Beck is revered as an all-time guitar hero and after witnessing Wednesday’s performance it’s easy to see why. On stage, Beck may be a man of few words, rarely talking to the crowd, but he expresses himself with thousands of notes — and it’s a compelling conversation.

It’s no easy feat to carry long-term fascination with lots of fully instrumental material, which comprised about half his set, but Beck had no problem doing so. The first four songs — “Pull It,” “Stratus,” “Nadia” and “You Know You Know” — were all instrumentals. Part-time singer Jimmy Hall finally made an appearance next on “Morning Dew.” Fans were in such a reverie at that point that it was almost jolting to have someone actually singing.

In addition to Hall’s part-time presence, Beck was backed by a stellar trio of musicians. Rhonda Smith was flat-out amazing on bass. She mostly stayed toward the back, but had a showcase solo out front during “You Know You Know” that was incredible. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and cellist Vanessa Freebairn-Smith were also excellent in their own rights.

Source: Daily Herald