Beck along with Cage The Elephant made a stop at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, NY last Monday. They rounded out their Night Running tour with special guests Spoon and Sunflower Bean.
From the moment Spoon took center stage, the band, consisting of Britt Daniel (lead vocals, guitar), Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel (keyboard, guitar) and Gerardo Larios (guitar, keyboard), hit the audience with their signature blend of alt-radio and rock hits. Notables included, “The Underdog,” Don’t You Evah” and my personal favorite from their set, “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb.” This was my first time seeing Spoon and I was not sure what to expect but I can say that they definitely got me primed and excited for the headlining bands.
Cage the Elephant took the stage next. One thing I can say about front man Matt Shultz is he knows how to make an entrance and how to get the crowd’s attention. As fire lit up the stage, Shultz took to the stage in a very interesting, yet visually wild, stage outfit that reminded me of the Mortal Combat character Raiden. He donned a straw hat, an oversized grey suit and a gold half facemask. Shultz had no trouble kicking things into high gear starting their set off with “Broken Boy.”
If that wasn’t enough to hold your attention, Shultz kept the audience engaged and moving to the music as the band cranked out crowd favorite tunes “Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked,” “Come A Little Closer” and “Shake Me Down.” While most bands tend to exit the stage either to the left or right, Shultz decided during the band’s final song of the evening, “Teeth,” to exit from the front of the stage and wade his way through the entire pavilion before calling it a night! I was awe-struck by the band’s performance and look forward to seeing them again!
Time for the evening’s headliner! Beck (Hansen) started his set with an interesting choice, his first notable breakthrough hit “Loser” off the album Mellow Gold. With a 30 year repertoire to choose from, he continued to play a nice mix of material from his catalog including “Up all Night,” “Saw Lightning” and “The New Pollution.”
Other Highlights from Beck’s performance included sing a long fan favorites, “Where It’s At,” and “E-Pro.” Beck showed his sweet side, and took a moment to give a loving shout out to his mom who attended that night. Beck was joined on stage by Matt Shultz and the members of Cage the Elephant during “Night Running,” a mellow and body moving reggae-style song.
Like all good concerts, they must eventually end. Beck and company left the stage while the SPAC crowd were on their feet clapping and chanting for more.
Thank you and please enjoy my photo highlights from the evening.
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