Beck @ The Fox 07/15

[El Dingo]

I'm not a huge Beck fan (I only own "Odelay" as a VMP swap). I do respect him as an influential artist who crosses genres (much like 'The Gorillaz') and I have never seen him live. I felt that, as a Musicologist specializing in late 20th century Western rock I should see the man in concert. It was easy to dismiss the Berkeley, Greek Theater show as too far away, but The Fox was too inviting.

The opener was a comedian Alex Edelman. He was pretty funny and the crowd seemed happy with a non-music opener. He did a hilarious bit about Koko the gorilla learning of Robin Williams death;  "But Prince is Ok, right? Why was David Bowie's last album so sad?"

Beck was almost embarassingly engaging as a showman. He must have said 'Oakland' fifty times. He opened with my favorite song "Devil's Haircut" and blasted through a half hour of stuff I didn't know before slowing WAY down for an acoustic set of folky tunes.

He then picked it up before finishing with "Where It's At" (you may know it as "Two Turntables and a Microphone") which was broken up by band introduction and mindless rambling "to get to know you all one-on-one".

It was a fun show, but I probably won't see him again unless someone gives me tickets or he's part of a festival.

[Drunk Monk]

That reminded me of Vegoose where I heard Beck but only fleetingly - http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...285#pid285. Weird that my brain went there as I've seen Beck other times more completely. 
http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=3170

Been having way too many flashbacks lately. Beyond revisiting Lynch castle, yesterday I got toether with an old comrade from grad school, a dear mad professor friend (he secured his phd and is now at a community college in az). We trolled about the Cruz on a wicked drinking binge ranting about philosophic bs, just like the old daze 30+ years ago. He's really the only friend I kept from grad school.