Beck finally entered the Baroque style theatre at 9 p.m. Bright lights, a turntable, synthesizers, a brass trio, drums, the bass, and another guitarist opened his grand entrance with futuristic sounds to overwhelm the audience. Beck’s experimental sound was enhanced by his quick, rockabilly guitar licks and funky bass lines. He played a white electric guitar during the Glam influenced songs from his new album "Midnite Vultures." Songs including "Nicotine and Gravy," "Hollywood Freaks," "Broken Train," and "Milk and Honey" used guitar effects such as slides and pull-offs.

        Beck’s older songs required an acoustic guitar. He slowly finger picked the harmonized melodies to "Cold Brains," and "New Pollution" as he played bar chords with synchronized up and down strums on his guitar. He also played honky-tonk influenced guitar riffs and hummed loudly on a harmonica while the stage lit up with numerous pairs of eerie red lights that seemed like demon’s eyes in the dark auditorium. He played another song from his "Mutations" album solo, and the audience joined in singing along and clapping their hands.

        Beck’s band was compiled of eleven members. A man wearing a long red cape played on an organ and pretended to be the phantom of the opera. Another man scratched old records, and a brass trio of talented saxophone, trumpet, and trombone players added an improvisational big band sound to the performance. In addition, another man played a futuristic synthesizer while two African American female backup singers complemented Beck’s voice with a soulful blues sound. A bass guitarist and another funky guitarist named Smokey Hormel aided Beck in creating a pop sound reminiscent of the British Glam rock era from the early 1970s, which reminded me of bands like Roxy Music and the Sweet.

        This glamorized disco fiasco was especially evident during Beck’s performance of "Peaches and Cream" and "Debra." He played a bluish purple electric guitar, which matched his hip clothes and curtailed his retro, almost robotic dance moves. The audience went wild when Beck strummed his guitar using quick slides and sound effects including flange, chorus, and reverb. A vibrato and a slow, steamy jazz guitar sound exploded into a sensuous upbeat tempo during the dramatic blitz of "Debra." Beck’s falsetto voice during the song reflected a young Michael Jackson from the Jackson Five. Looking like a mixture of actor David Spade and musician Tom Petty, Beck Hansen flirted with the audience by acting out a desperate love scene on a bed of red satin sheets that dropped from the stage ceiling during "Debra." Bright yellow lights flashed in the audience’s eyes, and a glittery silver backdrop seemed aqueous as colorful psychedelic spotlights flashed simultaneously throughout the theatre and on the stage.

        The audience of white suburban college aged youth in pink pants, thrift store jackets, giant plastic glasses, hippie dresses and Ked shoes awoke from beneath solemn stares during the Beck concert and danced, joined along in singing, clapped their hands and screamed in approval of their drugstore cowboy hero.

        Once Beck won the hearts of the members of the audience, he slowed down the pace and performed a smooth, spacey love song entitled "Beautiful Way." Romance was in the air as a giant disco ball filled the dark room with thousands of tiny rotating glittering lights. It felt as if we were underneath the starry night sky, and I swayed to the music, as I smelled what seemed to be lit marijuana from across the room. People held up their Zippo lighters while Beck strummed his guitar with a plastic pick and played soft notes up and down a major scale.

        At 10:30 p.m., the concert ended, but not before Beck had a chance to perform his techno-friendly "Two Turn Tables and a Microphone." The song had everyone dancing in place again, and once the band left the stage the entire theatre was filled with individuals yelling and clapping their hands loudly for an encore. Beck and his band obliged by walking back out on stage and performing an audience favorite, "Devil’s Haircut." The theatre lit up again with numerous psychedelic, rainbow colored flashing lights, and the concert ended on an energetic and joyous note.

Roxy Music

The Sweet