Inimitable Beck proves once again why he's a guitar legend

Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News

Friday, September 22, 2006

Jeff Beck has no one but himself to blame. And I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way.

When those lists of "best guitarists of all time" pop up, his name is always near the top, alongside former Yardbirds band mates Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, or the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and the like.

Yet Beck doesn't fill huge arenas or top the charts because years ago he decided to challenge himself rather than take the expected route of pleasing the audience.

Granted, other guitarists have taken detours, but Beck wandered off into music even the most ardent fans had a hard time following at times.

So despite a respectable crowd numbering in the thousands, the empty seats at the top of the Lecture Hall on Thursday night are the price he pays for keeping himself intrigued and interested for all these years.

And it's a pity if you weren't there, because this tour finds Beck at his most accessible. Playing signature songs from his entire career, he blasted through 90-plus minutes of astonishing, inimitable guitar work.

If nothing else, it was the best-value concert this year. With an average $50 ticket price, fans got pure Beck - no opening act, no filler, no fooling around. Without a word he stormed onto the stage and began the guitar assault. No big screens, no special effects - heck, not even the mandatory give-me-a- new-guitar-every-song shtick. Just a stack of Marshall amps, a white spotlight on him, a crack band pushing itself to higher levels and an emphasis on the rock and blues numbers that have made him a guitar legend, including Beck's Bolero, You Shook Me and I Ain't Superstitious.

His solos go from lithe and fluid one minute to staccato, machine- gun bursts the next. Fit and agile, the Jeff Beck of 2006 bears a striking resemblance to the one of 1971, but with even more tricks up his sleeve.

Cause We've Ended As Lovers was an amazing highlight, with Beck's soloing going from clean, nimble runs up the guitar neck to brusque, grinding blues.

Like much of Beck's music, much of the concert was purely instrumental. For those songs with vocals, he has enlisted singer-songwriter Beth Hart to join him with electric chemistry.

Their version of You Shook Me was riveting, with Hart undoubtedly winning new fans with her amazing voice.

Perhaps the finest moment of the night, however, was Beck's instrumental cover of the Beatles' A Day in the Life. The nuance and shading of his guitar lines were as expressive as any human voice. If fans consider his detours as time in the wilderness, well, it was time well spent.

Jeff Beck

• Grade: A

• When, where: Thursday night, Lecture Hall