Posted by Ive always been a fan of Peter Frampton, unfortunately Ive only had a chance to see him within the past 10 years or so. My first encounter was during my casino days as the Entertainment Manager for the Seneca Gaming Corp. It was to my dismay that he sequestered himself to his trailer until showtime and never had the opportunity to meet him. Still, I enjoyed his show, taking in his performance as a pie-eyed boy eagerly awaiting a big piece of chocolate cake! Although hes been releasing albums on a frequent basis, he really hasnt been in the mainstream. But then again, who actually listens to the radio anymore?
A couple of years ago, we had a chance to see him open for Steve Miller Band at the Beacon Theater. It shouldnt be a surprise, Frampton played flawlessly and in my opinion was much better than Miller. Peter’s performance was also more of a greatest hits show, not really getting into his newer stuff although he did pay homage to Chris Cornell by playing “Black Hole Sun” with his renowned talk box.
Last year, as many already know, is Peter’s farewell tour. Diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease, IBM, this was a must-go show! I reached out to a couple contacts and was able to scrounge a photo pass to submit an article of his performance at The Garden. I had never shot at The Garden before as an assigned photographer with a real camera, so this was going to be stressful to say the least. We were brought in and taken to the sound board where we were only going to have the opportunity to shoot the first three songs for both Peter and Jason Bonhams‘ Led Zeppelin Experience, who opened for Peter.
It was an emotional night. Unlike a lot of the supergroups of the ’70s touring today, acts like Ozzy, Deep Purple and Kiss, this actually is Peter Frampton’s farewell tour. Due to a disease called Inclusion Body Myositis, also known as I.B.M., sadly, Frampton’s arena days are numbered.
As Frampton soaked in his MSG welcome, he felt a bit “verklempt” after an emotional video montage of his career highlights—appropriately shown during his hit song “Lines On My Face.” With an overwhelming crowd response to hit after hit, it was evident that—even without a Jumbotron—Peter Frampton is larger than life.
After Peter Frampton’s three songs, those of us who didnt have a ticket to the show were escorted out of the building. Although I didnt stay for the whole show, it was still quite an experience to shoot in the worlds most famous arena!!
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Long Island Sounds 