Beck: Live in Concert

Last night, I saw my favorite musician, Beck, perform live in Charlottesville, Virginia.  And it was amazing.

Leah came with me, despite not being familiar with Beck's music beyond his biggest hit, "Loser."  I took advantage of the long drive down to the venue to introduce her to some of his discography -- it probably would have been better if I had played just some of my favorites, but I just set my iPod to shuffle through my Beck collection, though I pointed out when a particular song really spoke to me.

Once we got down to Charlottesville, we checked into our hotel so we could just go straight to sleep after the show.  When it was time to head over to the amphitheater, I suddenly felt the bottom of my stomach drop away: I had forgotten the tickets.  I immediately started having a panic attack and even started crying, but Leah came to my rescue and told me to look up the confirmation email so I could show my proof of purchase to get replacement tickets.  I searched for said email, but nothing came up.  I called Ticketmaster and worked my way through the phone tree (and multiple disconnections) while Leah called the concert venue, Sprint Pavilion.  I never got through to anyone, but Leah did and found out that as long as I have my ID and the credit card I used, the staff at the venue would be able issue me new tickets.  I felt a lot better, but I didn't completely calm down until I had the replacement tickets in hand.

A picture to remember where we parked becomes a fun memory with the addition of a cute pose.

(I know that I spent years in a relationship with an emotionally abusive partner, so my perspective is warped, but I was truly touched when Leah wouldn't let me give up after my blunder.  She helped me find a solution and didn't abandon me when my anxiety got the best of me.  I cannot thank her enough for what she did for me.)

Despite getting in line right when the doors opened, we were able to quickly make it to the front of the audience.  The way the amphitheater is set up, there were no seats at the front, just an open area in which to stand and we were third or fourth from the very front.  For the most part people were well behaved and didn't try force their way to the front (the exception being two rather short teenaged girls near the beginning and a drunk guy near the end of the show).

A selfie while the opening act tuned their instruments.

The opening act was a band from Sweden called Peter Bjorn and John, which was confusing for me because they left out a much needed comma from their band's name (the three founding members of the band are Peter, Bjorn, and John, for which the band is named).  They were a great band to get the crowd in the mood.  The lead guitarist and singer was very energetic and jumped around a lot while he played: there was even one song where he only sang and he walked through the audience, with lots of people giving him high fives (the high fives didn't start until after he passed us, so I never got one).  I enjoyed the music they played and was especially surprised when I heard a song I recognized, "Young Folks."  They only played for about thirty minutes, but I'm glad I got to see them.

My view for the evening.

It took about thirty-five minutes for the road crew to clear Peter Bjorn and John's set from the stage and for Beck's band to start playing.  The man of the hour came out after the music had already started, allowing the crowd to really get amped up.  The band started with the classic song, "Devi's Haircut," but with extra solos.  And no Beck performance would be complete without a rendition of the song that made him famous, "Loser," which was the second song of the night.  His crowd work was great, pointing the mic to the audience for every chorus.  I looked over at Leah and even though she only kind of knew the song, she was really into it.

I liked that Beck sang some songs and picked up his guitar and played while singing for others.  Even though he let his backup band carry the majority of the songs, make no mistake: this guy can play.

After one particularly moving song, "Paper Tiger," Beck asked a girl in the audience if she was okay, because she had been moved to tears.  She apparently said that she was because he kept going, but you could tell that he was touched that she had felt something so powerful through his music.

And like every good show, there was even a costume change:

Maybe not a particularly exciting costume change, but I appreciated the effort.

About halfway into the show, Beck introduced the members of his band, though I didn't catch any of their names.  Still, here's what they look like:

During the bassist's introduction, he started playing Micheal Jackson's "Billie Jean" and the rest of the band joined in. Beck pointed the mic at the audience for the chorus and later commented that we were "surprisingly in key." 

As the band worked their way through many of Beck's bigger hits, I kept track in my head if there were any major ones that had been left out.  Just as I was worried that one of his biggest hits (and one of my personal favorites) would be excluded, "E-pro" was played as the closing song.  The band quickly vacated the stage, but the audience stayed and cheered for a solid minute, so Beck (unaccompanied) came back out for an encore!  He sang and played his harmonica, which resulted in even more cheers.  After this final song, the roadies came and started breaking down the set, a clear sign that the show was over.

There were a lot of ups and downs leading up to this show, but in the end I had a great time.  I loved the music, I loved the company, and I'm glad I took a ridiculous number of pictures.  I'm exhausted, but it was worth it for the experience.