Peter Frampton @ The Lawn at White River State Park, Indianapolis on June 19th, 2013
When asking the crowds rolling in to the venue about who they were there to see, we got mixed responses. The two musicians, while amazing by their own merits, were very different styles. Robert Cray opened the show with a warmth and genuineness that made you want to sit and have a chat with him. The blues musician for people who didn’t know they were blues fans, brings you along on a soulful journey.
Peter Frampton and his Guitar Circus was next up on the ticket, and it was interesting to look out into the crowd and see such a varying set of people to come partake in the fun. Generations, fathers and sons, first dates to 25th anniversaries, people wanted to watch the magic that is Peter Frampton. He played favorites, such as “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “(I’ll Give You) Money”, the latter of which was highlighted by a brilliant guitar solo by his young-gun second guitar player Adam Lester. Peter Frampton got all the credit until this moment we saw what his second-in-command was packing.
Under the big tent, the circus even brought an old friend to contribute, Steve Cropper. We celebrated the 50th year of the song “Green Onions” and he was even gracious enough to laugh off living long enough to hear one of his songs played in an adult diaper commercial. The beautiful thing about Peter Frampton, is that as a musician, he stands the test of time and adapts. Seeing him play Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” while using his famous talk box, leaves you feeling humble at the experience. For the blow-out-near-twenty-minute climax that was “Do You Feel Like We Do” security disappeared and the crowd rushed the stage, creating as intimate of an atmosphere as can be had at an outdoor venue. As if to give affirmation to the beauty and timelessness of a true musician, they closed the show out with a very fitting “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. This show was a true pleasure to be at.
The Good: The weather was unbeatable. Robert Cray was a pleasure and different enough from Frampton to not make the concert feel too long. The musicianship was top-notch but was built around songs instead of being a shredfest which can grown tiresome on the ears. Building on that, the setlist was varied and appealed to a broad audience. Throughout the entire show, Frampton engaged the crowd with his humor and stage presence.
The Bad: Our photographer was rudely shooed away from shooting Robert Cray after one song by his stage manager when the pre-show agreement had been for three songs. While Cray’s performance was incredible, this left a sour taste in our mouths.