I won the tickets on June 1 and the show was on June 9. After some back and forth with Sean, my lovely wife, and my pal Ray it was decided I could go. Ray was important 1) because he is and 2) he has an apartment in NYC. So I fly to New York (actually Queens) and meet Ray at his apartment, a lovely time was had by all and the next day was the concert. Sean had said many big-name “Rock Stars” would be there as this intimate Jeff Beck show would be in Honor of Les Paul who had passed away a year earlier and this would have been his (Les’s) birthday.
The Show was being played at the Iridium Theater which holds a cozy 180 people. It was where Les Paul played until he passes.
Ray and I went to a (new thing at the time) rooftop bar to wait for show time. It hit us then and with complete panic, how do we know this wasn’t a scam? Damn good question, I had 3 emails from Sean, who said he was from Gibson and there was a Jeff Beck Show the night before and tonight at the Iridium. We had a choice to stay and enjoy adult beverages here or take the chance of being made fun of. We of course chose the latter. We arrive unfashionably early at the show and walk up to the front I give them my name and they don’t have any tickets for me, Damn I say I won them from Gibson and I just flew in, somebody overhears this and says are you the guy from Colorado, me, yes, yes I am. I’ve got your tickets over here. Whew. We go in and find our seats, Our table was touching the stage there were 2 folks sitting right next to the stage and they sat us next to them. There was a guy a table over and further back talking to everyone and kinda loudly, I look at him and go Hey Ray that’s the space cowboy, Ray says I think it’s the Joker. Either way, we get to shake Steve Millers’ hand.
The guy next to the stage was Les Pauls’s attorney, he had his stepson with him, probably 16 or 17, and defiantly not terribly impressed with his stepdad. He and I get to talking and he is a guitar head as well but doesn’t really know anything about Jeff Beck. I tell him to listen to the tone he gets out of the guitar and how little effort he seems to put in. The kid says he’s a big Allman Brothers fan and lets out a little screech when my seatmate shows up. Warren Haynes, he of Gov’t Mule and Allman fame. Across from him sits Kirk Hammett and I’m speechless. The rest of our table fills out with a Stray Cat, and the E Street Band. I had better seats than all of them, and that was just “my” table. Steve Miller chatting up Paul Shaffer, Steve Stevens (yeah we asked somebody), and Zack Wilde. Everywhere you looked there was somebody way more well-known than me.
The Show starts, and Jeff is backed by the Imelda May Band, The first part of the show is early Les Paul-influenced classics sung by Imelda Mays now Ex Husband Darrel Higham. Songs like Elvis’s Baby lets play house, even very close to the original Train Kept a Rollin’ The next portion got into the Les Paul/Mary Ford songs sung by the amazing Imelda May for the ending he introduces the horns and it is no one other than Trombone Shorty and the Stooges Brass Band. Guest singers include Gary U.S. Bonds and Brian Setzer. It was amazing (of course).
A few of the big goose bump (chicken skin) moments, standing next to the stage with Kirk Hammett on one side and Warren Haynes on the other and listening to them talk about how few pedals Jeff Beck has and how he gets those sounds, both were in awe. Nils Lofgren and Ray use the same guy for Hip replacements, listening to them talk was hysterical. Nils also was not interested in Jamming with Jeff Beck (what could I play) wow. We were then invited to the after party, my oh my my rockstar was on.
The after-party was a trip, hanging with all these folks who were a nice as could be. The funniest after-party story was. I headed off to the bathroom and there are etiquette rules, one gentleman in this stall, one standing at the urinal, and one inside waiting by the sink, leaving 2 or 3 people waiting outside. Well, I was waiting by the sink when this fella comes barging in. Excuses me, saying I need to wash my hands because I don’t let anything dirty touch it. I have this new girl and I don’t want anything dirty touching her. So I gotta wash before I go! I look at him and say “Holy Fudge” your Ace Frehley (only I didn’t say fudge) and I said well at least I know not to shake your hand. He stopped for a second and then started laughing. I got Ace Fuddging Frehley to laugh, a perfect end to the story!
