In the midst of his ongoing court battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp received a standing ovation after performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday night with guitarist Jeff Beck for the second night in a row.
After playing with Beck at Sheffield City Hall on Sunday, concertgoers hoped the 58-year-old actor would appear at the Royal Albert Hall in west London.
Depp did not disappoint them, as he returned to the stage on Monday in London.
After the performance, the actor waved and kissed the audience, who gave him a standing ovation and screamed his name.
His appearance comes as the jurors deliberating the duelling defamation claims from Depp and Heard are set to resume their deliberations today after failing to reach a resolution in the widely watched six-week trial on Friday.
The seven-person jury deliberated for about two hours Friday before adjourning for the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The actor joined Jeff Beck at London’s Royal Albert Hall playing seven songs including Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing and John Lennon’s Isolation.
One fan, Angela Flannery, 38, from Southend-on-Sea, a city in southeast England, said of Depp’s appearance on stage: ‘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.’
Depp’s appearance in the UK has surprised many as he awaits a verdict in his multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit with Heard.
Some fans were not keen on Depp performing at the gig.
Austin Delord said: ‘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.’
Francesca Cox, 23, said: ‘It was cool, unexpected. I preferred what was before.’
Others were glad to see the star, celebrating his arrival on stage with shouts of: ‘I love you Johnny!’
Moments before he appeared Beck said: ‘We first met when he knocked on my dressing room door five years ago.
‘We’ve been trying to keep it a secret but, well, here he is.’
The pair also played Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and The Beatles’ A Day in the Life.
Ann-Marie Robertson, a Californian who came to see Beck’s show said of Depp: ‘I loved it. He tells a story with the lyrics and I understand the words. He is an actor and he really gets it across.’
After the show a 100-strong crowd gathered outside a back entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of the 58-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor is suing his former partner over a 2018 article she wrote in the Washington Post, which was titled: ‘I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.’
The article does not mention Depp by name, yet his lawyers say it falsely implies he physically and sexually abused the Aquaman actress while they were together.
Depp spent Sunday night onstage after apparently flying straight from his libel trial in Fairfax, Virginia, to Sheffield City Hall to rock with Beck, performing a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Isolation,’ according to MSN.
After the show, the Hollywood star met fans outside the venue, posing for photos and signing autographs.
An Instagram user who caught a shot of the Pirates of the Caribbean star wrote: ‘Wasn’t expecting this… I thought he was in court but turns out he’s in Sheffield with Jeff Beck.’
‘JOHNNY SINGING ISOLATION OMG’ exclaimed a Twitter user who caught a quick video of the performance.
The song, released officially by the pair in 2020, has recently gained notoriety due to the publicity from the trial.
The duo also performed covers of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ and Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wing,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Mr. Depp is in the United Kingdom, as he was a few weeks ago, to adhere to his previously scheduled work obligations,’ a source close to Depp told CourtTV.
Depp and Beck, 77, frequently recorded together during lockdown in the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He plays guitar in a band with Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry called the Hollywood Vampires.
He plays guitar in a band with Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry called the Hollywood Vampires.