Peter Frampton
Hard Rock Live, Hollywood
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Better than: Reviving the Silver Connection.
While the list of aging musicians currently embarrassing themselves with attempts at recapturing glory days grows, Peter Frampton has developed into the perfect example of how a former rock superstar and sex symbol can weather the years with both grace and humor while still putting on a hell of a show.
Last night's performance was a part of a tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of the now octuple-platinum selling double live album Frampton Comes Alive!, which was recorded in 1975, released in 1976, and then found on the shelf or turntable of every single person on the planet who has ever bought records shortly after. Last night's show featured a retrospective set composed of the songs from Comes Alive! in the order of the original sets that appeared on the album, followed by a set of other selected favorites from Peter's long career, as well as some of his most recent work.
A series of hilarious prerecorded public service announcements featuring the voice of William Shatner primed the audience for a night laced with Peter's unexpectedly good sense of humor. As Captain Kirk quipped about filming songs for YouTube with cell phones, the crowd filtered in, and just after 7 p.m., the show started with the original introduction from the 1975 Winterland performance that this tour celebrates. It would appear many were expecting standard-issue South Florida performance punctuality, as there was an alarming number of empty seats for the first number; however, by his second tune, things looked to have filled out quite a bit. Kudos to Frampton for starting on time, another pleasant surprise for those of us who still subscribe to the idea that start times on tickets shouldn't be an estimation, especially on a Sunday night.