Beck is an artist with a discography that’s eclectic — to say the least. From folkish beginnings to hip-hop inspired rockers to soul and pastoral acoustic songs, Beck’s musical trajectory is certainly not a straight line.
Some songs, though, as Beck recently told the audience at Wolf Trap, never really had the opportunity to be performed live. So in the Spring, Beck put together a tour of various stops, where in each stop the symphony orchestra in that city would provide the accompaniment, along with Beck’s own band.
With a break in the sweltering heat of recent days, the Wolf Trap outdoor venue was the perfect setting for what turned out to be a moving and, at times, surprising performance on July 27.
As the orchestra took the stage, they started on “Cycle” as the wash of strings ebbed and flowed before Beck came out strumming an acoustic guitar to “Golden Age.” Dressed in a black jacket, Beck took center stage while Steven Reineke, director of The New York Pops, conducted the orchestra.
A lot of the songs in the set had a cinematic quality to them, which is understandable since there were a fair number of songs — like “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometimes” and “Tarantula” which were included in films (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and ROMA, respectively) but even non-film songs like “Wave” from Morning Phase — that would fit perfectly within an orchestral film score.
And, perhaps, this also shouldn’t be surprising. Beck’s father, David Campbell, is a well-known film composer himself.
I had an idea that a lot of songs from 2002’s Sea Change and 2014’s Morning Phase would be represented heavily. Certainly, there were songs like the single, “Lost Cause” (a personal favorite), whose melancholy lines were emphasized by the rows of strings. But I found that other songs like the Brazilian-inspired “Tropicalia” took on a larger, more ornate feel than what I remember the record being. Maybe everything does sound better through the lens of a stage full of strings, horns, and timpani! And I think Beck had the same thought as he joked with the audience, “I don’t get to say this that often, but ‘Could we strike up the band?’,” before doing some fancy dance moves across the stage to “The New Pollution.”
It was a bit surprising how well this funky, groove oriented song went with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Beck showed himself to be not only a great performer, but his deadpan humor kept the crowd laughing along. Introducing the song “Missing,” Beck quipped, “I’m gonna dedicate it to Delta Airlines because they lost my boots.”
Watch the official music video for “Lost Cause” by Beck on YouTube:
Recounting the impetus behind this series of orchestral shows, Beck told the crowd that he had been thinking of artists like Sinatra, Serge Gainsbourg, and Francois Hardy. But it was the arrangements by singer Scott Walker that really started things rolling. “I’m doing this purely for my own selfish interests,” he started. “Because I always wanted to hear what these would sound like with an orchestra… So, you can think of this as a very expensive $100,000 karaoke.”
After performing a rousing version of “Where It’s At” with the orchestra and his own band, the members of the symphony exited the stage. This left Beck and his band alone as he wandered around the emptied stage before picking up his harmonica to start up “One Foot in the Grave” with the rest of the band joining in on “Devil’s Haircut.” But the biggest reaction was when he sat to play guitar with a slide which then kicked off the hit, “Loser” which capped off an incredible evening.
The setlist:
Cycle
The Golden Age
Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime (The Korgis cover)
Lonesome Tears
Wave
Tropicalia
Blue Moon
Lost Cause
The New Pollution
Missing
Tarantula (Colourbox cover)
It’s Raining Today (Scott Walker cover)
Round the Bend
Paper Tiger
We Live Again
Montague Terrace (in Blue) (Scott Walker cover)
Phase
Morning
Waking Light
Where It’s At
[Beck and his band]
One Foot in the Grave
Devils Haircut
Mixed Bizness
Loser
Here are more photos of Beck performing with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap on July 27, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
