August 13, 2018

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Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Jeff Beck and co-inductee, Ann Wilson of Heart made a stop at Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall on Sunday for a great evening of rock.

 

Jeff Beck first hit the music scene with the legendary British band The Yardbirds in 1965.  After two years in the band, he left to form The Jeff Beck Group and eventually went on to release several solo albums which earned him eight Grammy awards.

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Opening the show with "Pull It" from 2016's Loud Hailer, Beck was off and running.  He was backed by bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, cellist Vanessa Freebairn-Smith and vocalist Jimmy Hall.

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Beck, playing his classic white Stratocaster showed time and again why he is considered one of the best guitarists of all time.  The tone of his guitar and the sound that he emits from it is truly stunning.  

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Playing mostly cover tunes (15 out of 22 in the set), Beck played classics such as "Stratus," "I Had To Laugh" and "Superstition."  He also did not ignore his own material as he performed "Star Cycle," "Brush With The Blues" and "Blue Wind" with aplomb.  

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The only negative thing from this show was the volume of Hall's vocals.  His vocals were so loud that when he hit some notes, it was actually painful to my eardrums.  If they would have turned down his vocals in the mix it would have been much more enjoyable.

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The highlights of the show was a beautiful rendition of The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" and the show closing Don Nix cover of "I'm Going Down."

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Just as Beck proved why he is one of the best guitarists of all time, Ann Wilson showed that she still possesses one of the best voices in rock.

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After playing a blistering version of Heart's "Barracuda," Wilson said that with her limited time on stage, she was going to play some of her favorite songs from artists that we have lost over the past couple of years.

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Her set list coincided with her soon to be released solo album titled Immortal.  Playing "I Am The Highway" for Chris Cornell, a slower version of "Life In The Fast Lane" for Glenn Frye and an incredible version of "Back To Black" for Amy Winehouse.

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Wilson also added great versions of "Your Move" and "You Don't Own Me."

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Closing out her too brief set was another incredible version of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

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It really would have been something if both Hall of Famers would have been on the stage at the same time.  Unfortunately, that did not happen.  However, to see two unbelievable performers on the same stage, on the same night, was still a treat for all fans.

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Photos and review by Greg Drugan

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