First, read Alli Marshall’s review of the Beck show for Mountain Xpress. Here’s a bit:
If nothing else, the show served as a sort of revue of Beck’s catalog and its almost schizophrenic zig-zag through genres. (Onstage, he even morphed “Sissyneck” into Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean.”) Jazz-tinged hip-hop, indie-rock, country-rock — it’s rare than an artist can take those kinds of risks and put out such a range of experimental albums and still maintain a crowd that not only comes along for the ride but doesn’t even hesitate to take up call-and-response duties on “Loser,” one of the most lyrically odd songs of all time.
The eccentricity of Asheville was not lost on Beck, who said from the stage, “We were walking through the town and there’s people playing banjos and there’s DJs and there’s God knows what going on.” Appropriately, there was a banjo solo on “Sexx Laws,” the first of a three-song encore.
One other note on the Beck show, just to add to its greatness: Sean Lennon, son of John Lennon, and his band, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, opened for Beck. Sean Lennon also came out and jammed with Beck for a good long while. Nice.
Click over to read the full review.
In addition, the movie stars were out for the show. The movie would be the Loomis Fargo movie aka “unnamed armored car” movie being filmed in Asheville this summer. It stars Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig and Zach Galifianakis, among several others. I’ve seen reports of Wilson at the Beck concert – not sure who else – as well as reports of Wiig partying after the show with Charlie Day and his wife Mary Elizabeth Ellis. Day and Ellis star on the comedy It‘s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and Ellis is attached to the armored car movie. Another member of the armored car movie cast is Jason Sudeikis, who also happens to have been a member of the It’s Always Sunny cast.
So there you go. Just another day in Ashvegas.
9 Comments
Can he play the banjo with perfect pitch? (i.e. can he hit all three sides of the dumpster?)
Just kidding. I love-Love-LOVE bluegrass!
And bagpipes.
Sudeikis was on It’s Always Sunny… for two episodes. Hardly a cast member.
Also, “Sexx Laws” always had a banjo part, something that Marshall would know if she actually listened to the song.
Years ago in Brooklyn NY, Beck dropped his banjo during the solo, exposing him for tracking. the following night at Hammerstein Ballroom, he tried to cover it up by intentionally dropping the banjo and attempted to make a joke out of it, but the news was out and no one was fooled. Wonder if he finally learned the banjo or was still faking it
Beck has been playing banjo since his first album (1993).
Not Live in Concert, obviously
and not one of us have ever faked anything in our lives…ever
anyway…his cover of Billie Jean rocked the house:)
Anecdotal evidence always tells the full story. (10000)
That’s my pic you’re using there!
Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon cut in front of me in the bathroom line at the Beck Concert. They passed me on the steps with Charlie Day while I was going back to my seat. So much fun!!!