Jeff Beck and Imelda May Cadillac Palace Theater Chicago, Ill. April 2, 2011

The former Yardbirds guitar player often thought of in the same realm as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 100 greatest guitar players of all time. Getting the chance to see him up close and personal is not only a rarity in the States but, given his age, something I might not get to see again.

With that in mind I have to admit I was surprised at how the show turned out. Instead of playing original material, Beck, along with Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May and her band, played a set dedicated to the early days of rock n’ roll music. With a tip of the hat to guitar pioneer Les Paul, Beck worked his way through the classics and B-sides of pre-British invasion rock.

This became a double edged sword throughout the night. While any chance to see a master like Beck play live is a treat, the fact that he was playing only covers was a bit of a let down. Beck has always been more of the silent type letting his guitar do the talking. Unfortunately, that means that May and her backup band got most of the attention.

Let me be clear here, May is an extraordinarily good singer and musician. Both her and her rockabilly band put on a great show that blew me away. But it wasn’t the real reason audience members shelled out good money, they came for Beck and his guitar.

The nearly two hour set covered a wide range of styles and songs, most of them rock n’ roll classics but some of them B-sides not played often enough by the general public. It was a fun show but, other than a few key moments where Beck really shined, not all that different that watching Million Dollar Quartet without a plot.

I gather the show was there to allow Beck to breathe a little inside someone else’s music. After decades of playing the same songs he seemed more relaxed playing the standards in his own unique style. Still, one couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t really let loose until well into the second hour of the show.

One audience member in the third row decided to voice his opinion, rather loudly, about eight songs in and got kicked out by the band. Literally kicked out, May stopped singing mid-song and Beck turned his guitar into a club telling him that “if you don’t like it you can get out.” In all my years of concert going I’ve never ever seen that kind of public humiliation dished out to a paying audience member. A fight nearly broke out as an avid fan helped to remove the heckler and move on with the show.

To be fair I’m surprised the band heard the man at all. He may have been in the third row but the music was pretty loud from where I was and they were on the stage. Last time I remember rock n’ roll music was about rebellion, so why punish someone that is doing just that?

As the night went on the show seemed to drag a bit. The novelty of listening to the oldies wore off about an hour in and I was craving something new. The audience, which consisted of mostly Baby Boomers, seemed more than content to listen to songs from their youth. Still, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Rock Around The Clock” and “Hound Dog”, I know them by heart and there’s really nothing groundbreaking about them anymore.

Beck took such a backseat during the entire show that I had to wonder why he went to all the trouble of going on tour. The show was, more or less, a grand and elaborate way to introduce Imelda May to a wider audience. A bit disappointing for 100 dollars or more for a seat on the ground floor.

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