Alexis J. Renderos, Chief Operator
Frampton has been in the studio recording albums left and right, releasing “All Blues” in June of this year. He’s also working on a new collection of pop/rock songs and a second album’s worth of blues songs deftly named “All Blues Too”, making it unequivocally clear that he isn’t about to stop recording music anytime soon.
Frampton gave Cedar Rapids a show to remember, smiling with every lyric and anecdote, and reminiscing what lead him to the extraordinary success that he has achieved during his career so far. The show opened with a photo montage chronicling his life, paying homage to all those who had supported Frampton along his journey. This lead into his opening song, Baby (Somethin’s Happening), a rock classic that longtime fans will remember from the 1974 album “Somethin’s Happening” and as the opening track on the 8x platinum live album “Frampton Comes Alive!”.
Frampton continued the night celebrating deceased bandmates John Siomos and Bob Mayo, two integral members who contributed significantly to “Frampton Comes Alive!”. Siomos’ original green drum kit used in the recording of “Frampton Comes Alive!” was on-stage, being wielded by current drummer Dan Wojciechowski. Frampton mentioned to the audience that he had apparently found the Siomos’ drums being sold off on eBay and that he had purchased them back for the tour!
After his heartfelt tribute, Frampton played a cover of Freddie King’s “Me and My Guitar” and “Same Old Blues” before playing one of his most popular songs, “Baby, I Love Your Way”, driving the crowd wild. This swung into “Do You Feel Like We Do”, a keyboard-heavy, call-and-response worthy jam. Frampton then led into his legendary talkbox vocal distortion that would easily give Daft Punk a run for their money, ending the night off with an encore featuring his track “Gently Weeps”.
Personally, being a first-generation college student, my parents never grew up with Peter Frampton or the music of his time, but it’s honestly incredible to take a step back and realize just how influential his work has been on the music we listen to today. It’s clear that Frampton’s fans are very dedicated and have followed him for good reason. Plus, it’s tough to not jam to his music, what a show!
If you’re interested in learning more about Peter Frampton or buying tickets to one of the stops on his farewell tour, you can visit his webpage at https://www.frampton.com/.
