Frampton Comes Alive!!

It was 1976 and Frampton Comes Alive was issued to every white kid west of 60th Street and we all loved it. The moppy haired 25 year old Frampton, already a guitar legend to those of us enamored with Humble Pie and Framptons Camel, was a freakin golden god. His live album was the rage, new fans came to be, and he was milking it for all it was worth. His tour included the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, a giant cement 1950s arena with terrible sound (I swear you could still hear sound from the Buddy Holly tour bouncing around if you listened closely). August 1976. I secured two tickets by standing in line at the box office (remember those "good" old days?) and my buddy and I couldn't wait. Anyway, Frampton was phenomenal, running around stage and gawking at the love he was getting. When he sang Show Me The Way and the line "I cant believe this is happening to me" you could tell he meant it. He was glorious.

The 73 year old version came to Omaha last night and dammit his voice sounds 25, his guitar sounds 25 and his songs are timeless. He has the disease Inclusion-Body Myositis , a muscle disease that affects his hands and he at one time claimed he was done playing. Well thru physical therapy and pure will, Frampton hobbled out with a cane, sat in a chair and played and sang like he was the healthiest man on Earth. He's still glorious.

The setlist ranged from Humble Pie (Shine On) to Frampton's Camel (Lines on My Face featuring a pictorial retrospective of Peters life) to Winds of Change (All I Wanna Be Is by Your Side) To Frampton Comes Alive (Show Me The Way). The man is one talented musician.

People may love the hits like Baby I Love Your Way and Show Me the Way which he did. But the last song of the set, Do You Feel Like We Do, brought the crowd to its feet. All of us Frampton fans know that song is HIS masterpiece. From the opening notes, to the lyrics sung by the crowd, to the middle jam session, to the talk box which amazed us in 1976, to the ending this was the ultimate experience. It was a fantastic concert and I hope his health gets better so we can hear him for years to come.

Now the crowd. Some people go beyond the cheering, the woo hoos, and the applause. When Frampton picked a "random" seat to give away a signed vinyl, the "winner" ran to the front of the stage and made it all about herself (which I guess it was) hopping up and down and screeching until she was basically forced back to her seat. Then he gave away another signed vinyl to a fellow IBM sufferer, a lady in a wheelchair and that was moving. A woman behind us kept screaming whenever the roadie brought out a new guitar and it was red would screech "Reds my favorite color!!!" The third time she did this virtually everyone in front of her (Like me) turned around and hollered "Yeah we know". We didn't hear from her again. 

Anyway, Peter Frampton is a good as ever, from the opener Golden Goose to the closer Do You Feel Like We Do. Go see him if you get a chance. He's still coming alive!