Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville TN | 5.8.18

WOrds+ photos by britton strickland

Beck has been touring for his new album “Colors,” and as soon as he announced his Nashville show, I immediately put it on my calendar. Beck has constantly been putting out music for my entire life, with his biggest song, “Loser,” being written before I was even born. Beck’s music stands the test of time because it merges current music trends with a twist that only he can pull off. While I’ll always be a fan of the early 2000s version of Beck, his new work has become more complex and beautiful, soaring him above the competition and granting him the many awards that he’s received.

Beck’s music and videos have always been a whirlwind of emotion and visuals, and I expected nothing less at this show. I was expecting to be hit with his flashy new music, but when he walked out to his ’96 hit "Devils Haircut," I knew this show was going to be worth more than anyone paid for. He kept the show strong with “Up All Night,” followed by “Que Onda Güero” and “Black Tambourine” from my favorite album “Güero." He then was joined by his opening act, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, who followed him on the road after a long residency at New Orleans’ Jazz Fest. He strutted the stage with funky guitar solos and Owen Wilson jokes during his performance of “Wow.”

The concert was held at Ascend Amphitheater, an outdoor venue in the center of downtown Nashville. This show was the 4th show of the season, and it caused a lot of heat across town because of sound pollution that spread several miles across the city. But hey, you live in “Music City;” what can you expect?

He threw a few covers in the mix, including "Raspberry Beret” and a tribute to the great Walmart kid with an interesting attempt at “Lovesick Blues.” He ended it by starting “Where It’s At,” where he stopped after two verses to let his band mates introduce themselves with an excerpt from some classic songs followed by a harmonica/acoustic David Bowie cover. “I guess we should finish what we started,” he said while finishing out “Where It’s At” (which I had forgotten about). Then he ends it like the BAMF he is.

SETLIST

• Devils Haircut

• Up All Night

• Qué Onda Güero

• Black Tambourine

• The New Pollution (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

• Mixed Bizness (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

• Sexx Laws (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

• Colors (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

• Wow

• Dear Life

• Go It Alone

Acoustic Solo

• Country Down

• Lost Cause

• Debra

• Raspberry Beret (Prince cover)

• Lovesick Blues (Hank Williams cover)

Full Band

• Blue Moon

• Dreams

• Girl

• Loser

• E-Pro

Encore

• l'm So Free

• Where It's At (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

• Band intro

• Good Times (Chic)

• Miss You (The Rolling Stones)

• Cars (Gary Numan)

• Once In a Lifetime (Talking Heads)

• Drum Solo (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

• One Foot in the Grave (Beck acoustic solo with harmonica)

• Rebel Rebel (David Bowie cover)

• Where It's At (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band) (Reprise)