BECK WITH PHILHARMONIA AUSTRALIA – PALAIS THEATRE, ST.KILDA

Review: Greg Phillips. All Photos: Ian Laidlaw for Frontier Touring

Grammy winning music chameleon Beck Hansen has returned to Australia for the first time since 2023, when he performed a series of solo acoustic shows. As he told a packed house at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre last night, “I’m over-compensating this time” as he was joined by an elaborate orchestra, the acclaimed Philharmonia Australia.

Beck ought to know a thing about orchestral arrangements, his father is Canadian arranger, composer, and conductor David Campbell, who has worked with Adele, Lady Gaga, Neil Diamond, Billie Eilish, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones and of course his own son.

Beck stated that he’d be playing a wide range of material from his back-catalogue but mostly songs that were conducive to an orchestral treatment or as he said to the Palais crowd, mostly “Sad Beck.” It has been seven years since the release of his last studio album Hyperspace, so there were certainly no fears of him laying many new songs upon the audience, although he did indulge with one later in the show.

Philharmonia Australia opened the concert with the elegant instrumental prelude Cycle from the Morning Phase album, signalling Beck’s entrance to the stage as they merged into the graceful Sea Change album track, The Golden Age. It was already evident that Beck’s music and the orchestra was a match made in heaven. A tone of overwhelming beauty had been set for the night and there was no turning back.

In his first extended stage chat, Beck announced that he’d next be playing the Korgi’s hit Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime, which he recorded for the feature film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He revealed that at the time he had rejected an offer of involvement in the original Shrek movie and continued to do so for each ensuing Shrek soundtrack … until the last one, which a friend was responsible for.

The one-two punch of the epic Lonesome Tears from Sea Change and Wave from Morning Phase was breathtaking, showcasing the impact of the huge orchestral sounds as well as the strength and control of Beck’s melodious voice. Shivers down the back of your neck stuff. Dressed in a sleek dark suit, open shirt and cowboy heels, the skinny-legged Beck expressed his love for Antônio Carlos Jobim and Brazilian music in general, then changed up the pace with the exotic Tropicalia.

Unlike many other artist/orchestra collaborations, this encounter didn’t feel like a parade of hits merely backed by strings. As Beck said on stage, “this feels like a band”, joking that they could easily hang out together! And although the setlist spanned multiple Beck albums, there was an ever-present oneness about the repertoire, tied together sonically by the the ethereal arrangements and the grandeur of the orchestra, resulting in a singular panoramic aural experience.

Meanwhile, to Beck’s right stood his actual band featuring Jason Falkner on guitar, bass and backing vocals, James McAlister behind a drum screen and further backstage, Roger Manning Jr on keyboards. The room mix was so good that every note played by Beck’s virtuosic band cut through the orchestra and contributed immensely to the overall spirit of the adventure.

Returning to the Morning Phase album, the collective performed a majestic version of Blue Moon, inducing the audience to sway in their seats. Lost Cause from Sea Change further conveyed a feeling of escapism and detachment from our everyday realities.

Funking things up, Beck, band and orchestra delivered a refreshing take on The New Pollution from the Odelay album, adding some zest to the mix. Strumming his acoustic guitar Beck suggested that the next one, a new song called Ride Lonesome, was in the key of E, the typical chord of most of his sad songs, telling us “You pick up the guitar and immediately strum an E, then you’re just too sad to go to another key!”

“Very expensive Scott Walker Karaoke,” is how Beck summed up his inclusion of It’s Raining Today, the first of two Scott Walker tunes he performed in the show. Jason Falkner’s retro bass sound and some intriguing keyboard effects from Manning Jr added a little signature Scott Walker uneasiness to the song’s beauty.

The song Ramona, originally written for the film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was an ideal match for orchestration, with its sweeping chords and glorious string arrangement. Phase and then Morning (both clearly from the Morning Phase album) produced stereotypical Beck splendour.

Vintage Rhodes piano sounds prompted a vibrant Where It’s At from Odelay and enticed the audience out of their seats to dance before Philharmonia Australia took their bows and left the stage to thunderous applause after a job absolutely well done. In the meantime, Beck gave commentary of each orchestra section packing up and leaving the stage, “Thanks trombones”, “The Violins are out of here, always first to go”. Strolling to the back of the stage, he plucked the harp asking if he should “Become the next Joanna Newsome,” then pointed out that the gong in Sydney was 15 times larger.

With just the rock band remaining on stage, it was time to party and Devil’s Haircut was the perfect party-popper featuring some gnarly fuzz guitar parts. A chaotic Mixed Bizness followed, before the Midnite Vultures track Debra gave Beck a chance to test out his falsetto vocal skills. Then sitting himself down comfortably on the orchestra conductor’s riser, with acoustic guitar in hand Beck proceeded to produce a powerful extended slide guitar solo, a dramatic intro to the classic Loser. Cue audience singalong.

Ironically, on a night in which massive, wide-ranging sounds were celebrated, it ended with just a man and his guitar as Beck delivered a heartfelt version of Daniel Johnston’s True Love Will Find You in the End.

As indicated earlier, this was not just the meeting of Beck’s back-catalogue with an orchestra, it was a captivating musical experience full of beauty and joy, and most of all, a celebration of an extraordinary, genre-bending artist.

Setlist
Cycle
The Golden Age
Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime
Lonesome Tears
Wave
Tropicalia
Blue Moon
Lost Cause
The New Pollution
Ride Lonesome
It’s Raining Today
Paper Tiger
Ramona
Missing
Montague Terrace (in Blue)
Phase
Morning
Waking Light
Where It’s At