By Danny Coleman
originally published: 01/22/2016

Continuing a look back to 2015; one of the more pleasant surprises was Peter Frampton at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ. 

The show started as a reunion with many of Frampton's family members in attendance and his son Julian as the opening act. Performing an approximate 30 minute set to an appreciative crowd; the younger Frampton had every bit his father's stage persona and was a perfect choice to kick things off.

The stage was set up with a couple of chairs and a radio as Peter dialed in at 8:45 to begin his portion of this solo acoustic evening. "All I Want to Be" was first on the list and upon its completion Frampton told the first of many stories which captivated those in attendance throughout the evening; this one in particular was about a certain tuning for his guitar that he "Borrowed" from George Harrison. "I was over with George one day and he was playing in such a key that was unlike anything I'd heard and he said it was a special tuning and that it was his and I wasn't allowed to have it," he said with laugh. "So of course I stole, I mean, borrowed it from him..." and as the laughter died down the first notes of "Wind of Change" danced between the seats. 

Next up was the Buddy Holly classic "Peggy Sue," which was prefaced by a neat recollection of how he met Holly's widow and the ensuing gift she bestowed upon him of a guitar headstock, "I think it was actually meant for Paul McCartney but I'm pretty sure she gave it to me because she couldn't get in touch with him." 

This combination of  self deprecating humor in the context of the stories along with the raw openness of a solo acoustic presentation, really personalized Frampton and allowed him to seemingly connect with the crowd in ways that a large electrified concert does not. Songs like the next two, "Just The Time Of Year" and the instrumental "Penny For Your Thoughts," which the prior he credits Joni Mitchell as his inspiration and the latter a filler track for the "Frampton" album; may not have had the same panache with more wattage behind them. 

 

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Pausing only briefly enough to introduce Gordon Kennedy,  Peter gave a quick synopsis of perhaps his largest hit, "Show Me The Way,"  even joking that there were, "No electronics so I need you all to do the wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wahs." The crowd, now pumped up, immediately stole the lead vocal from Frampton and sang the tune from start to finish. Kennedy stayed on board for the remainder of the program as the two stage mates engaged in the guitar instrumental "Lines On My Face;" trading off licks and complementing one another's styles nicely. 

"Hummingbird" was introduced by a lengthy, yet interesting dialogue involving Peter, his grandfather and a beautiful box/puzzle with an ironic twist ending. Inspired by his recent work with the Cincinnati Ballet, this once again allowed insight into the man, enhanced the song and added to the overall experience. "Heart To My Chest" was followed by a  comedic exchange as a phone rang and Frampton took the call; "No the Blue Man Group is not here tonight, no we don't take requests." Shaking his head in mock disbelief he continued, "Can you believe he wanted me to do a Beatles tune?" With that he broke into "Norwegian Wood" as the crowd reaction quickly went from laughter to cheers. 

"Oh Another Day" and "You Can Be Sure" proceeded a ballad which Peter dedicated to his mom and dad, Owen and Peggy Frampton. "This song gets harder to sing," he said as he caressed "Not Forgotten" out of his six string. "Take Me Back" slid right in next with little fanfare, however he next called upon his "Marvelous opening act" and Julian joined him onstage for "Road To The Sun." The elder Frampton couldn't help the smile on his face as he performed with his son; pride beaming through as bright as the stage lighting. 

Keeping Julian around a bit longer; the trio had a little "Humble Pie" as they went into "Heartbeat" complete with fantastic three part harmony that drew appreciative applause from the sold out venue. "Change The World"  was well done and served as a bridge to the end of the evening as Frampton divulged the story of how yet another smash was written; "Baby,  I Love Your Way." "Well, I was under some pressure to produce by the record company and I was in the tropics; let's just say I saw this woman and I wrote this song on the beach. I bought this guitar before my first Humble Pie rehearsal and I'm about to play this song on it now which means I'm really old (laughs)." 

Wasting little time, he launched into "Do You Feel Like I/We Do" and the faithful ate it up like candy. Another full out sing along ensued and the house was rockin' as some were transported back to that summer of '76 and others were experiencing it for the first time. The last notes rang out at 10:50 p.m. as Frampton said his thanks and exited the stage; only to return at 10:52 p.m. for a three song, nine minute encore which began with the combination of "You Had To Be There" and "Break The Rules," and ended with Peter on piano for the mellow ballad, "I'm In You." 

An energetic acoustic show from one of rock's most underrated and perhaps unappreciated guitarists and performers but that doesn't seem to bother Frampton at all; he seems quite content to play the smaller venues; creating new music while opening up younger audiences to his "Old" music. A pleasant experience from the opening act, to the stories, to the material choices and all presented in a great venue which was perfect for the performance.

