In 1994, I was twelve years old and in the sixth grade. Also in 1994, a guy that went by the name Beck became known for his hit song “Loser.” This song quickly became my favorite song and has since made Beck one of my favorite musicians.
I finally got to see Beck perform live during the second weekend of ACL Festival (and please, don’t ask me why it took me so long to see this man perform live). I made sure to camp out at the stage during the act that was before Beck (Foster the People) so after they were done, I could get my spot in the front. As soon as the crowd cleared out, I ran to the front of the stage and got my spot.
Finally, Beck made his way to the center of the stage. The crowd pushed in, but I did not mind because I was in the very front just where I wanted to be and no pushing or shoving was going to bother me (unless of course they pushed me out of the front!). As soon as he started playing, I asked myself “why haven’t I seen him live prior to this?!?!” He was so engaged with the crowd and had such a great live sound – which is refreshing, because, you know, sometimes people just don’t sound good live. I was a little shocked at what a great performer he was (I guess I was expecting him not to be so talkative?!).
He didn’t play all my favorite songs, but he did manage to play a few of them – “Loser” (of course, how could he NOT play that song?), “Where It’s At,” and “Sexx Laws.” As if playing “Loser” wasn’t highlight enough for me, he did a few covers that I definitely was not expecting. He was performing “I Think I’m In Love” then all of a sudden he went into “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer (I will admit this song is a total guilty pleasure for me from ninth grade). A few songs later he started going into Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” which happens to be one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. So, all of these “favorite” things this guy did during this show – made for one of the best shows I have ever been to. And I WILL be seeing Beck next time he comes to town.
– Submitted by Shelley Stachler, Audio Production