The Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, also known for his work with Dio, recalled in an interview with Guitar World his reaction when he had the chance to watch the late guitarist Jeff Beck live in concert for the first time.
According to the musician, he was lucky enough to have seen “The Fire Meets the Fury Tour”, co-headlining tour that had Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan back in 1989. He also said that it was an intimidating concert, because Beck was so incredible that made him feel like he was not a real guitarist.
Vivian Campbell recalls his reaction when he watched Jeff Beck live
“I first saw Jeff when he toured with Stevie Ray Vaughan on the Guitar Shop album. I saw their co-headline tour at a sports arena in downtown LA. It was equally inspiring and depressing to witness Jeff Beck play live. You go there thinking you’re a guitar player and you leave realizing that you’re a guitar owner!”
“He was just in a league by himself. He was in a class of one. There was no-one who did what Jeff did. It was technical, but there’s nothing anyone can play that somebody else can’t figure out. You could get yourself a Strat like he played and with enough practice you could play like Jeff Beck, but what was amazing about Beck was always the inspiration. It was the ideas that he had,” Vivian Campbell said.
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck started his career in 1964 and remained active until his death in 2023. He first achieved fame as a member of The Yardbirds, having recorded two studio albums with the group: “Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds” (1965) and “Roger the Engineer” (1966).
After leaving the group in 1966, he formed the Jeff Beck Group and the supergroup Beck, Bogert & Appice.
Over six decades, the guitarist released 17 studio albums on his solo career and 11 live records. Some of his most famous solo songs are “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”, “People Get Ready”, “Hi Ho Silver” and “Come Dancing”. He collaborated with many other famous artists like Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Roger Waters, Mick Jagger and more.
The musician toured in 2022 in Europe and United States. He was promoting his latest album called “18”, that he recorded with Johnny Depp. He died in 2023 at the age of 78, victim of bacterial meningitis.
