Frampton apologizes for meltdown that halted Treasure Island rock concert

Peter Frampton's rock concert Sunday night just outside the Twin Cities area as the warmup to Steve Miller hit the skids for several minutes after a fan took the crowd on an impromptu nostalgia trip.

Frampton, the 67-year-old native Londoner whose classic rock hits include "Do You Feel Like I Do" and "Show Me the Way," halted his outdoor show Sunday night at Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Red Wing in response to a camera operator putting a woman on the two stage-straddling video screens as she hoisted Frampton album covers.

The enthusiastic fan first held up the cover from "Frampton Comes Alive," drawing a raucous cheer of approval from the crowd of roughly 8,000. This prompted Frampton to lament that the interruption came during a guitar solo.

A moment later, the same thing happened, only this time the cover for Frampton's "I'm in You" release was waved.

Frampton leaned his face into the camera and let out a two-word expletive.

Song complete, Frampton and others exited the stage with no explanation. Lights out, video screens to black.

Concertgoer John Krause said he saw Frampton get into a "camera tug-of-war" with the cameraman on stage just as the unscheduled break began.

"It went back and forth between them until Peter finally let go and walked off stage, followed by his band a few seconds later," Krause said.

Later that night, Frampton went on Twitter and posted in a reply to a fan, "I apologise. I had 2 give you all the show you deserved and things beyond my control changed my MO."

Casino spokesman Kevin Smith said Monday that Frampton "apparently didn't like what was on the video board for one reason or another. That was obvious."

Smith, who attended the concert, confirmed that the screens were turned off "at the artist's request."

Once the request was fulfilled, Frampton came back on stage and played the two songs remaining on his set list and threw in a third, Smith said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482