Beck brought his Ride Lonesome tour to Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy Friday night, delivering a performance that was as thoughtfully presented as it was about the music. With a career spanning more than three decades and a catalog that has moved through folk, alternative rock, electronic experimentation and just about everything in between, choices have to be made, and the evening’s most interesting moments came from the connections between his newest material and some of the deeper cuts from his past.
The production moved through quite a number of distinct stage arrangements, each creating a different setting for the music. Some enhanced the visual experience, while others made a large room feel considerably smaller for the quieter moments. Beck commented that they were playing it like a club while the crew was working as though it were a stadium event. It was an apt observation.
The evening began with Beck on acoustic guitar, standing in front of a façade resembling a small house for “In the Night,” an appropriately understated introduction to the new album. The production then shifted for “For Your Love,” with Beck seated at the piano at one end of a lengthy table. Both he and an empty chair at the opposite end were spotlighted, a visual cue for heartbreak and loss.
Early on, with the audience still in their seats, Beck made it clear that “the hits” would follow, and they did. While some audience members eventually stood, the reserved seating format was initially appropriate for a performance that often called for listening rather than dancing or rock-and-roll enthusiasm.
Beck mentioned that the band carries 38 songs for this tour, mixing them up nightly and making room for songs rarely performed live. Many of the selections fit the introspective mood of Ride Lonesome, including “The Golden Age,” “Paper Tiger,” “Blue Moon,” “Say Goodbye,” “Cold Brains” and “Lost Cause.” Spanning different periods of his career, they share an emotional restraint that makes them natural companions to the newer material.
The band was particularly well suited to the songs and the vibes brought to each. Jason Falkner brought some welcome flash to the electric guitar, while Justin Meldal-Johnsen’s bass subtly accentuated the songs in quieter moments. The chemistry among the musicians was apparent throughout, whether building a fuller rock arrangement or leaning to the more organic. A firepit-like stage arrangement brought the band close together, and the warmth of their harmonies shone on “Disappearing Act” and “Lost Cause.”
Of course, Beck didn’t leave out the songs that have become permanent fixtures of his live performances. “The New Pollution,” “Devils Haircut,” “Loser,” “E-Pro” and “Where It’s At” provided plenty of opportunities for the audience to reconnect with the more familiar side of his catalog. “Loser” arrived with an especially enjoyable bluesy slide guitar introduction from Beck before settling into its familiar groove.
As with the opening, Beck closed the evening with an encore that brought everything back to its simplest form. Alone in a spotlight at stage right, he performed three acoustic songs: “Debra,” followed by covers of Neil Young’s “Old Man” and Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You in the End.” In their own ways, the three songs trace a path from youthful infatuation and playfulness through reflection to a more enduring sense of optimism. AS “True Love,” was the only planned encore, one has to wonder if Beck was thinking along the same lines. It worked.
Setlist:
Encore:
