Watch Jeff Beck’s Final Performance With Rod Stewart - Rolling Stone

The shocking news of Jeff Beck’s death came down precocious Wednesday afternoon. The quality initially circulated Tuesday erstwhile Patti Boyd shared it connected Twitter, but it was dismissed arsenic conscionable different societal media hoax. Tragically, it was true. “After abruptly contracting bacterial meningitis, helium peacefully passed distant yesterday,” his household said successful a statement. “His household inquire for privateness portion they process this tremendous loss.”

Beck initially recovered fame successful 1965 erstwhile helium replaced Eric Clapton successful the Yardbirds. Two years later, the guitarist formed the Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Rod Stewart and bassist Ron Wood. This lineup lasted a specified 2 years, but their unsocial fusion of blues and stone paved the mode for Led Zeppelin and countless different groups that followed successful their wake.

Rod Stewart became a household sanction successful the Seventies acknowledgment to the Faces and his solo career, but helium ne'er wholly mislaid interaction with Beck. In 1984, Beck played guitar connected Stewart’s deed “Infatuation.” They adjacent year, they teamed up to grounds a screen Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” They besides attempted to circuit together, but it didn’t spell precise well.

“The occupation with this, from the outset, was that it each excessively evidently formed Jeff successful a supporting role, which helium was beauteous overmuch guaranteed to hate, nevertheless handsomely remunerated,” Stewart wrote successful his memoir. “The circuit was acceptable for 74 dates implicit 4 months. Behind the scenes, a batch of radical were muttering and saying, ‘This is doomed — helium won’t past 2 shows.’ But they were each wrong. He lasted three. And past helium left, saying thing astir however the assemblage were each housewives, which was a small spot rude of the aged scamp.”

It seemed similar the extremity of their communicative until 2009, erstwhile Stewart came retired astatine the extremity of a Beck solo amusement astatine the El Rey Theater successful Los Angeles to play “People Get Ready” and “I Ain’t Superstitious.” In the aftermath, they some talked to the property astir a imaginable collaborative blues record, but it ne'er came to pass.

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In 2018, Stewart told Rolling Stone helium inactive hoped to find a mode to reunite with Beck connected record. “My dependable and his guitar is simply a lucifer made successful heaven,” helium said. “It would beryllium a beauteous happening to do. It’d beryllium a implicit lefthand turn. We did effort it once, but we couldn’t spot oculus to oculus — I mean, a superior clash of egos, but you know, ne'er accidental never. I cognize it’s a cliché, but really, I’m up for it if he’s up for it. The happening is, we some privation to produce. That’s the thing.”

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The adjacent year, they announced a peculiar one-off amusement unneurotic astatine the Hollywood Bowl. It began with Stewart and his solo set playing a agelong acceptable of hits, and Beck came retired for an extended encore that featured their archetypal renditions of “Morning Dew,” “Rock My Plimsoul,” and “Blues De Luxe” since July 1969. They besides revived “People Get Ready” and “I Ain’t Superstitious.”

The 2 icons volition ne'er person the accidental present to travel unneurotic for an album, but astatine slightest they managed to play this last show. As you tin spot from the fan-shot video, their dependable and guitar were so a “match made successful heaven.”