Call it a faux pas, if you will, but Peter Frampton hasn’t been shy about sharing exciting news with audiences during his Never Ever Say Never tour; specifically, that the legendary English guitar hero is (finally) on the ballot for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
During his rain-filled April show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Frampton took time out of his set to not only tell his fans about it, but encourage them on the spot to vote for him. He and his crew went so far as to project a QR code for the ballot onto a giant screen onstage, with his band playing the Jeopardy! theme while attendees cast their votes.
Shameless? To some, perhaps. But there’s no denying that the soon-to-be-74-year-old deserves a spot in Cleveland’s hallowed halls.
The roaring success of Frampton Comes Alive—one of the best-selling live albums of all time—would be enough to make a case on its own. That the album spawned a series of classic rock staples and propelled Peter as a talk box pioneer only further cemented his legacy. So much so that he was able to celebrate a whopping 60 years of touring with his latest go-round. Yet, despite being eligible for the Hall since 1990, Frampton is only now in the race for induction.
Campaigning aside, for those who witnessed Frampton’s performance near Griffith Park, he left no doubt that he belongs in any and every rock pantheon.
First and foremost on display was the indomitable spirit that has long propelled Frampton through his career. An ongoing battle with inclusion body myositis (IBM) has left him reliant on a cane to walk on and off stage—and kept him from the usual theatrics of a pre-encore exit. The rain and frigid (for L.A.) temperatures added to the challenge, both in terms of the guitarist’s own state and the scattering of the crowd.
But rather than bow to circumstance, Frampton played on from his seat and did so with the enthusiasm, charisma, and craft that have been his trademark for more than 50 years.
He pulled liberally from the portion of his catalog that coincided with the height of his fame in the 1970s. He opened with “Golden Goose” from 1974’s Somethin’s Happening, later doubled back to that album for “I Wanna Go to the Sun”, dropped in “I Got My Eyes on You” and “Lines on My Face” off of 1973’s Frampton’s Camel, and called on 1975’s Frampton for “The Crying Clown”, “Nassau”, and “(I’ll Give You) Money”. He even dug all the way back to Winds of Change, his solo debut in 1972, to play “All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)”.
To be sure, those weren’t the only hits that Frampton performed from the prolific period that preceded his near-fatal car accident in the Bahamas in 1978. But, for all intents and purposes, iconic tracks like “Baby, I Love Your Way”, “Show Me The Way”, and “Do You Feel Like We Do” might as well be the property of Frampton Comes Alive since it was that live album that put Peter and those songs on the cultural map.
The last of two that unbeatable trio of songs offered the guitarist ample opportunity to delight fans with his signature work on the talk box. With “Do You Feel Like We Do”, in particular, he closed out the main set by thanking the crowd for sticking out the weather, all tuned by his guitar and talk box. At no point did Peter use the tool to greater effect, though, than during his cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”. His pseudo-robotic rendition of the late Chris Cornell’s vocals was nothing short of enthralling—as was Peter’s pure guitar work on the song.
Peter Frampton — “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden) — 4/13/24
[Video: Lotus Steel Blossom]
That was hardly the only cover that wound its way into the setlist. Peter’s aforementioned plea for Hall of Fame votes preceded his instrumental version of Ray Charles’ “Georgia (On My Mind)” (which was, itself, a cover of the same song by Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra). Immediately after that, Peter welcomed his son, Julian Frampton, onstage to sing “Rebel Rebel”, originated by Peter’s friend and former schoolmate, David Bowie. And while playing songs from his former band might only qualify as quasi-covers, Peter’s rendition of “Shine On”—another ditty made all the more famous by Frampton Comes Alive—was no less compelling.
The three-song encore consisted exclusively of covers as well. He dug deep into his blues guitar bag and pulled out Ida Cox’s “Four Day Creep” and Nickolas Ashford’s “I Don’t Need No Doctor” before ending the evening with The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.
When (or whether) Peter returns to the road after this now-completed tour remains to be seen. That will likely depend on how his battle with his degenerative muscle disease proceeds from here. Then again, his diagnosis in 2019 spurred what was billed as a farewell tour that same year. Fortunately, Peter was able to get back to playing live thereafter, even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whatever the future holds, there are but two certainties for Peter Frampton: He will turn 74 on April 22nd and, with the help of those who turned out for his shows this time around, he will hear his name called in Cleveland very soon.
Check out a gallery of images from Peter Frampton at L.A.’s Greek Theatre courtesy of photographer Josh Martin along with a collection of fan-shot videos.
Peter Frampton — “Baby, I Love Your Way” — 4/13/24
[Video: Lotus Steel Blossom]
