Genre-hopping genius Beck brought his masterful live show to Pinewood Bowl in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sept. 19.
A night during a never-ending summer was a perfect backdrop for Beck to breeze through hits and rarieties from his 13 studio albums, from the ground-breaking "Odelay" to the Grammy-winning "Morning Phase." But Beck seemed most at home performing songs off his newest album, "Colors."
With embullient tunes like "I'm So Free," "Dreams," and "Up All Night," Beck's new album provides the right antidote for the times we live in. On "Wow," Beck has reached his pinnacle: He's still the eccentric pop star we've always known, but he's taken on almost an evangelistic form as he sings lines like "My demon's on the cellphone" and "It's your life, you gotta try to get it right."
 |
| Beck. At top, Julian Casablancas joined him onstage. (Photos by Christoper Windle.) |
But we can't forget Beck's finer moments from his past. After opening with hits "Devil's Haircut" and "Loser," Beck took the crowd on a run through some of those moments with the sax-tinged "The New Pollution" and the sex-tinged "Mixed Bizness." He went back to "Guerro" for "Black Tamborine" before returning a second time to the Prince-flavored masterpiece "Midnite Vultures" for an acoustic version of "Debra," segueing into a crowd sing-along of "Raspberry Beret."
Beck gave a chance for his latest touring band to shine, with four members joining him at the front of the stage on vocals and a variety of instruments for a few acoustic songs. They performed slower songs "Lost Cause," "The Golden Age," and "Blue Moon" along with a couple of crowd requests.
But most of the show was an uplifting affair. After the acoustic break in the action, the full band returned with a high-energy string of mostly recent hits: "Dreams," "Girl," "Wow," "Up All Night," and "E-Pro."
Beck and his band came back for an extended encore of his biggest smash, "Where It's At," with band introductions to a variety of song snippets, including Chic's "Good Times" and New Order's "Blue Monday." But the most entertaining cover was a duet with Julian Casablancas of opening band the Voidz. Beck and the Strokes singer took on the Human League's "Don't You Want Me Baby" to hilarious effect.
Beck closed out the show with "One Foot in the Grave" and came full circle with a reprise of "Where It's At," shuffling offstage along with his band members.
It was a night that recalled some of pop's biggest stars, Prince and Bowie among them, icons Beck no doubt emulates with great respect. Nearly 25 years after Beck hit it big, the show proved that he ranks up there with the best of them.
