Last night’s sold-out, packed-to-the-rafters Peter Frampton gig at the MGM Northfield was a reunion of sorts. It seems that every graduate from the Class of 1976, regardless of high school, was at the show. Long gone were the bell bottoms, shoulder-length hair, and muttonchop sideburns. But the affinity for one of their own was on display as people were dancing in the aisles and from their seats to the tunes from their halcyon days.
Frampton, using a cane to get to the chair awaiting him onstage, walked out slowly to an uproarious applause. He looked infirmed; his unsteady staccato pace to the stage was bolstered by a smile at his reception.
Once he sat down, however, any infirmities or disabilities quickly evaporated as he picked up his guitar and gave the crowd two-plus hours of post-Watergate, Carter Years nostalgia.
For a man well entrenched into his golden years, he shredded like he did almost fifty years ago. Offering up a mid-set instrumental-only cover of Hoagy Carmichaels’ “Georgia,” his arrangement was a master class in guitar playing.
Early in the evening, he played one of his biggest hits, “Show Me The Way.” About halfway through the set, he gave us an interesting cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” definitely an interesting departure for an artist most-recognized for his ties to 1970s album-oriented Rock.
The audience would’ve rioted if he hadn’t offered both “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do,” which he obliged throughout the evening.
Notably, Frampton “retired” several years ago after a diagnosis which left him unable to play with the precision that he would demand.
Like most musicians, their craft is what keeps them alive, and his artistry with the guitar was on display last night, proving that, yes, Frampton is still alive.
