Beck plays Palace Theatre, talks about new album 'Colors'
August 18, 2017
For his first Minnesota show in nine years, indie rock hero Beck stopped by the Palace Theatre on Thursday night for a sold-out show — his first at the newly reopened venue. Marking another first, The Current broadcast live from the Palace lobby before Beck's show, and Beck stopped by to talk with host Mark Wheat.
The two chatted about Beck's experience playing with Minneapolis West Bank legends Koerner, Ray and Glover; and discussed Beck's upcoming album Colors, due in October.
"For this record, I was telling my manager, 'I don't know what we're going to do, I just want it to be happy,'" Beck told Wheat. "Those records that you put on, whether it's Michael Jackson, or Prince or Bowie or the Beatles, it just elevates the mood. It makes the world look a little better. I want to try to make one of those. I think those are the hardest records to make."
It turned out he was working with just the right person, Beck told Wheat as he explained what happened when he and Pharrell Williams first met to start collaborating on the new album.
Wheat and Beck also mused on the song "Debra," and why it was that Prince took issue with Wheat always using it to close out night clubs as a DJ in the '90s.
For the most part, Beck carried the happy vibe throughout his set, which included many fan favorites like "Loser," "Devil's Haircut," and "Sexx Laws." Beck also squeezed in some tracks off the Grammy-winning 2013 album Morning Phase, as well as some acoustic tunes from Sea Change.
He even paid tribute to Prince — not with "Debra," but with "Raspberry Beret."
Perhaps to make up for staying out of the state for nearly a decade, Beck will be back soon — he's slated as the opening act for the Sept. 8 U2 show at U.S. Bank Stadium.
