Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck LIVE!

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February 22, 2010 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada

by Chris A.
Staff Writer

It was a brisk winter night at the home of the Montreal Canadiens and the venue was filled to capacity. Tonight however, taking center stage wasn’t the home town National Hockey League team, but rock guitar icons Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. It was the final stop in a four city tour (London, New York, Toronto and Montreal) that teamed up the prominent guitarists.

Promptly at 7:30, the lights dimmed in the massive stadium and without introduction, the lean figure of Jeff Beck appeared, striding from out of the shadows on stage left as he walked on with his band. With a polite nod, a big smile and a simple wave to the crowd he was met at center stage by his guitar tech and handed a cream-yellow Fender Stratocaster. With his characteristic understatement, Beck’s volume swell transformed into a thick, almost saxophone-like tone as he opened the show with the gentle strains of “Oh Canada,” the beautiful anthem of the land of the scarlet maple leaf.

While certainly aware that nearly 13,000 people were in the building, he appeared content to let his guitar act as his voice. For the thousands of guitar players who were surely in attendance, Beck slipped on his round rim sun glasses and went to work. Simultaneously manipulating the volume and tone controls of his guitar with his unique style he coaxed amazingly diverse sounds and smooth tonal variations from the instrument, demonstrating why many of his fellow players consider him to be the finest, most creative guitarist alive.

His set list included “Eternity’s Breath,” “Stratus,” “Big Block” and more seven more tunes. Acting more like a conductor of a symphony or orchestra versus being the front man for a rock band, Beck maintained control over every aspect of the performance. Accompanied by a small string section, his performance of the Beatles classic “A Day In The Life” was breathtaking as he paid homage to his English friends from the good old days. It was a moving rendition and for many the high point of the entire evening. Strumming, picking, plucking, and scratching his guitar’s strings with his right thumb, he grasped the base of the tremolo bar and deftly used his forefinger to actuate his vibrato during this 10-song set. It was an amazing display of musicianship and creativity so beloved by Beck’s devoted fan base. Supported with exceptional musicians, the 45-minute set was a whirlwind of tone and guitar nuance ala Beck and over far too soon.

25 minutes later the Bell Centre again dimmed its lights. Clapton, dressed in jeans and a blue cotton long-sleeve shirt, nonchalantly walked to the stage, sat down and opened his show with a seated four-song acoustic set using a Martin EC signature model guitar. If Beck’s performance was understated and laid back, Clapton’s seemed, well, downright uninspired. Seemingly more focused on vocals than playing the guitar, the man once decreed as the original guitar god seemed bored and barely acknowledged the thousands in house.

Opening the show with “Driftin’ Blues,” he moved onto an acoustic version of “Layla” that garnered polite applause but one could sense the disappointment that the iconic song wasn’t being performed “plugged in.” Clapton sans acoustic guitar came as a welcome relief when he eventually stood reached for a smoke-gray Stratocaster. Breaking into “Tell The Truth” Clapton reached back to his Derrick and the Dominoes day’s, as he showed off a few flashes of the genius that catapulted him to the pinnacle of rock guitar greatness. During “Little Queen of Spades” Clapton’s finally seemed to settle back and cut loose. He ended his nine-song set with a cheer from the attentive Canadian audience the strains of “Cocaine” filled the massive concrete.

Moments later Beck appeared on stage wearing a white print shirt and silver bands on his upper right arm and wrist as he plugged in a white Telecaster. For nearly 30 minutes Clapton and Beck shared the stage playing a variety of mostly blues tunes. Interestingly, Clapton deferred to Beck during almost every lead guitar break. A mournful, haunting version of “Moon River” with Clapton on vocals clearly dominated the performance by the British guitar heroes.

While many in the audience hoped for more dueling guitars courtesy of the former Yardbird foes, neither man seemed interested in challenging or pushing the other. While performing with Clapton, Beck seemed to tighten his reins, holding back on the esoteric playing, instead opting to stay reasonably “bluesy” in his lead work. The two and a half hour performance closed as both men broke into “Crossroads.”

Overall an enjoyable performance musically from both men. Beck ruled the night with his upbeat performance while Clapton showed up, played a few songs and disappeared backstage.

Photos appear courtesy of Chris A.