Beck performed a set of hits and curios with the BBC Concert Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall last night.
Taking to the stage to join the 80-piece orchestra and conductor Edwin Outwater, the 54-year-old star explained: “We’re gonna do a bit of a deep dive into songs we don’t get to do very often.”
He dug through his back catalogue for songs that had originally featured orchestral arrangements, rather than taking the tried-and-tested route that other musicians have opted for: “Usually how it goes is they just do strings on top of the hits.”
This was the first of two nights of Beck’s orchestral performances at the Albert Hall, following a 2024 US tour of the show, which opened at Chateau St. Michelle Winery Amphitheatre in Woodinville, Washington on July 3.
Last night, Beck explained that he hadn’t been able to perform his 2002 album ‘Sea Change’ with an orchestra and relished the chance to do so now, as he and the musicians onstage revisited a handful of tracks from the record.
Appearing in a dark suit with flared trousers, the singer seemed relaxed and took an informal approach to playing the historic venue, at which he’d performed once before completely solo: “I don’t know what I was thinking! I’m making up for it now… Overcompensating!”
Early in the setlist, he performed his version of the Korgis’ ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometimes’, which appeared in the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The track is one of Beck’s most popular songs on Spotify, having amassed almost 27 million plays. Last year, he told The Los Angeles Times that he found it refreshing to see listeners deciding what will be a hit, rather than record labels, thanks to streaming services. “[‘Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes’ previously] wasn’t in my repertoire at all,” he said, “but because of the film, there’s a whole generation of people who know me for that song.”
The track was a highlight of the show, as was his cover of This Mortal Coil’s version of the Colourbox song ‘Tarantula’. It was one of eight songs he worked on for the 2018 film Roma – though none, he laughed, actually appeared in the movie, with ‘Tarantula’ only gracing the associated soundtrack.
Beck peppered the set with self-deprecating humour, joking that his beautiful covers of the Scott Walker songs ‘It’s Raining Today’ and ‘Montague Terrace’ (In Blue)’ amounted to “£100,000 karaoke”.
In that Los Angeles Times interview, the singer explained that the sheer scale of the concerts meant rehearsals were impossible. Last night, he laughed: “[The orchestra] learned this whole show like five hours ago. It’s taken me 30 years!”
The venue was packed, though the California-born musician admitted that none of his London-based friends were in the capital due to the Easter Bank Holiday weekend: “Thank you for staying in town because I think you’re the only ones.” In the US, he noted, Easter is little more than “an egg hunt for children”.
The audience were rewarded for their attendance with an encore of hits, albeit without the orchestra, who vacated the stage quickly – much more quickly than a US orchestra is capable of, Beck claimed.
He began this final section of the show by clambering through the orchestra pit and banging a huge gong: “We could have a rave!” Beck briefly played a mouth organ, quipping: “I’ve fallen from an 80-piece orchestra to one harmonica”.
He then sang an a capella version of ‘One Foot in the Grave’, leading the audience in call-and-response vocals that were reminiscent of Freddie Mercury’s iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985.
Joking that he’d “got rid of the dead weight” of the orchestra, he promised that he and his three-piece backing band and the audience could now do “everything we want”. This led to a mini rock concert – featuring drummer Joey Waronker, who’s confirmed to be joining Oasis on their upcoming stadium tour – that included ‘Devil’s Haircut’ and ‘Mixed Bizness’.
Beck climbed onto the conductor’s podium, previously occupied by Outwater, and then ascended the orchestra pit (“Higher!” one audience member shouted) as he played the blues slide guitar of closing song ‘Loser’.
Before rising to the very top of the orchestra pit to lead the audience – most of whom were now standing – in the song’s chorus, he accidentally knocked sheet notes from a lectern, which seemed to sum up the evening.
Beck is due to perform further orchestral shows in Asia and North America this year, beginning at the Nano-Mugen Festival in Kota Jakarta Utara, Indonesia, on May 25. His North American orchestral tour will begin at the Westville Music Bowl, New Haven, Connecticut on July 15.
