Splitting the bill on a 23-date trek of North America which commenced in the Pacific Northwest in early August, dubbed the Summer Odyssey Tour, indie-rock heavyweight Beck and French pop rockers Phoenix descended upon the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT this past Wednesday evening, September 6.
No strangers to one another, Beck joined Phoenix during their Los Angeles residency at the Fonda Theater in 2018, performing the tracks “Lost Cause” (Sea Change, 2002) and “Jack-Ass” (Odelay, 1996). And this past June, the two artists joined forces on a new single titled “Odyssey,” with vocals from both Beck and Phoenix’s lead singer Thomas Mars. Prior to the collaboration, Phoenix released Alpha Zulu (Glassnote Records) in November of last year (their seventh studio album), while Beck most recently issued his fourteenth studio album Hyperspace (Capitol Records) in 2019.
On a late afternoon filled with sweltering heat, the festivities kicked off promptly at 5:45 pm as the first of two opening acts, Sir Chloe, took to the boutique amphitheater stage nestled along the Long Island Sound waterfront. Despite the early start time on hump day, the quintet hailing from Bennington, VT, led by frontwoman Dana Foote, had amassed a strong contingent of die-hard fans along the steel barricade of the general admission floor area. Although their set was over all too quickly, the collection of young alt-rock musicians (rounded out by Foote’s brother Palmer, Teddy O’Mara, Emma Welch and Austin Holmes) made the most of their allotted 25-minutes while braving 90+ degree temperatures – particularly that of Foote, who rarely stood still.
As the picturesque, 6,000-capacity venue that opened in July 2021 continued to fill up with fans of all ages, Natalie Laura Mering, professionally known as Weyes Blood (pronounced Wize Blood), was next up to perform support duties on behalf of Beck and Phoenix. Born in Santa Monica, CA and raised in Doylestown, PA, Mering is touring in support of her fifth studio album, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Sub Pop), released in late-2022. A talented artist whose musical catalog crosses several genres – chamber pop, indie pop, folk rock, noise music and experiment rock – Mering sported an elegant, off-white dress with a flowing cape while backed by a guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboardist. Her set piece was decorated with numerous candelabras perfectly matching the romantic tone of her glorious, nearly 45-minute long set.
The sun having mercifully set and temperatures finally bearable beneath the amphitheater’s massive canopy, co-headliner Phoenix entered stage left at 7:40 pm to a raucous ovation from the packed house. With a history dating to 1995, when Phoenix started releasing synth pop singles which were later featured in their debut album United (Rhino/Parlophone) released in 2000, the band has remained unchanged since their formation, comprised of the aforementioned Mars, Deck d’Arcy (bass, keyboards), Christian Mazzalai (guitar) and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar, keyboards). In Bridgeport, the French band was rounded out with touring musicians Thomas Hedlund (drummer) and Robin Coudert (keyboards, percussion).
With a stage backdrop of stunning visuals continually plastered across a jumbotron video wall, Phoenix offered up an 18-song set spread across five albums in their discography, with the most presentations (eight in total) coming from their 2009 studio album, and fourth overall, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (V2 Records). Mars and his bandmates transformed The Amp with the lushness and beauty of their arrangements, exquisitely balancing swirling guitars and synthesizers on songs such as “Lisztomania,” “Too Young” and “Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1,” with its guitar ostinatos and driving percussion.
As the set turned for the homestretch, the beloved group from Versailles gifted their fans “Funky Squaredance,” with its country-inspired slide guitar couple with bluesey-funk and “Winter Solstice,” a tune drenched in vocal distortion and building synths. Before Phoenix’s night closed with “1901,” the tune which propelled the band to immense popularity and recognition, the charismatic Mars thrilled his fans by leaving the stage for a journey into the crowd, making his way to the rear of the venue, and back again. He paused several times along his route, interacting with ecstatic souls who would no doubt remember this night forever.
If Phoenix weren’t enough to satisfy your indie rock taste buds, there was still one headliner left – Mr. Beck David Hansen of Los Angeles, CA – who if you don’t know, rose to fame in the early-1990s after living in a rat-infested shed and dead broke. Armed with a Silvertone 1448 guitar made of particle board that he bought from the Sears catalog, the lo-fi, art pop musician guru would never look back as he released album after album to critical acclaim, beginning with the breakthrough single and worldwide hit “Loser” from 1994’s Mellow Gold.
Appearing onstage with musicians that have contributed to his success in one way or another during the span of his 35-year career, Beck’s set got underway at 9:40 pm with “Devils Haircut,” lifted from his fifth studio album Odelay (DGC Records) released in 1996. Beck would later bequeath upon his faithful listeners two more incredibly successful singles from said album including “The New Pollution,” and the final number of the set, “Where It’s At,” a tune during which he would be accompanied onstage by Phoenix, Weyes Blood and Sir Chloe for an epic party atmosphere conclusion, complete with a conga line.
The crowd already in a fervor from the jump, a performance of the humorous ode to a girl named “Debra” from Beck’s seventh studio album released in 1999, Midnite Vultures (DGC Records) at the half-way point put us all over the top. Hilariously improvising his signature falsetto lyrics as the soul R&B-ballad pastiche went along – about meeting a girl named Jenny who works at JCPenney and who had a sister named Debra that Beck wanted to ‘get with’ – I had to reproduce some of them here:
I just wanted to do something nice for her, to show her how much I cared. So, I went down to Bed Bath & Beyond. And I went straight to the back, to the beyond section. And in the beyond section, there’s a little door. That’s where they keep all the potpourri and the scented candles and the apricot exfoliator. I bought all that shit. And I loaded it up in the car. And I drove down to the shopping center where she works. And I came to surprise her after work on a Wednesday night. I said “Lady, step inside my Hyundai.”
The hits kept coming, including “Gamma Ray” and “Chemtrails” from 2008’s Modern Guilt (DGC Records/XL Recordings), “Lost Cause” from 2002’s Sea Change (Geffen), and of course a duet execution of “Odyssey” with Mars reappearing to contribute his share of the vocals. As the clock struck 11:00 pm and the show neared its denouement – having showcased more than two decades of material traversing eight albums (from Stereopathetic Soulmanure released 1994 via Flipside Records to Colors released in 2017 via Fonograf Records) – the summer party was officially over, and I was glad to have been invited. The Summer Odyssey Tour wraps on September 10 with an outdoor gig at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.
Phoenix Setlist: Lisztomania > Entertainment > Lasso > Too Young > Girlfriend > Alpha Zulu > Ti Amo > After Midnight > Armistice > Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1 > Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 2 > If I Ever Feel Better > Funky Squaredance > Tonight > Winter Solstice > Rome > Trying to Be Cool > 1901
Beck Setlist: Devils Haircut > Mixed Bizness > The New Pollution > Qué Onda Guero > Girl > Wow > Nicotine & Gravy > Debra > Gamma Ray > Soul of a Man > Chemtrails > The Golden Age > Lost Cause > Odyssey (Beck & Phoenix cover) > Dreams > Loser > E-Pro > One Foot in the Grave > Where It’s At
WEYES BLOOD
PHOENIX
BECK
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