Riot Fest 2024: Beck's flashy collage channels sounds from all over

Fresh off a summer mini-tour in which he opened up his catalog to an orchestra, Beck was back to basics at Riot Fest Saturday night: plugged-in and delivering the mixed bag of sounds, somehow simultaneously retro and futuristic, that he’s collaged together over past 30-some years.

Beck is the artistic equivalent of coming off a vacation when you’re so chilled out you have no idea what day it is, what month it is, what year it is. One minute, he’s channeling ’70s swing (“The New Pollution”), in the next he’s got blues on the mind (“Soul of a Man”), before long there’s a folk ballad (“The Golden Age”) and then he’s giving us Spanish lessons (“Loser,” “Qué Onda Guero”). Beck’s music is always all over the place — it’s how he can collaborate with electro pop band Phoenix and country crooner Orville Peck within the span of a year — and it’s a likable whimsy that draws listeners in just for the pure fun of it.

The entertaining stories help, too. To preface “Debra,” Beck spun a hilarious yarn about a girl he fell in love with from Chicago, picking her up from her job at Woodfield Mall and showering her in gifts from Bed Bath & Beyond like apricot exfoliating scrub and an abundance of potpourri. “There was so much I put it in a cornucopia for you girl,” he shared, totally deadpan.

The relatively short headlining set (just 75 minutes long) came off like a televised variety show with revolving cartoon and geometric graphics, Tokyo-meets-Vegas bright lights and a five-piece band on an elevated platform accessible via stairs, which Beck raced up and down while remaining the affable host of ceremonies.

Altogether, the unit was incredibly tight, with seamless effects, samples and a wide array of instrumentation helping to define the catch-all bin of sounds Beck packed in throughout the night. Not to mention the high level of production that elevated the whole performance into arena-level territory.

“I remember the first time in Chicago we played Metro; we’ve come a long way, baby,” Beck memorialized, ironically playing the Riot Fest stage now called Cabaret Metro.

A few times, he also made sure to applaud his “friends” that had played throughout the day, commending them on their “amazing sets,” specifically calling out Spoon, St. Vincent and Pavement. Of the latter, he shared, “I spent a lot of time in my 20s doing shows with them, so this is a really special day.”

If Saturday had any theme, it really was the giants of indie rock stacked on top of one another like a scenester Jenga. It was the total calm before the literal and figurative storm heading to Douglass Park Sunday with the impending weather and the arrival of the reunited trash legends Slayer.

Set List:

Devils Haircut
The New Pollution
Mixed Bizness
Girl
Qué Onda Guero
Nicotine and Gravy
Wow
Debra
Gamma Ray
Soul of a Man
The Golden Age
Lost Cause
Dreams
Sexx Laws
Loser
E-Pro
Where It’s At