Hijacking Your Equilibrium

Beck @ Central Park 7/1/2014
Devil’s Haircut / Black Tambourine / Soul of a Man / One Foot in the Grave / The New Pollution / Blue Moon / Lost Cause / Country Down / Modern Guilt / Think I’m In Love / Loser / Que Onda Guero / Paper Tiger / Heart Is A Drum / Wave / Waking Light / Soldier Jane / Girl / E-Pro // Sexx Laws / Debra / Where It’s At

Beck “Sexx Laws” (Live at the Budokon, 2000)

This is the third summer in a row where I’ve seen a Beck show outdoors, which I suppose has become the new tradition in place of seeing Sonic Youth play an outdoor summer show every year in NYC. The interesting thing about Beck shows is that in making an effort to play selections from all over his eclectic catalog, the mood of his setlist is all over the place, and this particular show ranged from about as depressed and desolate as music gets – “Wave,” “Lost Cause” – to the ecstatic silliness of stuff like “Sexx Laws,” “Debra,” and “Where It’s At.” It’s a very well rounded experience, and he and his band really commit to every extreme. I suppose that if I could have my way, it would’ve been all in that Midnite Vultures/Odelay/Guero mode, but that does give short shrift to a man who’s capable of so many moods and tones. But yes, as a hardcore fan of Midnite Vultures and a person for whom “Sexx Laws” is a karaoke staple, watching him perform “Sexx Laws” and “Debra” back to back in the encore was an extremely happy experience. I was lucky enough to be in a pocket of the audience where there were many people very enthusiastic about those songs in particular, so it got to be as physical and participatory as I would’ve hoped. I wish I could do it again today.

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