Beck dazzles even when new Club Nokia doesn’t
November 11th, 2008, 9:37 am · Post a Comment · posted by "Desert Jeff" Miller
Earlier this year, in the thick of the summer music season, the pop chameleon Beck played a show that, by all accounts, should have been one of the best in his storied, nearly two-decade career. After working his way up from bus-busking in the early ’90s, he was set to headline one of the biggest venues in his hometown of L.A., the Hollywood Bowl.
But Beck –- backed that night by his father, David Campbell, leading a massive string section, and buoyed by strong opening sets from Spoon and MGMT –- let down some ardent fans with a set that felt rote and indeterminate, rather than confident and commanding.
Just a few months later, at least some Beck fans can feel vindicated that they finally got what they deserved. On Monday, as part of the opening of the new Club Nokia in downtown L.A., Beck and his four-piece band played a celebratory, career-spanning set containing hits (the opening one-two-three punch of “Where It’s At,” “Girl,” and “Devil’s Haircut”) rarities (the Mellow Gold-era “Pay No Mind,” Sonic Youth’s “Star Power,” the latter more melodic in Beck’s able hands) and a couple of nutted-up songs from his newest album, the psych-rocking Modern Guilt.
Most interesting is that a set this impressive came in a new venue that –- given Beck’s long-standing indie cred –- is anything but legit, despite its mostly impressive features.
Fans enter into a high-tech room featuring Nokia-promoting, user-generated video lining the walls and floors before entering the venue proper — a broad, semicircular, tiered room with distracting Vegas-style neon lights (both around and behind the lengthy back bar) that slowly change colors, and don’t just appear that way after downing more and more beers.
There’s a huge, steep balcony with wide seats, both cloth- and leather-backed. But getting there’s a pain. The stairway, at least for this night, was blocked, with the only other route a pair of small elevators that also stopped on the floor in between, revealing a VIP room with no view of the stage, only private cabanas and flatscreen TVs.
Traffic between the balcony and the floor is a problem, as is the narrow exit. But the venue’s positives far outweigh the negatives –- and Beck took full advantage of them, from the arena-height ceiling (useful for his pixelated visuals, including six massive spotlights) and an intimate proximity to the audience (which came in handy for the 808-laden electro-funk of “Hell Yes” and “Clap Hands”).
For this longtime L.A. favorite, a night at the Bowl may have been, in retrospect, just a bit too much. Give him somewhere to make history, however, rather than get buried under the weight of it, and there’s no doubt he’ll put his genius on full display.
Beck at Club Nokia, Nov. 10, 2008
Main set: Where It’s At / Girl / Devil’s Haircut / Guero / Mixed Bizness > Jam / Nicotine & Gravy / Hell Yes / Black Tambourine / Clap Hands / Modern Guilt / Orphans / Soul of a Man / Think I’m in Love / Star Power (Sonic Youth cover) / Missing / The Golden Age / Lost Cause / Pay No Mind / Chemtrails / Loser / Nausea
Encore: Gamma Ray (w/Jay Reatard) / Time Bomb / Minus / E Pro
Jeff Miller is Los Angeles editor of Thrillist.com
