Summer Concert Review: Beck

It's been a slow start to the summer concert season for me, and I'll be the first to admit that. I've been busy as can be all summer, running from place to place, beach to beach, party to party, all across Los Angeles. But now that I've finally settled in, it's time for me to get down to doing the thing I love most (save maybe for acting, but that's another story for another day): CONCERTS!

Tonight was a real treat. Alternative Rock's Anti-Star, Beck, played a secret show at a small bar in Hollywood called "The Echo". For those of you who don't know (and I'm assuming most probably don't), The Echo is a 300 seat hole in the wall on Sunset Blvd just west of downtown Los Angeles. Tonight my roommate (former SCOPER and excellent concert connection Kenny Layton) and I went down to witness an alternative rock legend sit and jam with his new band.



The show was scheduled to begin at 9pm, but, from what I hear is per usual with Beck, the performance kicked off about 40 minutes late. He opened the show with some classics (Devil's Haircut and Where It's At!), then switched to playing a few new songs off his yet to be released new CD, 'Modern Guilt', due out later this year.

The new songs were heavy in the beat and full of simple, catchy guitar licks, but as Beck had warned us, he was still working out some kinks in the lyrics, and it showed. The band suffered with a few technical difficulties throughout the night, first a keyboard fell off its stand, then the reverb caused by feedback made a few loud shrieks from the amplifiers, and finally Beck had to ask an overzealous lighting tech to "calm down with the lights" (a comment that was met by loud cheers from the crowd).

The band looked and played as if they were all new together, and Beck admitted about 4 or 5 songs in that they'd only played together 5 or 6 times, and this was their first live performance. However, the musicianship was impressive all around. Simplicity is a key facet of Beck's songwriting, but the band members never missed a note and made the most of any opportunities to shine they had.

There was a lack of energy all around, which was a little disappointing, but the sound made up for the lack of real action on stage. I think part of the lack of energy had to do with the cramped stage space (no bigger than Steve and Bobby's living room), and lack of chemistry that had yet to grow between new bandmates and Beck himself.

Sadly, there was no encore tonight, but the show was so filled with great songs (just about any hit he had with the exception of Loser) that I had no major complaints.

There were a few new songs I couldn't even begin to tell you the names of, but here's what songs I can name off the list:
Devil's Haircut
Where it's At (which was gladly sang along to by the entire audience)
Nicotine & Gravy
Cellphone's Dead
Nausea
Girl
Scarecrow
The New Pollution
The Golden Age
E-Pro

New Single "Chemtrails":


LOOK FORWARD TO TOMORROW'S CONCERT REVIEW: Augustana feat. Wild Sweet Orange