Grammy-winning British guitarist Jeff Beck celebrated 50 years in the business here by recognizing the country that influenced his sound the most. Aside from the choice of venue—the venerable Hollywood Bowl—most of his collaborators for this 2016 concert hail from the United States. His band members include Jonathan Joseph on drums, former Prince associate Rhonda Smith on bass, and Carmen Vandenberg from the U.K. duo Bones on guitar. Special guests include Buddy Guy, Beth Hart, Jimmy Hall (of Wet Willie), Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), and Steven Tyler. Famed keyboard player Jan Hammer marks an exception to the mostly-American guest rule since the former Mahavishnu Orchestra player (and Miami Vice composer) hails from the Czech Republic, although he's lived in the U.S. since 1968. Rosie Oddie, Vandenberg's vocal partner, wearing a Top Gun-style jumpsuit, also sings on three songs that she co-wrote, including "The Revolution Will Be Televised," in which she contributes a spoken word rap by way of a bullhorn. Beck's generous 20-song set also includes three Yardbirds numbers (with the solid, if unspectacular Hall on vocals), several solo selections, a range of covers, and three Hammer compositions. Highlights include "Beck's Bolero," a showcase for the more experimental side of his style, and "Let Me Love You," on which Guy shares guitar duty with Beck (they were touring together at the time). The lowlight, disappointingly, is the Yardbirds' hit "Shapes of Things," to which Tyler adds an especially shouty vocal. The concert wraps up with an all-star jam on Prince's "Purple Rain," which goes on a bit longer than necessary but works surprisingly well considering the number of vocalists. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include two bonus audio CDs. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)
Jeff Beck: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
(2016) 97 min. DVD: $32.98 (audio CDs included), Blu-ray: $32.98 (audio CDs included). Eagle Rock Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 1
Jeff Beck: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
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