Fan Reviews
So glad I went to this show, both Johnny and Jeff were wonderful to see. This is the first time I have seen a electric guitarist of this caliber literally the best in the world too and also my first concert in many years. I will alway cherish having gone to this concert, R.I.P. Jeff Beck your memory will live on. I became a true fan of you, I am grateful. I also regret not running up for the hug Johnny offered, I hope I have another chance meet him. I won’t be so shy next time, I saw the sweetness of fellow soulmate and love in his eyes. I am glad and honored he remembers me, I know him to be a good person with a beautiful heart and the love is fully felt and returned my dear. I hope I get the chance to show that to you with the same generosity of spirit you clearly have soon. May your life be full of continued success and I am so sorry you lost your friend, Jeff Beck.
Chicago, IL@The Chicago Theatre
It was wonderful finally to see JB especially since he were to pass away a couple months later. He played my favorite song (cause we/lovers) but of course shorten it to about a quarter length. I don't quite understand what JD is doing on stage. Kind of reminded me of the guitar strumming on Bill and Ted's excellent adventure. JB was magic.
Wheatland, CA@Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento
People often say about former greats that “(s)he hasn’t lost a step” when they clearly have.
Jeff Beck has not lost one iota of his talent. Absolutely incredible performance with his humble, almost embarrassingly non-existent, stage persona. He lets his talent do the jaw-dropping. Masterful from beginning to end. I’ll let the professional critics break down the technicalities and set lists. My experience comes from my soul, which makes it very hard to watch him work when my eyes were rolled back into my head.
Johnny Depp did NOT offend me, either. He stayed in his lane, sang within his range 97% of the time, and was deferential to the players behind him, and especially beside him. My prejudice said he would be all Hollywood and pander. Didn’t happen, even though 70% more cell phone screens were visible while he was onstage.
Most, if not all, women I know would take him home without question. He’s a heartthrob. I always looked at his pictures and they evoked a sense of cigarette smoke and urea. Not any more. He was cool., and that made me happy, on a night where nothing made me otherwise.
Paul Taylor,
Danville, CA
San Jose, CA@San Jose Civic
Jeff Beck, GREAT as usual! Depp a mere curiosity.
This was the worst sitting arrangement the Grove has ever offered. No access aisles!! People wandering constantly looking for a way out. One center aisle that went from the stage to the back rail with no access to it. People ran into a dead end at either end. $$ over convenience.
Anaheim, CA@City National Grove Of Anaheim
I purchased a tier 1 ticket for this event. Parking was easy, entering through the crystal lounge was easy. There was complimentary coffee and cookies available. Seating was tight but it wasn’t unbearable. Exiting the venue was easy as well. The only reason I give four stars is because of security. After the show there was a small group waiting to see if Johnny Depp was going to come out. Security got very nasty and even caused an injury to an elderly person with a disability. If you do not want people to park by the fence in the back there should be barricades put up. Security made threats of locking everyone in the parking lot and even calling Anaheim PD to come and write tickets. In the end, they all went and lined up where Johnny eventually came out. But that didn’t stop him from coming to sign autographs! Johnny’s security was more professional than that of the venue.
Anaheim, CA@City National Grove Of Anaheim
Jeff Beck is a guitar virtuoso - it’s a joy to watch him perform. We had third row seats and it was amazing to watch how he created so many different sounds with his instrument. We loved the part of the concert when Jeff performed alone. The part with Johnny Depp, not so much… Depp definitely added some interest to the concert but musically he’s not anywhere close to Beck. His music seemed dark and contrived - a bit like the characters he portrays on screen. Wish we could have had 90 minutes of Jeff Beck solo.
Cincinnati, OH@The Andrew J Brady Music Center
Went with the same 2 brothers who I was with the only other time I had seen/heard him play (summer 1966, Maple Lake pavilion, Minnesota) with the Yardbirds which included replacement bass player Jimmy Page.
I have faithfully followed his development from my mid teens garage band days through present and his sound still moves me into emotional spaces, through physical contortions and giddy outbursts of laughter and awe, leaving me grateful to have been blessed with the ability to appreciate what he does. As I get older, I can’t help to sense everything within and around me slowly fading. How can it be that he keeps getting better?
The band was powerful and deserved to be part of the experience. Johnny was interesting and it was good to hear Jeff attack new material. oThe juxtaposition demonstrated how a great unique musician recreates himself in realtime, while a gifted actor reveals an aspect of himself by producing a transient character, adding something without damaging the whole. He was good enough to respect his character’s place.
Las Vegas, NV@Palms Casino Resort
Venue was great. Had great seats. Jeff Beck was rocking the house with the power and precision of his wailing guitar, accompanied by a great female bass player and an amazing German female drummer. The two of them were serious musicians of the stature of Jeff Beck. The synergy and the precision of the trio was impressive.
Then Johnny Depp showed up. Hence the 3 stars. Depp's appearance dragged the show down with Depp's morose songs and marginal voice. I like Johnny Depp. I love his body of work on movies. He is not terrible but he is nowhere even close to the level of musical talent and ability as the three others on the stage. Depp was a sideshow. It was akin to Tom Waits joining in on a few songs at a Muse concert.
