Concert Review: Peter Frampton (Tanger Center)

BY MARK DOLEJS

Do you feel?
Do you feel...
like we do?

The crowd gathered for Peter Frampton last weekend was definitely feeling the music as he brought the first night of his Never Ever Say Never Tour to Greensboro at the Steven Tanger Center.

It was a magical night, starting off with “Golden Goose,” a song released in 1974, but never played in public until this night. Another surprise was “I Wanna Go To The Sun,” which hadn’t been played live since 2019.

The night was filled with memorable hits, such as “Lines On My Face,” “Show Me The Way,” and an amazing extended version of “All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side).” During “Baby, I Love Your Way” Frampton often stopped singing as he listened to the audience sing back to him.

Alison Prestwood, Dan Wojciechowski, and Peter Frampton
Frampton and his band rocked out for more than 21 minutes on “Do You Feel Like We Do.” During the song he introduced his bandmates, Rob Arthur on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Alison Prestwood on bass, Dan Wojciechowski on drums, and joining Frampton on guitar, Pat Ferguson.

In addition to the hits, Frampton brought several well chosen covers to the stage, including “Georgia (On My Mind),” and “Four Day Creep.” My favorite by far was “Black Hole Sun,” played as a tribute to the late Chris Cornell. What a rockin’ song, with the only vocals being sung with Frampton’s trademark talk box. Very cool rendition with psychedelic visuals.

As Frampton nears 74 next month, you would never know it by his enthusiasm on stage or the fact that his vocals and guitar playing are still spot on. But, Frampton has been fighting a progressive muscle disorder called inclusion body myositis. In 2019 he did his farewell tour with the intention of retiring. Not expecting to return to the road, Frampton was able to embark on another tour in 2023 and called this one Never Say Never.

During the encore, each band member had an extensive solo on “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” before ending the night with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

I absolutely loved this show. The music was tight, the visuals were great, but most of all Mr Peter Frampton is a joy to watch as he plays and sings. You can tell that he loves sharing his talent and making people smile as they sing along with the songs. I’m hoping for more tours and opportunities to see him again in the future.

[message]

MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

Read Mark's posts here.