Celebrating a career spanning over 50 years, guitar legend Jeff Beck delivers a searing 2 hour show at the Hollywood Bowl (on this 2cd-dvd set) that captured just about every genre his six strings have touched. His core working unit of Jonathan Joseph/dr, Rhonda Smith/b, Carmen Vandenberg/g and Rosie Bones/voc bring in fresh and young sounds from Becks’ most recent album Loud Holler, as Beck sounds edgy with Bones’ modern voice on “The Revolution Will Be Televised,” “Scared For the Chidren” and “Live In The Dark.” Things start getting real fun when Wet Willie alumnus Jimmy Hall gets down home on some Yardbirds classics such as “Heart Full of Soul” and “For Your Love” while “Morning Dew” is a riveting treat.
And, since this is Hollywood, guest stars are just a quick iphone call away, with Jan Hammer joining the stage with his keyboards for some fusion moods on a smoking “Freeway Jam” and “Star Cycle” and Beth Hart joining in for a reminiscence of the Rod Stewart days with “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Beck’s dna comes popping out as Buddy Guy jumps up for a wailing “Let Me Love You” before Billy F. Gibbons ZZ Tops him with Rough Boy” and Steven Tyler takes you back to the swinging British Invasion on “Train Kept A-Rollin’” and “Shapes of Things.”
But this is Beck’s gig, after all, and he shines the brightest, both on “Beck’s Bolero” and an enthralling “A Day In The Life.” This is an incredible culmination of one of the true members of Rock Guitar’s Mount Rushmore.