With thousands of fans in attendance on the first night of Bumbershoot, Beck made sure not to hold back. The set began with his original hit, “Loser,” as if to announce to everyone that the night’s show was going to be a Beck’s Greatest Hits karaoke jam. A two song band-huddle to play “Hell Yes” and “Black Tamborine” on 808 drum machines provided the only break from, what was otherwise, a straight-ahead party.
Sidenote: His strangely basic set-design (made of prop stage lights and a Lite Brite inspired light show on the back wall) seems to mirror the intriguingly spare liner notes on his latest album, Modern Guilt. And though the overall performance was fun, Beck does seem fatigued and, at times, uninspired. Are the rumors (first heard in Spin magazine) true that this may be his last tour?
