my beat is correct

For those of you just tuning in... Hubs and I went to see Beck in concert last night!

*Update* For a local review of the show as well as some stage pictures, click here.

Took advantage of an in-car shot once we found out we couldn't bring the camera inside. We were clearly excited.

Well, it was awesome. Yes, I use that word with too much frequency. But it totally applies here.


The minuses: too short. The opening band (MGMT) played for like 40 minutes (we caught the last 10 or so). Then we sat and waited for a solid 45 minutes; way longer than it took for the roadies to set up the stage. Then Beck played for about 1 hr 15 minutes. Also: there were some feedback problems on a few songs; the mixer dude needed to adjust his levels.


The plusses: It was so great. LOTS of songs from almost every album Beck has ever put out; he even opened with Loser! That was a fun blast from the past. I can't find a very accurate set list online, but he did about5 songs from the newest album, Modern Guilt, and really played a wide range of other material. One highlight was when all 5 on-stage band members stood together at the front of stage, with headphones and hand-held beat-boxes, and did a great version of Hell Yes (from Guero) followed by another hip-hoppish song (which I can't remember now). That was about half an hour into the set and it really looked like Beck was having a good time; up until then it looked a little like he was just going through the motions. Did you notice that I just commented on the appearance of his mood? That's because we were in the SIXTH ROW! There were four rows of pit seats, RIGHT up to the stage, then a walkway, and we were in the 2nd row from the walkway. Way to score those seats, Hubs!! We were closer than a stone's throw from Beck. If I had good aim, I definitely could've hit him with a stone. Some memorable songs: Where It's At (from Odelay), Nicotine and Gravy (from Midnight Vultures), E-Pro and Que Onda Guero (from Guero), Chemtrails and Volcano (from Modern Guilt). There were lots of other songs too...

Oh yeah, and the FEMALE rhythm guitarist/backup singer was my complete idol. I want to be her. She looked like she was having so much fun, but in a very cool, understated, Patti Smith kind of way. If Beck ever needs a back-up singer/keyboardist, sign me up! I'll tell him all about when I was in the Slamheads in college... (For reals. I was in a band for one semester. Called the Slamheads. I played keyboards. And bass on one song. We covered the Go-Go's Our Lips Are Sealed and the Beatles' Come Together, among other things. Good times.)

Cameras were STRICTLY prohibited. And being in the 2nd row, we had all kinds of security guards nearby and Hubs could barely snap off a low-res pic with his cellphone. If you could see that picture you would see that Beck looked just like Tom Petty, with a baggy flannel shirt, long hair, and a hat. It was especially amusing when the Tom Petty look-a-like was rapping. Oh, Beck, your hair was better short. But, you are still the most creative musical genius of your time! We got to park by some GREAT graffiti. Love that downtown Phoenix. The other reason I'm posting this picture is in self-mockery; I agonized all weekend over what to wear to this show, and this is what I came up with. I put on at least 6 shirts that afternoon, plus different jeans and shoes, before deciding on this.

I think I lost a sizable percentage of my hearing, being so close to the front with no earplugs. But it was a mighty good time!! Thank you Hubs.

We're still young; we still rock.