In the midst of my writing session on Saturday I got a message from a friend who had an extra ticket for a show that night. It was Jeff Beck with an orchestra with Dweezil Zappa opening. A free show at the Nokia theater? How could I pass that up. I jumped on it. Not exactly free, I had to agree to give a guitar lesson.
After the writing session where we nearly completed the whole song. I hopped into the car to hit Universal City to park and catch the Metro down to downtown. Something I highly recommend when you’re dealing with traffic. While grabbing a metro ticket I got spotted by a person who saw me perform a show in Hollywood a couple of years ago. They were keen on chatting.
While on the metro and giving them the rundown of what’s been going on musically recently. I was confronted by another train rider asking what it is that I’m doing, what I’m capable of doing and what I’ve done to get there. Turns out this guy and his buddy work in production and were interested in and needed music. Gotta love that. Essentially a new contact and I didn’t have to make a cold call.
The Nokia Theater is a great venue to see a show. Dweezil was playing lots of recognizable Zappa tunes and did a highly competent job. But it was Jeff Beck that had to be seen. He’s essentially a living legend. No doubt. I’ve always respected his ability. In fact I know I’ve lifted a lick or two from his catalog to mold into my own. However, I had never had a chance to see him live before. What a treat. The greatest thing about the show was the dynamics of how he played. Lots of ups and downs in the volume to define the points of the melodies. It was fantastic.
Because I got to see a legend and I really dug his music, I have to roll with a famous song he did that night. A Day In The Life. A cover of the infamous Beatles tune. It’s a great tune and his rendition is superb. All the guitar tricks he pulls out with volume swells, harmonics, whammy bar use, and the sheer prowess is something many guitarists aspire to. No doubt. I can’t say enough on how cool it was to experience it.
Get a chance to see this man. You won’t regret it.