Beck plays “Loser” and delights the audience at Primavera Sound
It’s true that when starting a new work, Beck can surprise with his transitions and mixtures of musical styles. Based on alternative rock, he came to the attention of the world in 1994 with the ironic and selfdeprecating “Loser” and convinced the young MTV audience by satirizing himself and making fun of the music industry at the time with funny productions.
A total of 14 albums and a few singles were released in his career, in which he switched from bluegrass to funk, hip hop and electronic and fed on country sources. The last fulllength work, “Hyperspace” (2019), was produced by Pharrell, known for his more pasteurized dance sounds. He recently joined the band Phoenix for another effort, June’s “Odisssey.”
This mix didn’t always bring good results, despite Beck’s talent, already nicknamed the “Prince of American Alternative Rock” and with eight Grammy statuettes on his resume.
It was this prince that the Primavera Sound 2023 audience was desperate to see, as the last time he performed here was ten years ago at the late Planeta Terra.
Beck doesn’t give in. It starts with the song “Devils Haircut”, one of the group’s favorite songs, which filled the stage.
After a brief “How are you?”, he launched into the peppy “Mixed Bizness” and “The new polly” with a 1960s groove in which he declares his love to a girl with curious tastes.
The show is fastpaced, without much hassle with the audience. One song is practically tied to the other, somewhat bureaucratic. Due to the weather it was even possible to slow down the pace a little.
“Qué onda guero” is another selfdeprecating piece of his work, in which he responds to criticism of being a white man exploring Latin and hiphop territories. His style allowed fans to sway their hips with their arms outstretched.
This is joined by “Nicotine & Gravy” with a funksoul background, where he is applauded when he lies on the floor to sing.
The highlight is the partnership with Gorillaz, “The Valley of the Heathens”, with danceable flair and great audience approval.
“Wow,” with its caricatured flute and hiphop beats, no longer had the same impact and slowed the pace of the performance. “Gamma Ray,” the next one, seemed to take off, but it didn’t do much either.
The most introspective atmosphere arises in the delicate movements “Lost Cause” and “Everybody’s got to learn sometime”.
It was lovely to see the audience in a state of contemplation, raising the volume in gentle choruses during the choruses.
The mood returns to the dance mood with “Dreams” and “Up all night”.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle for a love letter to Brazilian music. “The first show I saw was Tom Jobim,” he explained.
Yes, and there is absolutely no such thing. “Loser” remains one of the highlights of the performance. It begins with a solo on the guitar indicating it is time for the audience choir, beautifully performed.
Towards the end he showed off his funny role as a “white nerd who does hiphop” with “Where it’s at”. This is the moment when he seemed the most excited, commanding the “ooooo” and “eeees”.
The result was a dance show that showcased the talent that everyone knew existed. But it sounded bureaucratic.
The performance also ended without much farewell, just him and the harmonica from “one foot in the bass”.
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