A special thanks goes out to "Vinny" the sound engineer who opened up his world to my photographer and I; making this a total experience from start to finish. 

To discover more about Frampton and his upcoming tour dates; please go to www.frampton.com

Photo Credit: Rose Barbaree

That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8:30 p.m. The Diablo Sandwich Band 
Sat. 8:30 p.m. The Prophets
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
 
(609) 448-7144
 Fri. 8 p.m. Lonnie Youngblood
Sat. 8 p.m. After Dark
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam 
The Backstage at Championship Bar 
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. Don't Tell Lucy, Weary Travelers, Surrender The Night, Skip Monday, Conway. All ages, $10
Sat. 5 p.m. Experiment 34, Menace Of The Canvas, Endless Taile, Alcove, Beneath Polaris, (TBA). All ages, $10
Sun. 6 p.m. The Toasters, Hub City Stompers, Molly Rhythm, Death In The Arena, Backyard Superheroes, Autocracy East. All ages, $13/$15
Candlelight Lounge 
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
 Sat. 3 p.m. Jullian Pressley Alto Sax Quartet (No cover-$10 minimum)
 
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia
Dempster's Pub
 
437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. DJ Dnial
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Chris
Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Shawn Byrne
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. Keli Vale (9 p.m.) Mike Estabrook
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) The Conshocken Curve
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale (3 p.m.) Brian Bortnick
Wed. 8 p.m. Paul Donavan
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+  
Glory Days Tavern
1200 Hornberger Ave. Roebling
(609) 499-0896
Fri. 8 p.m. Kevin Toft & The All Stars
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa. 
(215) 862-9897
Fri. 8 p.m. KICK, The INXS Experience. Doors at 6 p.m., $15
Sat. 8:30 p.m. 52 Pickup
Sun. 3 p.m. Sandy & The Sneaky Petes
Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. "Thurs. Jazz" feat. Vine DiMura
Fri. 6 p.m. Mark Macmanus
Sat. 6 p.m. Jim Gaven
Sun. 2 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Jean Chaumont
Ivy Tavern 
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. New Dawn
Sat. 10 p.m. The Buicks
All shows 21+
John & Peter's 
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Bansai Bills
Fri. 9 p.m. Spitune
Sat. (3 p.m.) Faust/Fulton Duo (9 p.m.) Collin J Rocker 
Sun. 3 p.m. Brian Dolzani
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Tues. 9 p.m. Bill & Fred's Excellent Adventure
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Rd Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Fri. 10 p.m. South Of Heaven
Sat. 10 p.m. "Saturday Night Party" w/ Dueling DJs
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike
Millhill Basement
300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Thurs. 9 p.m. AMFMS (EP Release Party), All Pawns, Mr. Payday
 
O'Connor's American Bar & Grille
1383 Monmouth Road, Easthampton
(609) 261-1555
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Travis Coffin
Olde Liberty Tavern
2114 Liberty Street, Trenton
(609) 396-2262
Sat. 10 p.m. Open Mic. Night
 
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+ 
 
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 8 p.m. Old Brew South
Sat. 8 p.m. Audio Pilot
 
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Jimmy & Jimmy
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sat. 6 p.m. "A Tribute to David Bowie" Local musicians performing the music of David Bowie
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Closed until January 28
Tara's Tavern 
1Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Thurs. 9 p.m. Curt Benson
Sat. 9 p.m. Psycho Misfits
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night 
The Cool Cricket
216 4th Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. 80's Undercover
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
 Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 8:30 p.m. Deb & Mike
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. Rich Scanella Group
Sat. 10 p.m. DJ Darius The First
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Wednesday Wheel Night Spin To Win Karaoke" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
 
The Roost 
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Fri. 9 p.m. Ernie White Duo
Sat. 9 p.m. Ar House
The Sticky Wicket 
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Deb & The Sons of Rock
Sat. 9 p.m. Money Shot
The Sun National Bank Center 
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog 
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Sat. 9 p.m. Jet Weston & His Atomic Ranch Hands
Tues. (7 p.m.) "Rock On Radio Happy Hour" hosted by Danny Coleman feat. Rick Winow (9 p.m.) Open Mic. hosted by Jerry Monk
All shows  21+
Trenton Buzz
702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
  Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic. 
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Jermiah Tall / Jason Ager. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Wise Old Moon. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign-ups at 6:30 p.m.)
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock 
All shows 21+
Yardley Inn
82 E. Afton Ave. Yardley, PA
(215) 493-3800
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Paul Plumeri Band
 

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Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled “Rock On Radio” airing Sunday evenings at 7:000pm EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.

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