It's hard not to like Beck. Everybody else does, that's for sure. The music industry loves him because he's bankable: all of his albums have sold fairly well. Critics are reluctant to pan him because he's experimental. MTV loves him because they think he's wierd. Adolescent girls love him for the same reason. For non-jocks it's wish-fullfillment - the short scrawny kid who's actually cool.

Beck's place as a modern day music scenester is secure, and with that comes the kind of confidence you need to be a great entertainer. The kind of entertainer who can use the stage well, can draw out both the crowd and his band mates, can pace a show with the right tempo and musical mix, and can somehow lend a personal edge to what is inherently a non-personal experience (in a large venue). Most of these elements were on display Friday Night at the Mercer Arena in Seattle, in front of a sold-out crowd of probably 10 thousand.

I missed the beginning of the show because it started so damn early: 8:30. I'm not sure why this was, except perhaps all the 14 year olds had to get picked up by their parents afterwards, and there were a lot of them. Maybe Beck's not a midnight vulture, or maybe he knows he's demographic. I arrived at 9:15 and the show was in full swing.

Beck is small on stage, smaller than he even looks on television. With the trademark long, uncombed hair, he almost looks like any other rock musician, except for that wierd gaze in his eyes. But whatever his stature, he makes up for it with a surpisingly strong concert voice. Even songs like "Nicotine & Gravy" had a resounding energy to them, better than the album. Part of this was due to a large instrumental presence on the stage, there were ten other musicians in a large semicircle, almost off stage as it were, with the saxophones and bass coming through clearest. David Brown's funky sax solo was a real highlight, with Beck twisting and gyrating close by. Crowd roars.

By far, the best piece of the set was "Debra", complete with a large velvety bed lowered down from above, where Beck could have a little romp by himself while pining away. The effect was comical, in the way Beck intends the song ("Lady, step in to my Hyundai"), but still pure entertainment. The singing was marvelous, piercing, with the crashing drums coming in at precisely the right time. Crowd roars.

Yes, Beck did play "Loser" to the delight of many out there, but it seemed solely for their benefit. He looked tired of the song, as he should be. In fact he let the crowd sing most of it. "New Pollution", however, grooved especially well.

Midway, he segued into a solo acoustic set that was frankly a bit too long and probably unappreciated by most save those in the first ten rows. It was bit too large a dose of mellow Beck and his voice lost some of its lustre. It did feature a refreshing blast of great harmonica though.

Not suprisingly, the upbeat tracks sounded the best live such as "Mixed Bizness", where Beck and Co. could improvise but still hold things together. The energy level from Beck was great, at turns running and sliding around stage, dancing often, and looking downright dapper in a shiny red disco outfit adorned with sparkling rhinestones. The great variety of musical genres that Beck combines are the real key to his live show. It's a true jam, not too scripted, and the genres present have always been the best in person, especially the hip-hop and blues elements. The encore opened with DJ Shadow scratching alone on a platform for a good 8 or 9 minutes, juggling and spinning records like he was tossing and twirling pizza dough in the air. It was a great entertainment, and indicative of the musical style and varieties that interest Beck. Naturally then, they followed and closed with "Where It's At". Crowd roars -- I headed to the bar, feelin' good.

--Pell Mittenbire