Frampton is very much alive

“I’m grateful for that because it brought me what I have now,” said Frampton. “But I never set out to [produce] that.”

In fact, Frampton wanted only to play guitar, but his blond, lean good looks and charisma slotted him as the lead singer/frontman for bands. The result was something of a double life for Frampton, who could fill major arenas himself but sought studio work as a guitarist for The Who’s John Entwistle and others.

So while the album’s success gave him terrific entree into the inner circle of rock royalty, it’s clear that the success of “Frampton Comes Alive” was a bit of a burden too. Once the double album was released, his spot in rock was sealed. It was difficult for him to break out of that stereotype despite his brilliance as a musician.

It’s clear when watching Frampton in concert that he’s having a great time fronting his band. And why not? The musicians are among some of the best-known in the industry including Josh Regan, who has played for The Rolling Stones and for former Frampton schoolmate David Bowie, and Adam Lester, who’s played with The Backstreet Boys and Nick Lachey.

At last year’s local show, Frampton showed off both sides of his persona, dazzling fans with his guitar work (including on an amazing cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”) and working the crowd as he played favorites from “Comes Alive.” The one moment that seemed to almost embarrass Frampton was when the audience gave him a standing ovation after a band member mentioned his album “Fingertips,” which was awarded the 2007 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

“This is the one thing that I’ve done that in no way goes back to ‘Comes Alive,’ ” said Frampton. “Yet that album brought my music to various generations.”

If you go

Peter Frampton

• Venue: Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, Baltimore
• When: 7 p.m. Friday
• Tickets: $40-$50
• Info.: 410-547-SEAT