Beck brings an evening of ‘Morning Phase’ to Detroit – Knight Foundation
Arts

Beck brings an evening of ‘Morning Phase’ to Detroit

An evening with Beck’s Morning Phase.

On Saturday, June 28th, The Fox Theatre hosted a stop on Beck’s tour in support of his new 2014 release, Morning Phase, a companion piece to the 2002 album Sea Change, and Beck’s second best-selling album in a two-decade long major label music career.

Beck's opening set, a near-complete runthrough of the new album.

Beck’s opening set, a near-complete run-through of the new album.

Preternaturally youthful in appearance, Beck (nee Beck Hansen) brought a veteran stage performance and presence to the packed crowd, whose energy mirrored the rave critical reception of Morning Phase. Beck kicked off the show by playing the bulk of the new album while opening for himself, in place of the slated opener, The Ghost of A Saber Tooth Tiger, featuring Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhi.

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Beck was backed by a coterie of musicians, deploying multiple guitars, electric banjo, keyboards and synth-samples, to ably replicate his diverse studio array.

Whether intentional or not, the Beck double-bill was an ingenious format, enabling the band to execute the more meditative folk-based new material as whole cloth and returning after the break for a high-energy highlight reel of Beck’s 12-album career, a genre-defying discography that includes his big-label debut, Mellow Gold, the disco-derived sample fest, Midnight Vultures, and his previous release, 2008’s Modern Guilt.

Behind

The crowd was on its feet throughout the second set.

Having recovered from the injury that hampered the recording of Modern Guilt, the show was anchored by Beck’s startling range, and peppered with Beck’s characteristic antics, including cordoning off the band behind caution tape, and sending up a revival-worthy rendition of “Debra,” in the encore. All-in-all, a terrific night of entertainment and a triumphant return for one of mainstream music’s most offbeat shining stars.

Fox Theatre: 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-471-3200