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 Beck (Hansen) brought his
latest work, Sea Change, a jewel which stems from the
painful ending of a long term relationship, to the Chicago Theatre Friday
Night and changed my life forever. Fans of Odelay, of
which there are many considering it went from gold to platinum to 2x
platinum in less than one year, may take some time to warm up to Sea
Change. But I promise you, if you give it a chance, you will truly
hear Beck’s most personally revealing and astounding work to date.
Beck, born on July 8, 1970 (as
Beck David Campbell) was raised in the Los Angeles area and is the son of
concert master David Campbell (responsible for the distinctive orchestral
arrangements for rock recordings by southern California musicians of the
70's and later such as Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles and James Taylor). He
relocated to New York City in 1989 and in March of 1994 he introduced
himself to the world with the Mellow Gold LP and his radio
and video favorite Loser. He went on to win numerous
awards, including 1996 AND 1997 Artist of the Year awards and 2
Grammy Awards in 1997 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (Where
It’s At) and Best Alternative Music Performance (Odelay).
His wide range of musical abilities, previously guided by a
Hip-Hop/Alternative influence, have developed into a strong, more mature
and deeply touching outpour of feelings from within his soul and the
heart-wrenching conflict of giving up and emerging with the strength of
survival.
The opening act, Oklahoma
City's Flaming Lips (Wayne Coyne on vocals and guitar,
Ronald Jones on guitar, Steve Drodz on drums, Michael Ivans on bass
guitar) grabbed the audience’s attention immediately. The stage setup was
a never-ending circus of lighted balls on swinging strings, smoke
machines, big screen projections and what even appeared to be some
misplaced
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characters from Cats.
Their most popular tune, She Don't Use Jelly,
got the crowd rocking, but it all seemed to end too quickly. Until….. Beck – the reason we
were all there, ambled onto the stage, let loose, and proved without a
doubt, that he still has the master performer qualities that amaze and
spell-bind. Fortunately for the enthusiastic fans, the Flaming Lips
remained on stage and assumed the role of Beck’s band and completely
disproved the adage that too much of a good thing is bad!
After opening with an acoustic
Cold Brains (from Mutations), Beck unveiled
his heart and took us on the journey of Sea Change. The
intoxicating, straight-forward lyrics “It’s only lies that I’m living/It’s
only tears that I cry/It’s only you that I’m losing/Guess I’m doing Fine”
from Guess I’m Doing Fine clearly described the pain and
despair of a tortured soul finding his path away from a broken love.
Other equally powerful selections from Sea Change included
Lost Cause, End of the Day, Paper Tiger
and Little One. And the irony of Nobody’s Fault,
also from Mutations, painted a clear picture of the dawn of Sea
Change.
Not to disappoint the Odelay
fans, Beck performed a sweet, sultry Lord Only Knows and
also blessed us with a crowd pleasing renditions of Devil’s Haircut,
The New Pollution and a compelling Where It’s At.
And his glow-in-the-dark silly string suit was an image that won’t be
leaving my mind for quite some time.
And when he turned out a
rip-roaring version of Loser, the only losers were the
people who weren't there! The single substandard element was
the low quota of danceable numbers (ahh, broken romance!). But, hey
- we were more than happy with what we got!
With Beck’s mixture of
charming, boyish good looks, stimulating, masculine vocals and masterful,
mechanical dancing, this was a show not to be missed. There is no doubt
in my mind that Beck is here to stay and we can expect to see and hear
much more from this amazing artist.
Beck -
Official Site
The Flaming Lips - Official Site
Posted 10/20/02
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