Beck and Palladino

[L. Bird]

>From TheWhoMaxR&B, here's Lew's review of Pino Palladino playing with Jeff 
Beck:

>4th April 2006

Jeff Beck @ The Warfield Theatre in San Francisco


Amidst the rain drenched ugliness of Market Street in
San Francisco lies an historic venue called The Warfield
Theatre where fans in different degrees of wet soaked
clothing met face to face and blow by blow with the
Greatest Electric Guitarist to ever strap a Les Paul,
Telecaster or Stratocaster across his shoulder, one
Mr. Jeff Beck.

In the company of my Lady, Sharon, our son George,
my dearest friend and best man, Nathan and his son
Logan (who turns 17 tomorrow), none of whom had
ever been to The Warfield before, we scurried past
security to a table, initially. Aft a drink and some grits
we followed Nathan and Logan's lead up front, just
a few feet right of centre to be the 2nd-3rd bodies
from the stage.

What followed, beginning at 8:35 pm until 10:11 pm,
was an onslaught of guitar prowess ranging from the
bombastic powerchord crunch of Marshall driven
full-tilt rock and roll to the incredibly delicate and
sublime perfection of "Cause We Ended As Lovers,"
"Nadia" and "Angel (Footsteps)," and the final encore
number "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."

Tears were brought to my eyes with noticeable sobs that
shook my body during CWEAL, Angel, Nadia, and SOTR
causing Sharon to look away from Jeff and into my eyes,
knowing just how much this all meant to me.

This was a younger Jeff than on recent tours, one who
put SO MUCH PUNCH into some of the old nostalgic tracks.
Yes, to me, addressing the past so much, all the way back
to TRUTH was bringing forth a younger and more vital Jeff
than the one who diddled away over techno-jive nothingness
for the last 7 years (with some exceptions, of course).

I will not address the weaker parts/ingredients of the show's
personnel, but suffice to say that by omission, my dislike
or inability to appreciate them/he/she* tells a story in and of
itself.

Let it be known that, "up front," nearly close enough to have
Jeff's sweat flung upon you, the sound was incredible, wonder-
ful, with every instrument audible, distinctly, but perfectly mixed
as a whole. Earlier reports from different locations in the hall
noted low overall volume and difficulty hearing Pino Palladino.
Up front, with the right side PA nearest, the power and crunch
of Jeff's guitar was perfect, even the oh-so-desirably PAINFUL
at times. Pino was a powerhouse, and I was suitably impressed,
having gone, in 96 minutes time, from wondering what all the
fuss was, to believing that Pino is one of the best bass players
out there, and certainly should remain beside Jeff as often as
possible (and hopefully the fall/winter tour will feature Pino
and he will not be out with TheWho->).

One correction in precious reviews is that it was "Rice Pudding"
that was teased as the into to "Goin' Down" ...not "Plynth."
A tease some will remember hearing on the 2001 tour dates.

Beck's ability to roll his right palm over the tremelo bridge of
his Strat and hit 2 octaves higher than the note picked is
unprecedented in electric guitar playing. The dive bombs and
high rise flights of notes that are signature Beck, are owned
by Jeff, no one else dares attempt these feats.

Covering a cross-section of his post-Yardbirds career, a very well
rounded set full of classic vocal blues and incredible instrumental
rock and fusion enveloped and enthralled the crowd who adored
Jeff. His bashful acknowledgement of their love showed in his
eyes, and his embarrassed fist to the forehead sign of his mistakes
here and there that were perfectly unnoticeable even to the most
ardent fans.

FACT: Jeff should never tour without a dynamic bass player, let alone
tour with no bass player at all like he did in 2003. The difference was
measurable and made the 2003 efforts pale by comparison. Pino
did an admirable job and has my vote for forthcoming tours. I hope
The Who-> don't pay him very well!!

Vinnie is a beater, a pounder, lacking the finesse of a Phillips or a
Bozzio, however it may just have been this beating of the drums in
such a way that made the show so POWERFUL! I mean, when this
show caught stride about the time of CWEAL, lookout, balls deluxe!

Lacking the showmanship of Hammer, the keyboardist was truly great,
working perfectly with Jeff and hitting the pocket on the Wired, Guitar
Shop and There & Back tunes where Hammer of Hymas' signature licks
would have been missing if not played. I prefer this guy over Hymas
hands-down!

The vocal tunes really helped this time. No doubt, having some tunes
sung for Jeff to riff off of, behind, in front of, and over, under, sideways
down made a world of difference in the pacing and vibe of the show.
I know this is a singularly different opinion, but for me, Jeff has a lot
of searching to do for the *right* vocalist, because no matter how
much having a singer aided to this show's appeal, the present vocalist is
absolutely *not* the right one.

THE VERDICT IS IN: Jeff Beck is still the Guv'nor, has no peers, and is
still and always on top of his craft, leaving every jaw dropped in the
audience and leaving a lasting memory for the lucky few who
recognise his artistry and supreme talent.