Music of the Day, 7 August 2023

i can't believe this is happening to me

This day back in 1977 was momentous for me: I saw my first rock concert. Like so many teens across the US, my boyfriend (R) at the time was burning with “Frampton fever.” The 1976 double album Frampton Comes Alive! was popular in our small town, and when R learned that Frampton would be coming to Cincinnati in support of his new album titled I’m in You, he asked if I wanted to go to the concert with him.

As best I can recall, I really wanted to go, but as a pretty strong introvert, the thought of being in such a crowd was intimidating. Obviously my concerns were overcome somehow, and off we went to Riverfront Coliseum. I’m not sure if I was more interested in Peter Frampton’s singing or his impressive guitar talents; both were unique.

I can’t say that I remember much of the show … it’s just too long ago and I didn’t have any context for what seeing a live band should be like. I expect I was quite like a lot of casual fans: I enjoyed the songs I knew and was fairly bored during the remainder. But I was affected by the sight of so many people deeply into Frampton’s music, as well as the feeling of that music moving through me. Experiencing the low end as its own rhythm in my body blew my young mind. The concert took my appreciation of and love for music to another level.

Frampton’s use of a talk box to meld the sounds of voice and guitar—so that the guitar seemed to be speaking—was pioneering, and a big part of his unique sound back then. Even without it, his open, engaging guitar tone and use of other effects really appealed to me. It wasn’t until several years later that I began to appreciate his talents for what they were, and saw the electronic effects as enhancements of them rather than their source.

R and I saw a few other concerts over the years; time and money were near-constant issues while we were in college. Whereas Frampton’s rock style was more to the center of my preferences, it was on the edge of R’s, and as our tastes diverged, it was difficult to find bands we both liked enough to want to see live.

Fortunately for me, my Rush-loving, headbanging brother became my concert-going buddy. We enjoyed lots of shows over the years. Without Frampton to show me the way in my mid teens, I would have certainly missed out on seeing some great musicians.