Johnny Depp has appeared on stage alongside Jeff Beck for a second night in a row ahead of his defamation trial verdict in the US.
Concertgoers had expressed hope the actor would appear at the Royal Albert Hall in west London after he made a shock appearance at the Sheffield date of Beck’s UK tour on Sunday – just 48 hours after the jury was sent out to consider its verdict in the multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit with his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp was on stage for a total of 20 minutes, returning once more for the encore. Beck introduced him as “someone who came knocking on my dressing room door about five years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing since”. “We kept this quiet,” he added, “for obvious reasons”.
Depp was reportedly greeted with a standing ovation.
The pair performed a number of songs including their cover of the John Lennon song Isolation, which they released in 2020. Other songs included a cover of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wings and the Beatles’ A Day in the Life.
Footage of Depp singing and playing the guitar was posted on social media, with audience members seen to be cheering and applauding him.
One, Angela Flannery, said: “I was pretty shocked.” Flannery, 38, from Southend-on-Sea added: “[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.”
Beck’s UK tour continues at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday before he moves to Manchester, York, Birmingham and other places. It is rumoured Depp will join the 77-year-old guitarist for the rest of the tour, meaning venues will probably amp up their security measures as fans of Depp and Heard are expected to show up.
On Monday night, a security guard with Depp’s entourage reportedly told fans the star had been inside the hall since 7.30am and would not come out until after his performance. According to the Telegraph, fans rejoiced when traffic cones were cleared for a Mercedes-Benz at 7.15pm – but it was a rather bemused Tom Jones.
Depp’s appearance in the UK has surprised many as he awaits a verdict in his lawsuit at Fairfax county court in Virginia, in what has turned out to be one of Hollywood’s most toxic legal battles, gripping public attention around the world.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing Heard for $50m (£39.6m) over a 2018 article she wrote in the Washington Post, 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 but his lawyers say it falsely implies he physically and sexually abused Heard while they were together. Heard has counter-sued Depp for $100m after his lawyer called her allegations a hoax.
Over the course of seven weeks, jurors heard intimate, private details of the couple’s relationship including personal recordings. Though legal experts do not expect the case to provide any landmark of jurisprudence, for millions of people it has raised questions about the direction of the gender equality movement and gender relations. Bringing the case, Depp claimed it was Heard who was the abuser in their relationship.
Both sides gave their closing statements on Friday. Heard’s legal team asked jurors to “think about the message that Mr Depp and his attorneys are sending to Amber and victims of domestic abuse … If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen. If you didn’t seek medical attention, you weren’t injured.” Depp’s team said Heard had “ruined his life by falsely telling the world she was a survivor of domestic abuse” and that her allegations were “an act of profound cruelty” to “true survivors of domestic abuse”.
