Jeff Beck’s still got it

Truth be told: of the three rock guitar gods that came from 1960s British freakbeat/blues combo The Yardbirds, our money has to be on Jeff Beck as the sole remaining purveyor at the top of his creative talent.

If you were one of the fortunate folks that witnessed his outstanding show Saturday night at the venerable Pantages Playhouse Theatre you will agree, and then some.

Sure, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton are no slouches — but for sheer six-string brilliance, ability and raw need to continue creating on his instrument, Beck stands a shaggy ’do above the rest.

Strolling onstage in his trademark sleeveless garb, mirrored aviator sunglasses and a trusty pearl white Fender Stratocaster in hand, Beck (along with drummer Narada Michael Walden, bassist Rhonda Smith and keysman Jason Rebello) settled in for a stunning set of mostly current gems. Call it power jazz/fusion if you will. In the hands of Jeff Beck the electric guitar becomes an instrument of sonic brilliance that is still implausibly unique and wildly exciting.

Using almost a claw hammer, right-hand technique combined with his signature mix of vibrato bar and volume knob magic, Beck made heavenly sounds — soaring wails, throaty moans and eardrum harming, hard-rock crunch.

The band was in top form throughout the night. Striking bassist Smith and locomotive powered drummer Walden have the chops to match Beck’s wild delivery and he stands aside often to provide these artists their rightful due. Songs such as People Get Ready, Muddy Waters’ Rollin’ and Tumblin’, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing all got a stupendous working over Beck-style. Sprinkled in the set were positively superb takes on Beck’s own songs from the last decade or so. The show was so much more than a slick guitar workshop for old school Beck fans — more like a lesson in keeping it real and pushing sonic boundaries for a cat that has been in the game for over four decades.

Texas guitarist/songwriter Tyler Bryant opened the show with a short set of aggressive, acoustic rockers and even joined Beck and band for one of the encores, ably standing neck-to-neck with one of the giants of electric guitar artistry.

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