Beck

Just saw his first headlining show in MSG in NYC. Tickets were a mess bc they kept lowering the prices with secret sales, angering fans who bought the $$$ ones quickly. Cheap seats for ex, went from 49 to 30 to 17 (Only I found the 2 day $17 deal on TM apparently). They wanted to fill the stadium to honor Becks 1st headlining tour to a large arena like Madison Square Garden I guess, bc sales were slow. Only pissed fans off.

I was like 6 when Beck came out, but I guess everyone else was MY AGE (30), bc lot of old farts in the crowd, many of whom sat the whole show, either writhing occasionally or stoic as if watching the ballet. I was up out of my seat dancing like silly string and singing, esp at the end of the set list, which was 80% filler. About 6 famous or fantastically upbeat songs were omitted.... Gamma Ray, Hell Yes, Nausea, Time Bomb, Tropicalia, etc. And he spoke more often than any artist I've ever seen (I've seen at least 100). Also sound quality was low during the first part of the 2 hr show. The encore was fake bc I was already told the show ends at 11, which it did after the encore. And oddly enough, a song that was JUST DONE was REPEATED for the encore, rather than choosing from his extensive catalog.

The highlight of the show was Beck saying that his grandfather emigrated from whatever country to the U.S.... ILLEGALLY, and the crowd roared in support!--me included! That was a big FUCK YOU TRUMP moment, and I was happy to be among that.

Seeing Beck live is by far a must for everyone. Whether you are a diehard fan of this güero or just familiar with "Loser" and other hits, you will surely be entertained by the creativity that Beck often puts into his shows.

While some of my favorite memories are from the last minute, "secret" warm up shows that Beck often performs at small LA clubs like The Echo, it is the tour shows where his production skills match his musical talent. From the large king bed that descended upon LA's Greek Theatre stage during the classic slow jam "Debra" to being accompanied by a very unique male dancer/cowbell instrumentalist at the OC Fairgrounds, a Beck show has it all.

Probably the most memorable show was at The Wiltern where the entire show was re-enacted in real time...on stage...by a full band of marionette puppets.

And as many fans of Beck know, the singer has two sides - mellow ("Sea Change") Beck...and funky whiteboy ("Midnight Vultures") Beck. If you are lucky, you'll get a bit of both when you see him live. In both cases, not only will you get great music but you'll definitely get introduced to Beck and his bandmates' often off-beat and spontaneously creative humor. (He loves to talk about his Hyundai Excel).

A Beck show is not to be missed! Bottles and cans, just clap your hands!

I'd have to say that Beck put on my favorite live show in about a 30 year stretch of concerts. Ever since dressing up as Sid Vicious for that 3 day Halloween festival in Las Vegas, I've been comparing every single show with Beck's precident setting performance. Set on a rotating stage with two sides separated by a screen, the band outdid everyone with a different costume for each set, a total of 3 if I remember correctly. The final set was a campfire circled by the band in boy scout costumes to match the twilight setting. Along with bringing randoms on stage with the offering of fresh s'mores, flaming marshmallows were launched into the crowd by the bandmates and Beck as well. I don't remember any of the other artists performances from that festival, not sure if it was from the "party favors" , but I'm pretty sure it was because of the true talent and joy that Beck radiates during a performance. Every emerging artist should use Beck's genius as a blueprint for creating a truly memorable and impactful presence and performance. I truly would love to spend some time in the studio with Beck, so, Beck, if you read this and want to help me change the world and battle some shit, I will get on a jet in an instant to be there!!!

The battle is real, and every day we have to battle shit!!!

Cheers

The Kansas City show was amazing, a perfect concert. I've been going to concerts since I was 15 (45 years) and this ranks in my top 2 all time. The band was a perfect fit, the stage was amazing, the visuals added did not detract from music (I was at another show last month in Boston where the visual totally distracted from the music). I have not seen Beck before despite highly ranking him, he was a bucket list artist. I was a little surprised by his comfort on stage, goofy but legitimate cool, relaxed in charge but allowed the band to do their thing. You realize the expansive genre's he crosses and it's amazing. At my age, it's a challenge for a band to get me off my feet but I was dancing entire concert. It was the happiest concert I've been to in quite some time. Strangely maybe because he crosses so many genres he remains vastly underappreciated. idiots like Kanye West don't seem to see the genius. He traces his lineage during the show, "I wanna take you higher" (Sly Stone), covered Rasberry Beret (Prince) first few bars of Strawberry Field (Beatles) that's Beck. Dude improved 1 of his songs to guitar of More than a Feeling then followed with Hank Williams cover and into I'm So Free- cmon who else can do that credibly? I want to go again tonight that's how good it was.

