September 27, 2008
ACL Fest: Beck Closes Out Saturday Night in Subdued Glory
After what seemed like an eternity of anticipation from a crowd chanting his name softly, Beck finally arose from his lair behind stage and began the night with an angsty classic, "Loser." Adorning his most recent look of long blond locks and cowboy hat, Beck gave a nostalgic performance realizing his audience grew up listening to albums like Mellow Gold and Odelay. He did up the pace a bit, playing "Gamma Ray" off his new album Modern Guilt, but the pinnacle of his performance was in hits like "Where It's At" and "Devil's Haircut" which make every bone in your body happy. And yes, even people in line for the port-a-potties couldn't resist dancing. A long-standing frontman, Beck has not lost his stamina and still manages to remain mysteriously omniscient. With a catchy pulse and captivating rhythms, Beck wooed the souls of a sea at people who didn't mind staying late after a long day of great acts. There was a blithe vibe in the air as fans enjoyed a few more beers and chatted with friends, while stretched across blankets. A sudden switch to the wicked beats of "Hell Yes" brought about electric chanting. The performance sparked conversation in my group realizing we forgot how much we truly liked Beck's music and how it pushed us through awkward transformative years. A quick iPhone search led us to discover that he is indeed 38 years old, but still sexy and soulful nonetheless. Critics and hipsters- say what you will, but he definitely surpassed by Becktations. -Candace Birkelbach
Photos by Briana Purser
If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.
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Great show, where was the encore?!
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Encore? Where's the glory? This is the second time I've seen beck live; the first was at the backyard (debut of shopping mall!). In both of these shows Beck came out, blew through a few big radio hits, and sluffed off stage to what I imagine is his depressing throne of solitude in his own personal hall of depression. I just didn't get the feeling that he was having much fun. This was a little more obvious during the backyard show when several negative quips were directed at the fans.
Every song he played last night seemed to be the radio hit from its respective album. Granted, I always feel a little dissapointment at festivals where it feels as if a lot of musicians will package together a variety of songs that will win over a crowd with diverse taste; I would rather a musician with a wide range, pick a mood and deliver something genuine --but this was too much. Perhaps next year we will get the Beck android created by Sony and delivered by ACL --perhaps the previous tour puppet-show was a stab at forshadowing. Then again, maybe my frustration had already been set, having stumbled over from The Yonder Mountain show where the greatest bluegrass band on tour played anything but bluegrass (I didn't stay for the last half, so maybe I missed it.)
Normally, I give a little leeway to festival sets; I enjoy the bubble-gum when blasted to an animated crowd of thousands, however, after getting the same tone of show amidst the once-intimate setting (bed, bath, and beyond excluded) of the Backyard, I think its time for Beck to take a hiatus, pick up a new hobby, and return to music when he finds it enjoyable once more.
No encore for a close-out festival show is disrespectful; quitting fifteen minutes early is unfogettable.
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Beck was either bored out of his mind or heavily medicated. That was the most lackluster performance I've ever seen from a festival headliner. At least Bob Dylan had the novelty of being Bob Dylan.
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scientologist
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Yeah, no encore, but photo #2 is lovely!