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'He took away so much from Beck': Jeff Beck fans split over Johnny Depp on stage with icon

'Bit of a publicity stunt, he did not bring much to the party, but he took away so much from Beck,' a critic said

It’s safe to say Johnny Depp won the defamation case against Amber Heard in a Virginia court as the June 1 judgment favored him majorly. Even before the jury announced their decision, the 58-year-old seemed quite confident regarding it since he left for the UK to join his longtime pal Jeff Beck for his UK concert tour.

Depp performed alongside Beck on May 29 in Sheffield as the jurors deliberated over his case brought against his former wife in the US. The ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ star also took the stage on May 30 at London's Royal Albert Hall as well on May 31 before performing once again in Newcastle on June 2, the day after the verdict.

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Though there were many concert goers who enjoyed watching him live, not everyone loved his musical talent the way they like his acting skills. One such critic was Nick Rowe, who said, as reported by LADbible: “Jeff Beck was excellent. The thing that spoiled the whole night was the talentless Mr Depp. He was like a drunken pub singer at one point. I don't know what Jeff Beck's thinking of.”

Another of Beck’s fan Austin Delord claimed Depp’s presence “took so much from Beck”.

“Too much Johnny Depp, we did not come here to see him. Bit of a publicity stunt, he did not bring much to the party, but he took away so much from Beck,” Delord added. “He’s [Depp] on tour, waving to his fans. She’s [Heard] hiding from death threats. He seems to be doing pretty well out of it all, don’t you think?” Dr Charlotte Proudman, a British barrister, wrote on Twitter.

“What a narcissistic act on Depp's part, & what an insensitive move on Beck's part wrt abuse survivors in his audience. Really rotten to put a guy embroiled in a domestic abuse trial onstage while the jury's still deliberating & say, ‘Hey! Here's a guy accused of spousal abuse!’” Twitter user @DickBlackHorror stated.

And, 23-year-old Francesca Cox added as reported by The Daily Mail: “It was cool, unexpected. I preferred what was before.” Besides, music critic Neil McCormick gave his two cents over the whole drama as he wrote for The Telegraph, “[Depp] may not be the greatest vocalist but he knows how to deliver a song,” before noting: “Depp's presence added pizzazz and created a space for Beck to shine more brightly.”

McCormick also mentioned, “Depp’s arrival added welcome focus, his meaty guitar middle tones offsetting Beck’s stinging lead. Plus Depp brought actual songs to the occasion, facilitating greater dynamic interplay.”

Despite so much criticism, several people were on cloud nine seeing Depp performing with Beck. A fan said, “I'm over the moon. I'm so happy. He's a really nice guy. He spent so much time with the little kids at the front speaking to everyone and getting everything signed. He's an absolute legend.” The second one tweeted: “Who doesn't like to wake up to a standing ovation for Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck at a packed out Royal Albert Hall? ☕️ @/houseinhabit.” 

“I was pretty shocked. I have always been a massive fan of his. My other half took me to this gig just to see Jeff Beck, I had no idea Johnny would be playing. It was brilliant, such a fantastic night in general... a special mention to the drummer girl, she was absolutely amazing (and) Johnny Depp smashed it. I'll die happy (that) I've been in the same room as him now,” Angela Flannery from Southend-on-Sea, a city in England, added.

Meanwhile, during the June 2 gig, Beck told the audience that “I met this guy [Depp] five years ago and we've never stopped laughing since. We actually made an album. I don't know how it happened. It will be out in July.”