Review by Val Tapia
Promoter: Live Nation (https://www.livenation.com/ )
Venue: Arizona Financial Theatre (https://www.livenation.com/venue/KovZpZAEk7lA/arizona-financial-theatre-events )
Date: Wednesday June 25th, 2025
Tour: Let’s Do It Again
I’m not sure I can a remember a time when I felt a little bit somber prior to reviewing a show. Speaking candidly, I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I arrived at AZ. Financial Theatre on Wed. June 25 as legendary singer-songwriter Peter Frampton walked onstage (with a cane) to a roaring standing ovation.
Following a short montage of video clips spanning Frampton’s five-decade career, he and his four bandmates took their place on stage…. seated… in a show of solidarity to their fearless (and humorous) band leader as he continues to fight an inflammatory muscle disease known as inclusion body myositis, or IBM.
Much to the delight of the (roughly) 2000 fans in attendance, Frampton graciously and happily performed a 17-song, 145-minute set with no opening act.
Good readers, I won’t mince words. Let this be a lesson to every veteran touring act (with a sizable catalog to their name) out there who wrongly believe that paltry 80, 90-minute “headline” sets are still “the way to go” in 2025. I strongly beg to differ.
In short order, that is absolutely unacceptable— from every conceivable angle I might add. The acts who are fortunate to have had long careers should be playing a minimum of 20 songs —or two hours— whichever is longer. End of rant.
The 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee got things started with Day In The Sun from his 1994 self-titled album. Another “obscure” song followed called Lying from 1986’s Premonition. I imagine it threw some fans off guard, yet I applaud Frampton for taking a few chances with the set list. Particularly so early in the show.
I noticed there was very strong camaraderie among the band members. Playing alongside Frampton on the current tour are guitarist Pat Ferguson, keyboardist Rob Arthur, bassist Alison Prestwood and drummer Dan Wojciechowski.
It’s kind of funny to think that Frampton released the classic Lines On My Face (from 1973’s Frampton’s Camel) when he was only 23-years old. There’s no doubt that it still resonates with many to this day.
Pretty hard to believe that Frampton’s fourth studio album, simply titled Frampton, turned 50 recently. Perhaps that’s why he performed more songs from that album than any other in his catalog Wednesday night.
Show Me The Way got everybody out of their seats, which made Frampton grin from ear-to-ear. However, a nice change of pace came with a new song called Buried Treasure, which Frampton co-wrote with his son Julian for a new album to be issued at some point in early 2026.
The song is a salute to the late Tom Petty, who Frampton cited has one of his favorite artists of all-time. He specifically spoke about his love of Tom Petty Radio on Sirius XM.
“Some of my favorite Tom Petty songs are earlier versions of songs that everyone in here knows”, Frampton said. “It’s just an incredible body of work he left behind for all of us to enjoy”, he added.
Of course, there were plenty of video images of Petty (and The Heartbreakers) to accompany the song. It was great to see that Frampton still has the creative drive to write new music— at 75 years young! Kudos to him for that.
There were a couple of interesting cover songs as well, one being an instrumental version of Georgia On My Mind, originally recorded by Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra (but arguably made famous by Ray Charles), as well as Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun. Yes, you read that right by the way.
The latter was mostly instrumental, while the chorus featured Frampton’s infamous “talk box”. It was a pretty unique version, and the second of three video tributes to yet another fallen rock hero of ours.
Even though the audience sat down most of the night, they were back up on their feet for Frampton’s “tour-de-force”, if you like. That of course being an indulgent 19-minute(!) version of Do You Feel Like We Do.
To that point, one could argue that the original 1973 6-minute studio version (from the aforementioned Frampton’s Camel) is better than the well-known 14-minute live version off his 1976 landmark album Frampton Comes Alive!
For the “encore”, Frampton joked that it would take him “a half hour” to return to the stage. So he and the band remained onstage to “hear all of you for a minute”.
With that, the band went into Humble Pie’s versions of Ida Cox’s Four Day Creep and showstopper I Don’t Need No Doctor, originally recorded by Nickolas Ashford (of Ashford & Simpson).
Unfortunately, Doctor was re-arranged from the awesome Humble Pie version. That was a little disappointing, but it was cool seeing video footage of Frampton’s former comrade in the “Pie”, Steve Marriott.
One thing that was clear from the start was how grateful Frampton is to still be doing what he loves doing— performing live. As the night ended with his take on The Beatles classic While My Guitar Gently Weeps, he reminded everyone in the audience to “be kind” to one another. Sound advice in these uncertain times.
The final verdict? Four out of five stars– a job well done Mr. Frampton.
Peter Frampton setlist in Phoenix:
Day In The Sun
Lying
Shine On
Lines On My Face
Show Me The Way
Buried Treasure (new song)
Georgia On My Mind
The Crying Clown
Nassau
Baby, I Love Your Way
All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side)
Black Hole Sun
(I’ll Give You) Money
Do You Feel Like We Do
Four Day Creep
I Don’t Need No Doctor
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
