Review and Photos by Danielle Boise
“There may be no animals on this circus, but there are plenty of guitars.” – Peter Frampton
Masters of guitars and legends in their own right too to the circus and joined up with Peter Frampton for an unstoppable tour with talent galore – as Sonny Landreth, BB King and special guests like Larry Carton and David Hidalgo took to the road, all in the name of Frampton’s Guitar Circus. The circus rolled into town, Tuesday August 13 for more than four hours of rock and blues guitar icons all on one stage.
Singer, songwriter and slide guitar aficionado, Sonny Landreth opened for Frampton’s Guitar Circus with his unique flair of Southern infused blues as he performed songs off his 11th studio album, Elemental Journey, which was released on May 22, 2012.
“What a good feeling.” BB King referenced the love in the air from the crowd.
BB King took the stage next, for what was truly like watching a national treasure perform with such honest intent. King took the stage full of smiles, genuinely happy to be there – with an all-star band supporting King with a mixture of gorgeous horns and percussions mixed together with guitar strings that brought the music to life against King’s gracious voice. King performed a select few songs, like “You Are My Sunshine” in between conversing with the crowd.
“This is the first time we’ve worked together. This is a great young man. He’s a great guitarist and I like working with him a lot.” King stated as Peter Frampton pulled up a chair next to King to perform “The Thrill Is Gone,” which brought the entire venue to their feet. King in awe mentioned to the Frampton of his impressive guitar skills, “God, I said this last night that you sounded better than the night before. You just don’t know when to stop.”
Peter Frampton took to the stage and performed with unbridled passion as he performed songs like “Lines On My Face,” “Wind of Change,” “(I’ll Give You) Money” and “Baby I Love Your Way.” It was a wonderful surprise to see Frampton perform the Soundgarden cover, “Black Hole Sun.” Frampton ended his regular set with “Do You Feel Like We Do.” For the encore, Frampton returned to the stage with Larry Carton and David Hidalgo, who had both performed several songs each during Frampton’s set, for an emotionally charged cover from The Beatles with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” that brought tears to the eyes of several audience members.
Frampton parted the stage with thanks to the crowd, “This has been fantastic evening, thank you; which was made possible by all the guests, like Larry Carton and David Hidalgo.”
Frampton’s Guitar Circus was the perfect way to spend an evening and I highly recommend catching one of the last dates. The North American leg of the tour wraps up on Saturday August 31 in Paso Robles, CA.
Full Photo Gallery of Sonny Landreth
Full Photo Gallery of BB King
