"THERE IS A new record that is rapidly approaching, stealthily into the night," Beck Hansen whispered into a sold-out crowd at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts Sunday night.
Unfortunately for the capacity crowd of 2,000, the 32-year-old acclaimed musician withheld much of his new material from Sea Change, Beck's seventh LP due out from Geffen Records Sept. 24.
Instead, Beck relied heavily on material from his 1998 release, Mutations, during the two-and-a-half-hour set. The crowd had no reason to complain about these songs from the folk-eclectic LP, but as a primer tour to help support the new album, the fans were left in the dark.
"Alright, here's the deal, it's just me, four explosions, a blimp coming out from over there…so watch out," Beck bantered to the crowd when he sauntered on stage.
"And I'm going to pull a white tiger from my groin."
Sans explosions and white tiger, Beck still had enough firepower onstage with a setup of several guitars, two pianos and even a toy guitar with a built-in beat box he calls "Roland."
Beck launched into the set with three songs off Mutations, strumming his guitar to "Cold Brains," "Lazy Flies" and "Bottle of Blues."
Beck worked with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) on both Mutations and Sea Change to create similar sounds on each of the albums.
"I hope you are all nice and relaxed now," Beck said before introducing guitar accompanist Smokey Hormel to join him on stage.
The two played a haunting version of "Dead Melodies" before debuting the new song "Guess I'm Doing Fine" from Sea Change.
Beck's latest songs show how far he has come in a decade. Introspective and delicate, Beck sings about love and sadness through melancholy lyrics and simple melodies on the album.
"Lonesome tears, I can't cry them anymore. Lonesome tears, I can't think of what they are for," Beck sings on Sea Change's "Lonesome Tears."
Each of the 12 songs have been broadcast on www.beck.com, with one being added each week until the release date.
Beck finally brought the funk to Scottsdale when he switched over to Roland for a fresh set of beats.
"He's from Japan," Beck mused, before making Roland burst out a bossa nova beat for fan-favorite "Tropicalia."
As Beck wrapped up the song, allowing the beat to linger, Hormel played the "Tropicalia" riff repeatedly while Beck improvised "Night Flight to Rio," poking fun at having to share an overnight flight with Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose to the "bossa nova capital."
"They don't want to hear that shit in Brazil, though," Beck said. "They want to hear the heavy metal."
Hormel and Beck then performed the new song "It's All In Your Mind" before going back to the Mutations album for "Canceled Check."
The crowd began yelling out titles of favorite songs they wanted to hear, but Beck ignored their pleas and shifted over to a thumb piano to play a bit of Prince's "Raspberry Beret."
He then launched into some laughable lyrics about Scottsdale, shedding light on his opinion for the upper-class venue.
"Scottsdale: It's a cultural revolution, it's a sexual revolution, it's a chain store revolution, it's a revolution sponsored by Best Buy, by Staples, by Office Max," Beck rambled as he laughed into the microphone.
"Scottsdale: They've got lizards on the freeway, they've got middle-class Navajo handicrafts. Rock 'n' roll at Best Buy, rock 'n' roll at TJ Maxx. Scottsdale is about to erupt," Beck sang through a jazzy melody.
Beck brought the tempo back down after playing "Pay No Mind." He then curled up on the floor around a bellows (an accordian-like instrument) to play a creepy version of "Nobody's Fault But My Own" that made the crowd feel Beck's pain.
Beck seemed to feel relaxed in front of the intimate crowd, able to give attention to songs that usually can't be performed in front of larger audiences, playing whatever he felt at that moment.
"Delta blues was always my favorite," Beck said, picking up a slide guitar to perform a cover of Skip James' "Devil Got My Woman," which showcased Beck's strong guitar diversity and dexterity.
One more cover, "Beechwood Park," by the Zombies, and two new songs concluded the regular set, but the crowd was able to coerce Beck into two encores.
Beck finally gave into the crowd's requests to play some cult-favorite older tunes, giving out a medley of songs that included "Steve Threw Up" and "Putting It Down."
"I honestly forgot how to play all those songs. I wrote them 10 years ago. Where were you all 10 years ago when I played them?" Beck asked jokingly.
Beck announced that he would return to Arizona in October 2003 for his next tour, along with supporting act The Flaming Lips, who will revamp some of Beck's songs that will be performed on stage.
Already at work on the next album, Beck is collaborating with producer Dan The Automator (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Gorillaz), possibly signaling a return to the soul funk of 1999's Midnite Vultures.
A final cover of the Everly Brothers' "Sleepless Nights" ended the show, with Beck crooning, "Why did you leave me? Don't you know I need you?"
Yes, as much as the music world needs Beck.
Reach the reporter at steven.ganczaruk@asu.edu.
