On Friday, Sept. 28, Beck played to a 17,000-strong audience at the legendary Hollywood Bowl. The animated hometown show was sprinkled with songs, stories and starlight as the singer served up a setlist that could have been composed by one of his most ardent fans. Standouts included “Devils Haircut,” “Loser,” "Where It's At" and a gospel-tinged cover of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.”
The show – which was in support of Beck’s latest record Colors – coincided closely with Warner Bros. posthumous release of Piano and a Microphone 1983, the late Prince’s archive album. A cover of the fallen artist’s “Raspberry Beret” was performed as a tribute that triggered an audience sing-along.
Perhaps the show’s finest moment was when Fred Martin & The Levite Camp gospel choir joined the singer for concert rarity “Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods.” Martin and his choir rejoined the show towards its end for a medley that included “One Foot in the Grave.”
Throughout the show, Beck shared genial memories of growing up in LA, which dropped references to long-gone record stores and recollections of his various LA experiences that inspired some of his songs.
The sound was pristine – not a single word or lyric was missed. This outdoor show was punctuated with a range of scents such as caramel corn, olive oil and a blend of balmy bouquets from the surrounding trees. Coupled with the sublimity of the performance, it all combined to make for a stellar night.