Thousand Oaks, CA@Fred Kavli Theatre - Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Jeff Beck, even at 78 (wig and all) has not lost his edge. He’s always been edgy. With Depp, he’s feeling 18 again. Hoping he’d reach way back to the Yardbirds days, or even Beck’s Bolero, but yeah, that’s a long ways back, Johnny Depp, was, well, very much himself, edgy as well. A perfect pairing. The highlight for me was their cover of Killling Joke’s Death and Resurrection Show as their encore. Loud, intense punk metal. You go, Jeff!
Thousand Oaks, CA@Fred Kavli Theatre - Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Great show! Had not seen Jeff Beck perform since April of 1999 --- when I saw him in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Love the Fred Kavli Theatre! Getting out of the parking structure was a bit hectic though. Second time I have been to that venue in Thousand Oaks --- the other time was for Natalie Merchant solo. Definitely would return.
Thousand Oaks, CA@Fred Kavli Theatre - Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Jeff Beck is a living legend and proved it by his mastery of the guitar! In addition he has assembled a star list of players with massive amounts of flair , charm and talent!!! Johnny Depp was amazing and gracious with the audience, and very welcoming to and humbled by the near constant adulation. It was a dream come true to see those two and the full band in action!!!
Phoenix, AZ@Celebrity Theatre
Mr. Beck was incredible- the youngins backing him up were also incredible. Can't understand how or why he's paired up with Depp, just makes no sense to me. I'm old though. But, so is JB. As my pal said- if the show had started at 7 instead of 8 (did I say we're old?) and if Depp wasn't there, it woulda been a perfect show. :)
Louisville, KY@The Louisville Palace
Jeff Beck was sensational. I have seen hundreds of rock concerts in the 60's and Jeff's performance made me feel like I had been transported back to that era only it was HD 21st Century great now. The acoustics were great, Jeff hit some ear-splittingly high notes and he spanned many genres.
I saw Jeff Back last in Toronto with The Jeff Beck group with Rod Stewart singing lead and Ron Wood in a tiny venue on Queen Street East, Circus Circus run by City Tv as a dance music club show in 1968.
Jeff made that guitar come alive, its like his soul is plugged into that Strat. At 78 he is on top of his game I don't know how he does it, a total perfectionist. The crowd was very excited.
The female bass and drummer were also sensational. It was interesting to add Johnny Depp like a bit of icing on the cake. The energy totally shifted down as Johnny sang heavy metal cynical songs and acted like a rock star with an English accent and a pigeon-toed stance. It was Captain Jack Sparrow singing Venus in Furs. I'd rather it had been Edward Scissorhands or my fave William Blake from Dead Man, now that I think of it. My husband loved it hed never seen the living legend play before. Oh and I ran into old friend famed musicologist Rob Bowman there too and a bunch of old boomers who looked very familiar from the 60's. I cant stop listening to Jeff now and watching everyone's videos.
Toronto, ON@MERIDIAN HALL
A nice night out with Jeff Beck on guitar, Rhonda on bass, an excellent drummer, a perfect key boardist, and John Depp at the end; singing and playing guitar.
I sat next to an interesting person who worked for Al Di Meola and Stanley Clarke in the 2000’s and knew a lot about Al Di Meola’s Guitars. I surprisingly got an image of the set list from the guys at the sound board on the way out. Thank you 🙏.
Special treats? A concert T, a pack of starbursts and a Kit Kat.
Kingston, NY@Ulster Performing Arts Center
Jeff Beck: 10/1/22 “2022 has been a good one for catching some of my favorite guitar heroes LIVE: Joe Bonamassa, Neal Schon, Tab Benoit, Pat Travers, and last night it was the infamous Jeff Beck— one of Rolling Stone’s top 5 greatest guitarists of all time! I fought the Atlanta traffic ‘blow by blow’ arriving at the also infamous Coca-Cola Roxy with roots going back to the original Roxy movie palace. Ian had given us an earlier scare weather-wise but was no match in stopping the rock n roll powers that be. Note to self, do allow extra travel time when there’s a Braves game with a similar start time immediate to the venue. It was my first time seeing Beck (better late than never) and my first time visiting The Roxy! The 4000 capacity venue was set up for reserved seats and I was fortunate enough to have 4th row seats just behind what’s considered the pit (i.e. two rows of continental seating). it turned out to be a perfect local for capturing both audio and visuals. I had held a ticket once upon a time to see Beck which I had given away to a friend. It was the year I went to Florida for rehab so tonight’s performance was a redemption story of sorts being able to enjoy the show clean and sober some eight years later! Entrance to the venue revealed a no frills stage set up with a double curtain backdrop, moderate (but perfectly programed) lighting and no video screens. Jeff took the stage without fanfare backed by keys, drums and bass (stage L to R) for a 1 hour and 17 minute, 16 song performance. The setlist was as diverse as the sounds Beck exhibited. Only the one, true and infamous Jeff Beck could get away with covering the legendary artists he did during the evening: Robert Johnson, John McLaughlin, Jimi Hendrix, Lonnie Mack, Link Wray, Brian Wilson, and The Beatles. During that rather brief time Jeff threw the entire book at us leaving me shaking my head, all with his signature white on white Strat. There was the talk box, two handed