13 February 2010 - Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck

This was the first of six 2010 "Together and Apart" Concerts by Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton and lasted just shy of three hours. For their numbers together, Jeff joined Eric and his band on stage. The duo performed a second show at The O2 before jetting of to New York City for two shows at Madison Square Garden (18 and 19 February) followed by two more shows in Canada (21 and 22 February).

From the Express.com (Daily and Sunday Express Online):

ERIC CLAPTON AND JEFF BECK: THE ROCK GUITAR MASTERS

PAUL Lester explains why last night's electric performance from Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck deserves pride of place in music history.

ERIC Clapton and Jeff Beck are widely regarded as two of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, arguably rivalled only by Jimi Hendrix. But Hendrix died 40 years ago this September, which makes Clapton and Beck the greatest living exponents of the electric guitar.

All the more reason, then, for rock fans to be excited about the prospect of seeing these great instrumentalists in a rare performance together. In fact, at the O2 Arena in London last night, a capacity crowd of more than 20,000 did exactly that.

The sense of anticipation was understandable. Here in an auditorium, sharing a stage, were Beck and Clapton: the musicians respectively known by their long term fans as “the guitarists’ guitarist” and “God”. You would never know to look at him that Jeff Beck has been performing publicly for nigh on 50 years.

With his sleeveless white shirt, distressed, black jeans, boots and shades he doesn’t look that different from the figure who inspired a generation of young guitarists back in the 1960s.

As well as one of the characters in the rock parody movie Spinal Tap. Backed by an orchestra and such notable session players as Jason Rebello and Narada Michael Walden, Beck eased himself gently into his set.

Known for his dazzlingly quick runs along his guitar fret board, Beck didn’t disappoint but it wasn’t all fast and furious. He was joined at one point by Irish songbird Sharon Corr while Josh Stone, barefoot and smiling, provided another young female foil for a version of I Put A Spell On You. “I’ve got it all going on here boys,” Beck said with an impish grin as he launched into a startlingly reworked version of The Beatles' A Day In The Life.

Eric Clapton, although the same age as Beck, cut a more mature figure with his beard, glasses, dark jacket and smart blue jeans. Seated with an acoustic guitar he looked casual, the elder statesman of British blues. Standing next to me upstairs Brian May, guitarist for Queen, certainly seemed impressed as he looked down at his influential forerunner on the stage picking his way delicately through a slow gentle version of his most famous song, Layla.

Having played their own individual sets the crowd finally got what it had really been waiting for all evening: Beck and Clapton together on stage, duelling like old time guitar slingers. After Becks’ introspective set and Clapton’s mellow blues, the pair joined forces, picking up the pace for such classics as Shake Your Money Maker, You Need Love and Becks biggest solo hit Hi Ho Silver Lining, all of which confirmed their giant reputations and iconic status. The rapt crowd lapped it up.

It was an incredible show made all the more significant by the weight of history these two influential musicians brought with them.

The music industry is notorious for its back-stabbing and severed alliances; all the more reason, then, to celebrate the ongoing friendship of these two rock giants and the mutual respect they enjoy.

As Clapton has said of Beck: “He is the most unique guitar player and probably the most dedicated. He’s either fixing his cars or playing the guitar. There’s no in-between for him.” Yet they have only performed together on stage a couple of times, for the odd song at a charity event, which made the O2 shows (Saturday and tonight) even more special.

There, they showcased their own individual styles (Clapton’s more elegiac, emotional blues-playing contrasting superbly with Beck’s flashier, more dazzlingly dexterous techniques) during their own sets, which also featured guest artists such as Joss Stone and Sharon Corr.

There followed a joint performance that proved how beautifully their unique approaches could dovetail together. The crowd ranged from hardened, aged rockers ecstatic to see their heroes side by side on a stage to youngsters delighted to be sharing a room, albeit a cavernous one, with such trail-blazing icons.

Eric Clapton hardly needs an introduction. He is the only person inducted on three separate occasions into America’s prestigious Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, first as a member of pioneering Sixties British bands the Yardbirds and Cream, then as a solo performer with hit albums and singles spanning several decades, from Layla (which he recorded under the alias Derek & The Dominoes) to Wonderful Tonight.

Petrolhead Jeff Beck (he’s mad about classic hot rods) boasts an equally impressive CV. Another Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and Clapton’s replacement in the Yardbirds, he is held in such high esteem by his peers that his list of credits as guest artist reads like a Who’s Who of rock: Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, Queen’s Brian May, Jon Bon Jovi, David Bowie, even Morrissey, have all invited Beck to add to their recordings and concerts (he played at Bowie’s final Ziggy Stardust show). No wonder the Rolling Stones asked him to join the band before settling on Ronnie Wood.

That they are still enjoying success over four decades after they started is testament not just to their staying power and commitment but also to their continued relevance in a business that favours novelty and youth.

Their desire to keep pace with changing fashion is a matter of record and their commercial standing is strong: Beck’s 2008 DVD Live At Ronnie Scott’s went platinum in the US, Canada and Japan and he has just released an album, Emotion & Commotion, produced by Trevor Horn.

As for Clapton, who famously appeared on the Beatles’ White Album and wrote Layla for George Harrison’s ex-wife Pattie Boyd, his recent Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD went multi-platinum in the US.

Last night, the screams from the euphoric throng could be heard for miles around. Not that the guitarists will spend long resting on their laurels. “I don’t think I’ve got close to making the sort of music that I’m capable of,” said Beck who, like Clapton, is 65.

He added: “I don’t think anyone’s ever heard me play." There are probably 20,000 people out there who would beg to differ.