years. I also feel sad that I didn’t manage to make it to more of his shows.

The first time I was treated to the Beck phenomenon was when he appeared at Portsmouth Guildhall, as part of Beck, Bogert and Appice. This was 25th January, 1974. What a powerhouse group they were, although they were referred to as a “supergroup” by the music press. Jeff Beck, of course, on guitar. Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass. My memories are not strong enough to confirm this, but the interweb shows that Bobby Tench was part of the group although I don’t remember there being a fourth guy on stage. I wish I had been able to find a quality video to include. However, below is a track from their album.

The last time I saw Jeff live, was an entirely different kind of concert. I had won the tickets in a competition, courtesy of Planet Rock. Not one of my favourite venues, we caught him live at Southampton Guildhall, 3rd July, 2009. Venue aside, all I can say is this has to be one of the best concerts I have ever attended. His playing was superb and he just about blew my socks off. The support act, on that occasion, was an upcoming Imelda May. Much more than a warm up act but it was clear who the audience were there to see. Imelda came back onto the stage to provide some stunning vocals during Jeffs set. The entire show was fabulous, spine tingling. Have a listen to the following, just a small part of that show.