REVIEW: Beck at Tanglewood

July 23rd, 2024

“We’re gonna play songs that we don’t get to very often so settle in and welcome to our picnic.”

“Soy un perdedor…” Any child of the 90s for a moment felt bilingual thanks to Beck’s “Loser” and somehow made it simultaneously an anthem and an insult to our peers. “This song is about YOU, loser!” or “this song is about me and what are you gonna do about it?”

The 90s had the most classic of comebacks. 

It’s a humbling experience, as a musician, to see someone like Beck perform. I’ve only had this honor twice now which is probably for the best. 

On Tuesday, the most enigmatic Beck took the stage at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA with the Boston Pops. Donning sunglasses, he looked almost uncomfortable at first, perhaps even overwhelmed by the 80+ piece orchestra (“my new band” as Beck called them) behind him. 

“We’re gonna play songs that we don’t get to very often so settle in and welcome to our picnic.” he said, referring to the bucolic nature of the venue. 

Standing alone, unencumbered by an instrument, there was a vulnerability that truly lent itself to the first few selections, mostly from Sea Change, Beck’s 2002 album. Though it is a personal favorite, I was definitely hoping we’d be hearing some more up-tempo selections, to which Beck responded with the fourth song, “Lonesome Tears”. The arrangement featured intense dynamics, showing us we weren’t in for a quiet night. 

Immediately following the song, Beck said, “we have liftoff!” He discussed how this was the first time he was able to bring those tunes to the live stage and how rare it was. He then announced he was going to liven it up and take us to Brazil with “Tropicalia” and changed the trajectory of the evening with just a few notes. 

“Blue Moon”–another personal favorite from 2014’s Morning Phase–followed and was rounded out with a crisp, lively percussion section that sounded almost like a drum corps salute. 

The show ebbed and flowed brilliantly from there, having the audience on their respective feet for a song and then giving us a break to rest up. 

With “New Pollution,” the audience got a taste of Beck’s signature dance moves, proving his status as the world’s favorite nerd. 

Other notable selections that highlighted Beck’s esoteric musical palate included a cover of Colourbox's “Tarantula” (a song later made famous by This Mortal Coil, for his contribution to a compilation of songs inspired by Alfonso Cuarón's Oscar-nominated film, Roma), and two Scott Walker covers in “It’s Raining Today” and “Montague Terrace” (the latter of which was an admitted piece of self-indulgence for him to hear it with the orchestra).

Beck mentioned one of his favorite singers, French pop singer Françoise Hardy (who passed away only weeks earlier) and how she influenced Beck so much that when he met her on a television program, she said to him, “I know you copy me,” after hearing his performance of “We Live Again”.

After a few more tracks from Morning Phase he dismissed the Pops saying, “90 minutes is pumpkin time for an orchestra”. Some folks started to leave thinking this was the end of the show. “You guys wanna hang for a little longer?” he asked, prompting an enthusiastic response from an eager crowd. He harkened back to an earlier joke about performing at a picnic and told the few that he saw leaving to not forget their backpacks.

Remaining on stage were Beck’s touring bandmates. Humbled for the second time that night as a musician, Beck mentioned how long these gentlemen had been with him. Justin Meldal-Johnsen (bass), Joey Waronker (drums), Jason Falkner (guitar), and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (keyboard) have played with him as far back as 1998’s Mutations. 

He also took a jaunt around the stage, comically exploring each instrument left behind by the orchestra, playfully embodying a child being left alone in a room full of toys. He would have struck the gong had the mallet been left behind. He closed the night out with an electrifying selection of energetic crowd pleasers, and thanked the audience for indulging him previously.

No thanks needed, Beck. It was our pleasure.