"The Charbor Chronicles": Concert Review: Deborah Bonham, Ann Wilson, Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Concert Review: Deborah Bonham, Ann Wilson, Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers - August 12, 2018 Holmdel, NJ

I recently had the chance to get concert tickets for a rather amazing $6 a piece. And these were some impressive names. Deborah Bonham, the sister of the late drummer of the mighty Led Zeppelin, John Bonham. Ann Wilson, formerly of Heart. Jeff Beck, who went into the Rock Hall of Fame not only once, but twice - once for the Yardbirds, and the other time for his solo career. And Paul Rodgers, who is known for his time spent as the frontman of Free and then Bad Company, as well as working in collaboration with the surviving members of Queen.

Those are some impressive artists, and they were all together for a very strong concert. Obviously, that was going to be six bucks well spent.

Deborah Bonham opened the show with what Ann Wilson would later call a "woman's touch." She had a very strong voice, sometimes even reminiscent of the late Janis Joplin. I was not familiar with her before, but she was quite impressive!

Here was Deborah Bonham's rather short setlist:

Fly

Hold On

The Old Hyde

No Angel

Then Ann Wilson came on, maybe ten to fifteen minutes, tops, after Bonham went off. She opened with a Who cover, which surprised me a bit, before ripping into the familiar, iconic sounds of Barracuda.

Surprisingly, that was the only Heart song that she did, although she said as much right after that song, as she shifted gears and began a more acoustic part of her set, performing songs from her upcoming album, Immortals, which is a tribute to many of the great musicians who were lost in recent years. Wilson ended her set with a rocking version of The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again after mentioning how polarized the situation in this country has gotten.

Here was Ann Wilson's setlist:

The Real Me (The Who cover)

Barracuda (Heart song)

Fool No More

I Am the Highway (Audioslave cover)

Back to Black (Amy Winehouse cover)

You Don't Own Me (Lesley Gore cover)

Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles cover)

Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who cover)

Setlist taken from: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ann-wilson/2018/pnc-bank-arts-center-holmdel-nj-73e8aec9.html)

Jeff Beck was up next, and it seemed that a lot of people were there mostly to see him, and his legendary guitar playing. I had never seen Beck before in concert, although was always intrigued to do so.

Finally got the chance this time around, and was not disappointed. Indeed, this was a solid add on my own concert list, as well as that of my son, who is starting to have seen some really decent concerts and legendary acts, especially for one so young.

Here was Jeff Beck's setlist:

Pull It

Stratus (Billy Cobham cover)

Nadia (Nitin Sawhney cover)

You Know You Know (Mahavishnu Orchestra cover)

Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson cover)

I Have to Laugh (Otis Rush cover)

Lonnie on the Move (Lonnie Mack cover)

Mná na h-Éireann (The Chieftains cover)

Just for Fun

Little Wing (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)

Big Block

Cause We've Ended As Lovers (Stevie Wonder cover)

Brush With the Blues

Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover)

A Day in the Life (The Beatles cover)

Encore: Corpus Christi Carol (Benjamin Britten cover)

Going Down (The Alabama State Troupers cover)

(Setlist taken from: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jeff-beck/2018/pnc-bank-arts-center-holmdel-nj-63e8aecb.html)

Finally, the night ended with Paul Rodgers, wearing a bright yellow shirt. That made him easily identifiable on the stage, even though with lawn seats, we did not have the best seats, obviously.

I had seen Paul Rodger before, although not as a solo act. Back in 2002, he was the frontman for Bad Company when I saw them at the former Brendan Byrne Arena. I remember feeling especially impressed with them (they shared the billing with a bunch of other legendary acts, including Foreigner, REO Speedewagon, Styx, and Survivor). Rodgers specifically made an impression upon me on that day, to boot.

Here was the setlist for Paul Rodgers:

Little Bit of Love (Free song)

Can't Get Enough (Bad Company song)

Wishing Well (Free song)

Feel Like Makin' Love (Bad Company song)

The Stealer (Free song)

Ready for Love (Mott the Hoople cover)

Movin' On (Bad Company song)

Mr. Big (Free song)

Woman (Free song)

Fire and Water (Free song)

Shooting Star (Bad Company song)