Longtime British rock star Peter Frampton may have ambled onto the Arlington stage with a cane, but he sent the crowd out of the show with a tug at our hearts and a spring in our steps.
They opened the August 16 performance with a sentimental slideshow featuring Frampton as a golden-haired, golden boy guitarist, alongside the likes of David Bowie, David Letterman, Olivia Newton-John, and other celebrities from the ’70s and ’80s.
A diagnosis of the degenerative disease inclusion-body myositis had Frampton announcing a farewell four years ago, but as the aptly named 2023 Never Say Never Tour clearly indicates, where there’s a will, there’s a way — to play. And play he did — though seated for the entire set, almost three hours, Frampton gave an energetic, triumphant, enthusiastic, and endearing performance that had the sold-out crowd up and out their seats dancing — and playing like teenagers — for much of the evening.
He started the show out with “Lying,” showing off his guitar chops early (and continuing to do so often) on that 1986 tune, before taking off his jacket and joking, “That’s as far as I go. You don’t want to see what I’ve under here now — oh no!” He then launched into a string of familiar favorites, including “Shine On,” “I Got My Eyes on You,” and “Lines on My Face,” which he dedicated to Jerry Moss, the cofounder of A&M Records.
“He loved this song, and so do I,” said Frampton of his longtime friend, who had passed away earlier that day. “His vibe, his encouragement, is the reason I’m here tonight,” said Frampton, as a slideshow of Moss played in the background.
The mood didn’t stay sad for long though. “Show Me the Way” was next, the iconic and hard-not-to-sing-along-with 1975 hit that became an even bigger hit when it was part of the 1976 Frampton Comes Alive! album, which happens to be one of the first records I ever owned. That song drew a standing ovation, to which Frampton charmingly quipped, “We are our own opening band. We warm up the crowd, and then we wow them.”
Next was a short trek into old-timey blues, including an instrumental version of “Georgia on My Mind,” the 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, but Frampton said, “We took our version from Ray Charles.” Although he’s recorded two blues albums in recent years, this was clearly a rock ‘n’ roll crowd, as evidenced by the strong and happy responses to “Baby, I Love Your Way,” “All I Want to Be (Is by Your Side),” and “(I’ll Give You) Money.”
And of course, there was the even more iconic “Do You Feel Like We Do,” which had the entire theater standing and singing along.
In a charming nod to his limitations, after that song and an introduction of the excellent band (Rob Arthur on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals; Alison Prestwood on bass; Adam Lester on guitar; and Dan Wojciechowski on drums), Frampton said, “Normally we would have gone off and done drugs and come back, but that was so long ago. It would take me ’til next Tuesday to go off and come back, so I’m just going to go on,” before launching into an encore that included “Like a Hurricane” (Neil Young), “I Don’t Need No Doctor” (an oldie from Humble Pie), and ending with the George Harrison–penned Beatles beauty “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
An apt encore for an artist whose generous spirit, charisma, and musical chops are clearly not done yet.
