Beck brings night three of Colors Tour to Charlotte to open concert season at CMUCA:

Photos by: Dianna Augustine

The Morning Phase is over and Beck is ready to stay “Up All Night” and party.

“It’s a beautiful spring night. We’ve got a full moon and a bunch of new tunes, and I’m dedicating this one to you all and this night! Cause I’m ready to stay up all night with you!” smiled Beck from the stage at Charlotte Metro Credit Amphitheatre as he and his band launched into “Up All Night” off of his new LP Colors, and with that we knew we were in for a show that marked the joyous rebirth of an icon.

Beck’s Colors Tour, still in its infancy, – Charlotte was only the third stop on the new tour – is a celebration of the diversity of range and joy that is not only Beck’s music, but the music of his most cherished influences and peers wrapped up in a show that from its first note to last captivates its listeners.

Beck has always been a prolific songwriter who appeals to a national audience while still maintaining his indie status, but never before has he presented his unique mix of folk, funk, soul, hip hop, electronic, alternative rock, country, indie-funk, and psychedelia as concisely as he has on Colors, and, with this tour, in a live setting.

Playing a scant one song off of his 2015 Grammy Album of The Year award winning, but rather melancholy, Morning Phase, Beck unleashed a set list heavy with the new, upbeat, and life affirming tracks off of Colors, along with similar tracks from multiple albums spanning his career.

To the crowd’s, and this fan’s, great delight, Beck and the band even played a rousing rendition of the surf guitar infused “Gamma Ray” off of 2008’s Modern Guilt, a tune which Beck himself admitted they “don’t play live very often.”

Standout Colors tracks like The Beatles’ influenced “Dear Life” proved to be highlights of the show as well. The spirit of many artists, both current and past, were paid homage to by Beck throughout the show as he played snippets from the aforementioned Beatles’ hit “Strawberry Fields Forever” at different times during the set as well as sliding slyly into “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer during “I Think I’m in Love,” and actually covering “Raspberry Beret” and “Lovesick Blues” by Hank Williams, right next to each other in sequence.

That’s quite a diverse line up of influences and styles, and Beck and his impeccably talented band of musicians grooved in and out of the necessary styles and genres of music needed to pull off such a diverse show as inspiringly as they did effortlessly.

“How’s everybody doing? I know that’s a kinda cliche thing to say at a rock show, but actually I meant it. How actually are you doing? I have time. We can just get into it,” half-joked-half-sincerely-asked Beck from the stage about mid-way through the show. His question was slightly evocative of the unsettled state of affairs nationally, but was asked more in the spirit of collective unity than anything political.

One cannot ignore the strength of unity through diversity that Beck obviously advocates through his musical style, and by extension socially and politically. It’s also a product of his upbringing in East LA where he earned the nickname “Guero.” He’s content to let the music speak for itself though, a welcome practice is this hyper divided, and politicized, age.

It’s obvious that Beck is a compositional musical genius, but his genius doesn’t just exist in the vacuum of his said compositional skills. It’s in his performance skills as well. From the most avid and storied concert goer to the most casual, everyone who attends a Beck concert will come away with something not only special, but personal, from the experience. This isn’t just because of the artist’s performance, but because of the artist’s incredible range of performance. Colors embodies the diverse genius of Beck most fully, and the Colors Tour embodies it most lively.

-“The best songs – make you glad to be alive” – Beck

Interesting factoids about Beck:

-Beck is the most critically acclaimed national music artist still claiming the indie title – like the king of indies. He has released 13 studio albums (3 of which were independently released), as well as several non-album singles and a book of sheet music.

-The end of the 2015 Grammy’s as Prince was handing Beck an Album of the Year award for his LP Morning Phase… .before Beck could even open his mouth to protest or even garnish resignation of what was happening, Kanye West walked onstage briefly to protest Beyoncé’s loss. It became a famous meme, and you will still see it circulating today.

-The album did marinate for an extra year, and while Beck and his team collected themselves to get it into a good promotion rotation, and new album state of mind, Greg Kurstin, best known for his work with Adele, Kelly Clarkson and Sia, was working on Colors while he was juggling albums by Halsey and the Foo Fighters, along with film soundtracks. A brilliant fact about the album is Beck and Kurstin played all of the instrument, so there was no other waiting around for people to jump in or – input to rip apart his vision.

#Fandamonium

See full gallery of the night!

COLORS TOUR

http://www.beck.com

Charlotte Metro Credit Amphitheatre opening night.

Beck’s album ‘Colors’ available now: http://beck.to/colors
Listen to new single “Dear Life”: http://beck.to/dearlife