Fire In The Stands (RIP Jeff Beck)

I was stunned when I heard the news. I had to immediately revisit Blow By Blow and Wired, two albums that were on continuous play in 1977 when I first started playing. Blow has particular resonance because it has an art connection: I made a replica of the album cover in pastels and soon after a visionary art mural based on a continuous play of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and Animals. In retrospect, that's when the annealing of art and music took place. Wired also has a unique resonance: It is decidedly more metallic and funky and I loved how guitar and Moog riffs could "throw" at each other, creating a disorienting effect--you didn't know who was playing what.

Jeff Beck was also in the lineup of my first concert in the summer of 1976 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, along with Aerosmith and Rick Derringer. Jeff Beck set the place on fire. As I recall, there was little to no panic. 

 

There's also this interesting clip from the film Blowup (1966--my pet year) where the Yardbirds do a cameo, and Jeff Beck smashes a guitar Townshend style. It was probably something that was expected by audiences.