In January, British blues-rock star Jeff Beck died at the age of 78. Beck had suffered from brief illness, but his passing was unexpected. Soon afterward, Beck’s fans put together an all-star tribute at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall. The first of two shows happened last night, and many guitar legends appeared on stage at the same time.
Jeff Beck essentially started his career when he replaced the departing Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds in 1965. Clapton was one of the main driving forces behind the tribute show, which featured many Jeff Beck collaborators. For instance, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood were Beck’s bandmates in the Jeff Beck group. Both took part in last night’s show. Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, and again as a solo artist in 2009.
The performance also included Johnny Depp. Beck’s final album was 18; it was the collaboration with Depp that came out last year. Last week, the 59-year-old actor opened Cannes Film Festival with his film Jeane du Barry. Last night, Depp took the stage in a white shirt, hat, and sunglasses while addressing the audience as it cheered him on. “Bless your hearts, this is a beautiful turnout for Mr. Jeff” said Depp to the fans. The likes of Ronnie Wood and Imelda May also joined the star on stage.
Other performers in last night’s tribute show included Billy Gibbons, John McLaughlin, Robert Randolph, Gary Clark Jr., Joss Stone, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Imelda May, Olivia Safe, and Doyle Bramhall. In addition, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett made a surprise appearance. Below are some videos from last night’s show.
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