[DID NOT ATTEND: July 25, 2024] Beck with the Philadelphia Orchestra / Molly Lewis
My wife and I have seen Beck three times now and his shows are always fun.
I more or less felt like I’d always see him when he came around. And typically, an orchestral show promises an interesting performance.
But given Beck’s past history with making orchestral music, I wondered if this show would be really mellow and not all that much fun. I mean, sure, Beck would make it fun, but, well, it just didn’t seem worth the drive to the Mann.
Looking at the setlist, I see that he played six songs from Morning Phase and five from Sea Change. Just not my type of show, really. But here’s some excerpts from the WXPN review:
Last night at The Mann Center, Beck took the stage with the 80-piece Philadelphia Orchestra and his Sea Change album band. This allowed him to perform songs that he usually does not get a chance to perform: cuts from Sea Change, Morning Phase and Mutations, as well as sneaking in his big hits such as “Devil’s Haircut” and “Loser,” which got the intently listening crowd to their feet. It was a truly incredible sound. He referred to playing with the orchestra as “$100,000 karaoke.”
With lots of wit and funny commentary, Beck also talked a lot about his influences such as Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy, whom he dedicated a song to. He played songs that he “selfishly wanted to sing with an orchestra, now that they were on stage” with him, such as “It’s Raining Today” by Scott Walker. He also mentioned that his very first concert was Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim.
After the 90-minute set with the Philadelphia Orchestra, they left the stage, leaving just Beck and his band on stage. Beck walked and climbed around the seats on stage having the spotlight follow him as he performed the encore, and left everyone wanting the show to go on longer.
I Just Read About That... 