tapping, slide, swells, JB ever working his three fingers plucking via the thumb, ring finger on the knobs, and the little finger controlling the bar (no pick). On Clapton’s version of ‘Me And The Devil Blues’ he mouthed the verses via talk box— I didn’t think it was possible on that selection. On ‘Little Wing’, the roadie brought out an additional white Strat with the headstock reversed to accommodate some even quicker string bends. On Mahavishnu’s ‘You Know You Know’ Jeff let loose the band. The band featured Rhonda Smith (bass) who recorded and toured a decade with Prince, German Anika Niles one of today’s finest modern drummers, and Geoffrey Arnold (keys) a producer, mixer and engineer by trade. With a nod of his head to Rhonda Jeff slipped over side-stage and let her show out her unique style of slamming and slapping and even some hammer and tap on the four string followed by a pounding drum solo by Anika pushing the limits on my phone’s decibel meter app. Yes the band was clearly there to back Beck but certainly proved that they could play real-deal alongside the Maestro. On ‘Freeway Jam’ from the great ‘Blow By Blow’, well let’s say you just had to hear it live— there is something vastly different between hearing a recording for 47 years and actually seeing it played LIVE. The show culminated with ‘A Day In The Life’, the captivated audience listening in dead silence. Jeff left us all awaiting an encore which did not happen. Beck extending his hands down by his side, he shook both his hands vigorously signaling that he had given us all he had. At 78 Jeff is virtually ageless, the evening’s show could have doubled for one decades earlier. There was no diminishment at all in his playing abilities. A man of little words, Jeff aside from a few thank you’s spoke little simply remarking on ‘Caroline No’ ‘I never thought I’d be playing Beach Boys’, and concerning his vocal ability these days, ‘I can’t sing but I just try and catch the feeling’. There were however plenty of smiles and beckoning hand gestures indicating a full and complete interaction with the audience. Coming off an opening round of gigs with ZZ Top, there was no setlist to follow along with for the one off show adding the element of surprise. ‘Captain Jack’ Johnny Depp was not part of the evenings line-up as in the first six shows of the tour. I didn’t feel as if there was anything lacking vocally because of his absence but it certainly would have been interesting should he have showed up to complete rock’s ‘odd couple’. There was an opener, ‘Catfish’ Hill Roberts (Americana) playing a half hour, six song set. It was difficult to tell if he was ‘that’ nervous opening for Beck or if some of it was part of his act but the Georgia native did fill the slot perfectly remarking how he wished we all could see Jeff’s pedal board as he could. A highlight of my evening was hooking up with a friend I hadn’t seen since Connecticut 1983— Vivian, who was able to occupy in an empty seat next to me for most of the show. A rock n roll reunion from across the miles, and a great concert experience over all it turned out to be!” Review and photo by DAve. (Concert #708)
Atlanta, GA@Coca-Cola Roxy
Pour la partie JB seul magique encore, la seconde partie est discutable car JD ne convaint malheureusement pas, il est piètre musicien et chanteur.
Le groupe est topissime, la nouvelle recrue à la batterie assure, le clavier et chantuer qui pallie la voix peu assurée de JD, sans parler de l’excellentissime Ronda Smith.
Mais il faut respecter les choix du maître de la Stratocaster…
Paris, France@L’Olympia
I was really looking forward to the gig having seen Jeff Beck a few times. He is one of my favourite guitarists. His band was superb and yet received little acclaim from Beck himself. I felt manipulated by the fact that Johnny Depp came on for several songs. My partner, friend and I had no idea who it was when he came on to the stage. He has no voice and his guitar playing was non-existent. He was given more acclaim by Beck then his deserving band. We didn't come to see a third rate actor with a dubious attitude to women, I wonder what Beck's band thought about it, mumble his way through a number of songs, without doubt the biggest weakness of the evening. Beck's playing was superb as usual.
Next time, Mr Beck, tell us beforehand who is coming to play then we can make a decision as whether we will come to watch you.
London, United Kingdom@Royal Albert Hall
It is insane how talented Jeff Beck is! How old is he because it just doesn’t matter as he plays as freely and as masterful as he ever has! Fantastic show at RAH. Also his fellow musicians were damn good and played tight! Best part of the show was whenever Beck free jammed with the crew. Fantastic show.
London, United Kingdom@Royal Albert Hall
This was a very interesting setting and the surroundings where very nice. The music was excellent and I had a great time, however, there were some slight negatives...
1) did they have the volume too high? Some tracks seemed a little stained, but the quieter ones were perfect.
2) the crowd control could have been better, too many people standing in the aisles blocking the view...they finally moved them away, but took to long to sort out.
London, United Kingdom@The Royal Hospital Chelsea
buddy guy turned 80 on this night and walked thru the crowd and played great! but Jeff beck is the best ever !!!! unbelievable playing and buddy joined him what a treat. Jeff's new songs and singer sounded great . Jeff beck never said a thing all night but he didn't have to his guitar did the talking ! I'm in awe!
Rochester Hills, MI@Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
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