By Nick Corr
After his stripped-back solo tour a few years ago, this orchestral tour leans firmly in the opposite direction – full band, full orchestra. As Beck jokes at the start of the show “I might be overcompensating since my last visit”.
The orchestra opens with “Cycle” before Beck walks on and begins “The Golden Age” on acoustic guitar. The early stretch leans heavily on his more subdued material from 2002’s Sea Change.
On “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” his Korgis cover popularised via Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack, the orchestra carries most of the dynamics. “Tropicalia” is one of the first surprises of the night, with the orchestration pushing a Brazilian feel.
On material like“Blue Moon”,“Lost Cause”, “Lonesome Tears” and “Wave” the orchestra tends to reinforce rather than transform. “The New Pollution” gets a more theatrical treatment, particularly in the intro and outro movements.
Just released single “Ride Lonesome” is an early highlight, driven by a prominent string arrangement that gives it a classic orchestral pop feel, somewhere in the vein of Glen Campbell via Jimmy Webb.
At one point Beck describes the concept as “very expensive Scott Walker karaoke,” which lands somewhere between joke and explanation. Two Walker covers – “It’s Raining Today” and “Montague Terrace (In Blue)” are performed faithfully alongside originals like “Paper Tiger,” “Ramona,” and “Missing”.
A second orchestral interlude “Phase” leads into a pair of Morning Phase selections, “Morning” and “Waking Light,” before the main set closes with “Where It’s At” enjoyable but not the most successful orchestral reinvention of the night.
As the orchestral players pack down and file offstage, Beck roams the stage like a teenager let loose in a school music room – plucking at the harp, striking the gong, and banging the oversized kettle drum, undercutting the formality of the setup.
The encore features just Beck and his three-piece touring back with James McAlister (drums), Jason Faulkner (guitar/bass), and Roger Manning Jr. (keys) and the show becomes looser. “Devils Haircut” and “Mixed Bizness” feel tighter and more direct, while the slinky “Debra”, played as a crowd request, leans into its falsetto humor including local references to Fitzroy and St Kilda. “Loser” closes the band encore on a high.
Beck returns alone for a final acoustic encore, playing Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You in the End.” The format works best when it leans into both sides of Beck’s catalogue – underpinning the emotional weight of his orchestral-leaning material while opening space for selective reinvention and well-chosen covers. Beck mentioned the Sydney Opera House shows were filmed, suggesting this configuration may yet get a proper live release which would be fantastic.
Full Setlist:
- Cycle
- The Golden Age
- Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime (The Korgis cover)
- Lonesome Tears
- Wave
- Tropicalia
- Blue Moon
- Lost Cause
- The New Pollution
- Ride Lonesome
- It’s Raining Today (Scott Walker cover)
- Paper Tiger
- Ramona
- Missing
- Montague Terrace (in Blue)(Scott Walker cover)
- Phase
- Morning
- Waking Light
- Where It’s At
- Devils Haircut
- Mixed Bizness
- Debra
- Loser
- True Love Will Find You in the End (Daniel Johnston cover)