There isn't much that could tear a person away from the destruction derby finals at the state fairgrounds last Friday. However, a state fair appearance by Beck is one of few plausible reasons for forfeiting a mud-side seat.
Beck isn't really on the state fair circuit normally reserved for clothesline acts the likes of Better than Ezra and Kenny Wayne Shepard. His strut into Phoenix comes at the end of a third 2005 tour promoting the March release Guero. The final tour also coincided with a few opening performances for oldies-but-goodies, The Rolling Stones.
Touring for the third time after a March release? Opening for sold-out stadiums with the 'Stones? Many critics have doubted the effectiveness of Beck's hip-hop dabbles on the new album, but obviously he's doing something right.
It is true that Beck takes his style to new genre-defying heights on Guero with some Latin rap influence. Considering his self-proclaimed title of 'white boy,' Beck also carried over other rap elements to his live show.
The stage was filled with something common in the rap realm: an entourage of performers, the majority of which were most likely plugged-in. It included two drummers and one trooper who was given one simple instruction: shake the tambourine and do the strangest body gyrations imaginable.
Beck drew the line on the extent of his hip-hop tendencies with a vocal announcement. He said his songs will never have 7 remixes and 13 different videos as R. Kelly would prefer.
The task of performing Beck's songs live would prove to be taxing without tweaking the layers of percussion and synthesizer noise in fan favorites "Loser" and "Where It's At" along with recent additions "Girl" and "E-Pro." Amazingly, Beck and his homies' well-orchestrated jam session held the sound.
The lead man traversed the stage the entire night, almost as a ringleader in his circus of sound. He wandered to different stations at his leisure, giving a makeshift, on-the-fly quality to the show. But his fleeting from guitars to drums, harmonica, banjo and turntables was always on cue.
He is a master of all his instruments like (insert nonsense here) Prince. The most dynamic and awesome performers are those that know the music inside out; this comes from writing every bit of every song, such as Beck and Prince can claim.
Nearing the end of the set, Beck ironically performed a cover of Prince's "Purple Rain." It was a gesture from one of popular music's most eccentric to another.
