Beck at Madison Square Garden
photo by Adela Loconte

Beck & Jenny Lewis @ Madison Square Garden (pics)

Beck also repeatedly honored New York, the city he adopted as an 18-year-old fresh off a Greyhound bus and that his great-great-grandfather immigrated to – illegally, he noted in a not-so-subtle political jab – from Norway long ago. Naturally, he saved an epic Big Apple homage for the encore. Now dressed in a white blazer and hat, Beck launched into that same song he played two decades earlier at the Garden, tricking it out with the “Let me take you down …” lyric from “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

But he quickly steered “Where It’s At” in another direction, introducing the members of his band and prompting them to lead covers of iconic New York artists. A Tribe Called Quest, Chic, Television, the Velvet Underground and Talking Heads all received their due – bonus points to Beck’s backup singers for tweaking the “Once in a Lifetime” lyrics to “And you may ask yourself where it’s at/And you may find yourself with two turntables and a microphone.” [Rolling Stone]

Beck headlined NYC’s Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7/19) with a set that included plenty of fan favorites, some Odelay classics, and guest appearances from opener Jenny Lewis and Spoon’s Britt Daniel. We posted about the show, including video of Beck and Britt’s rendition of “I Turn My Camera On,” HERE, and above, find a gallery of pictures of Beck and Jenny from MSG.

photos by Adela Loconte