As darkness descended on Queens’ historic Forest Hills stadium Beck greeted a crowd still buzzing over the sweat-soaked performance art from Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant. But with cool self-assurance Beck and his six-piece backing band launched into “Loser” and the audience focus was completely reset. Hard to believe this genre-shifting rock elf from LA is 49 years old, because he still looks and moves like a twenty-something. His playlist leaned heavily on the albums “Colors”, “Guero”, and “Odelay”. He worked from a large physical set up, including a two-tiered stage with rear video panel. Pyrotechnics were subordinate to the music, except for large white and silver ballon balls that were released into the audience. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing towards the stage and the balloons kept bumping into the musicians, creating a minor distraction from an otherwise satisfying set from this immensely talented musician.

For the last 20 years, I've always been both aware of Beck and impressed with the variety of his work, but wouldn't consider myself a big fan. Of course I can sing along with songs like Loser and Where It's At, but I'd never seen him before in concert. I figure Beck will go down as one of the true great artists of my generation so I figured it would be worthwhile to check him out in concert. I really am enjoying his new album and in particular the single Blue Moon so I decided to attend his show in Raleigh. It was a fantastic show, full of energy on a hot and sweaty summer night in an outdoor amphitheater. Beck paraded out a tour de force through his 20 year career and kept the crowd singing, dancing, and sweating all night.
I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed this show, and his excellent backing band. I'll definitely see Beck again, and won't wait another 20 years to do it.

Beck was great. Fun, engaging, humorous, and, of course, more talented than just about anyone out there. I will always see him as much as I can.

Red Rocks, on the other hand, used to be the greatest venue in the world, but all the Colorado potheads are ruining it fast. We took four kids and they were miserable. The smoke was nonstop. The Red Rocks staff do not enforce their own rules. They completely ignore what’s going on in the crowd. And the sound was so loud that even with earplugs it was painful. From what I hear that’s been true of more and more shows at Red Rocks this year, so I’m not sure if that’s a venue thing or an artist thing. Either way, it’s just not necessary to be that loud.

This review in no way reflects poorly on Beck. This was the third tome I’ve seen him and he’s always fantastic. But Colorado needs to take a f-Ing break with all the smoking.

Secund time we've seen Beck and he was awesome and entertaining yet again-maybe even surpassing himself. Aligned with incredible musicians and this time a backing chorus with 2 women and a dude who also played various instruments (guitar, shoulder strap keyboard, mandolin/tambourine/etc., ) and danced in an elevated stage behind the front band-it had a throwback quality and was very entertaining. And as usual Beck excels art his solo breakout/improv/cover session which makes every performance unique regardless of playlist repetition. Beck is one of the hardest working acts out there (as is the Foo Fighters, whom we saw a week before!)

Absolutely perfect! Enjoyed every second of it from start to finish! Wouldn't hesitate to see the exact same show again!! Only two minor complaints:
1: I wish the concert had been longer, but a 100 minutes is pretty solid (I'm just super greedy)
2: I wish he had played more morning phase stuff (Waking Light and Blue Moon, would both had been welcome additions!) I also really wish he would have played Heavens Ladder (but that might be too much to ask if you're catering to less hardcore fans)
All in all I loved it and hope he'll do a full tour soon! (Morning Phade tour!? Pleeeease!!!)
:D

Beck was a ton of fun! It is worth mentioning that he plays a lot of the new songs so if you hate the new album, this might not be the tour for you. That being said, if you want a rollicking good time, you gotta see Beck. He is so comfortable on stage he could almost be accused of being too loose, but it really does feel like hanging out with him. He worked in 3 songs from Midnite Vultures so there are plenty of treats for diehard fans but he will still play the hits. And the acoustic interlude featuring songs from Morning Phase and Sea Change will of course be my favorite part.