Photo courtesy KLRU / Scott Newton
Since an Austin City Limits Taping becomes a permanent document as a television episode that eventually will be released on a DVD, I assumed that Beck’s set last night would be a greatest hits performance. And when he came out and launched into the powerful guitar riff for “Devil’s Haircut” from 1996’s Odelay, I was sure of it. However, the set unfolded to include a good amount of new material from Beck’s recent, lauded album Morning Phase.
Beck played a solid block of the somber, acoustic songs that comprise that new album, including “Blackbird Chain,” “Don’t Let It Go,” “Country Down,” and “Blue Moon.” Another pair of songs from the new album were played later, meaning that all told Beck played about half of the songs from his newest record. Two tracks, “Lost Cause” and “Golden Age,” from Beck’s last country tinged break-up album Sea Change made their way into the early part of the setlist, giving fans a heavy dose of Beck’s acoustic-leaning songs.
Photo courtesy KLRU / Scott Newton
One of Beck’s clear strengths is the level of talent his band brings to live performances. The array of instruments played by each member is staggering. It seems like everyone changes instruments between each song or is surrounded by a number of various keyboards or percussion pieces played simultaneously. Beck himself relies on three notable tools: his 1449 Silvertone Danelectro, his acoustic guitar, or his voice. The choice between these three roughly corresponds to the styles of his music: rock, alt-country, and the more hip-hop and funk oriented songs respectively.
Despite the set consisting of mostly new material, Beck did give long-standing fans two treats, one following his slower material and a second during the encore. The first was an incredible rendition of crowd favorite “Loser” from his 1994 album Mellow Gold, during which the entire venue erupted into dancing and singing all the way up to the last rows of the balcony. One of my first memorable experiences with independent or alternative music was standing in my friend Nathan’s house and listening to Mellow Gold on cassette. Seeing it live was definitely an evening highlight.
Photo courtesy KLRU / Scott Newton
After the set ended with the entire band falling to the floor and sprawling out like dead men before literally crawling lethargically away, Beck returned for an encore of sorts. First, the band had to do three retakes from earlier in the set to get better cuts for the television taping. But following that, Beck asked the crowd for requests, and “Where It’s At” was the clear winner. As with “Loser,” fans danced and sang along without inhibition as Beck delivered the best performance of the night. He closed the evening with rollicking, harmonica-driven tune “One Foot In the Grave.”
With a new album out and fresh off highly acclaimed performances at Coachella, Beck is back and in top form. He’ll definitely be a highlight when he returns to Austin in October for ACL’s annual two-weekend festival.
