Beck + The Raveonettes

From Los Angeles to Caivano. That was the eye-catching slogan, plastered everywhere, heralding Mr. Beck Hansen's first-ever trip down to southern Italy. The event coincided with the opening date of the Caivano Rock Fest, which, now in its ninth edition (also featuring Francesco De Gregori on June 28th and Planet Funk on July 14th), is increasingly carving out its own place among the most interesting summer festivals on the calendar. The setting is a sports centre, the Delphina, neither too sprawling nor too cramped, with a pleasant aesthetic and setting. Warming up for the American funambulist were the Danish duo The Raveonettes, in the style of White Stripes (Sune Rose Wagner on guitar and the icy blonde Sharin Foo on bass) - decent, if unable to rise above the pack of similar acts out there. The live set on offer (eight songs in half an hour) suited the band well, who, playing in a 'beefed-up' line-up (five on stage), warmed up the crowd with a tight performance, a considerable wall of sound and a strong stage presence. But, to be fair, all of that would soon fade, with the night's memories destined to be concentrated elsewhere.

The wait for Beck lasted about three quarters of an hour: then, onto the stage (crammed with instruments, as expected) came the band (decked out mainly in white, green and red) and a wild dancer (who, stationed on the left, would remain a constant presence throughout the show). The backing sound was unexpected: kicking things off was a pulsing electro beat. Then, Beck. White jacket, light blue trousers, a blue-and-white striped shirt and a hat. He grabbed the mic and launched in: the electronic pulse turned into "Clap Hands", bonus track from the latest "Guero". And the show began. Because that's exactly what you expect from Beck, and he knows exactly how to deliver it.

Beck is one of the most brilliant and influential musicians of the Nineties, but that's not all he is: the visual and rhythmic impact of the show was every bit as striking as the music itself. He danced, he swept the crowd along, and eventually led a 15-20 minute disco-funk jam with fans up on stage (!). He moved from electric guitar to acoustic, from a keytar (right at the start) to a banjo (the basis for a comic duel between Hansen and a guitarist showing off their chops; a duel won, naturally, by the former, who started playing with his teeth - though the sound was, in fact, pre-recorded), even picking up a plastic bin along the way.

But let's be more precise. As "Clap Hands" wound down, in came the deep, pulsing bass of "Black Tambourine": this reviewer, just a few months back, had admitted disappointment with "Guero" and, in the album review, dismissed this very track as filler. Well, live, it was an entirely different beast - one of the most exhilarating moments of the whole show. "Black Tambourine" became a high-groove, high-tension jam, with Hansen unleashing violent bursts of guitar. It was precisely the "Guero" tracks (mostly placed early in the set) that revealed their true worth: the album, which this reviewer still considers Hansen's one and only half-misstep (on record, at least), comes across live three times as powerful (just to put a number on it). "Girl" became an anthem, "Rental Car" a detonator.

The other record Beck drew heavily from for the show was the best-seller "Odelay": while "Devil’s Haircut", for all its quality, seemed to coast along somewhat on autopilot, a pitch-perfect "Hotwax" showed everyone the musician's roots and crystalline class, and "Minus" (the quintessential live anthem) brought the house down (and knocked this reviewer's glasses clean off). The effectiveness of the more famous tracks was a marvel: "Loser" (after the first proper break, ten songs in), with the chorus left to the crowd while Hansen busied himself with the aforementioned plastic bin, and, even more so, "Sexx Laws" (in an electro version on keyboard), both passionate and utterly engrossing.

But the highlight came just a few minutes later: a set dinner table was wheeled onto the stage, at which the band sat down to eat, while Beck picked up the acoustic guitar and delivered that Korgis cover, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes", which he had re-recorded for Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". The atmosphere was surreal, the effect both paralysing and moving. The band carried on like this for three more songs: the country-tinged "Cancelled Check", the gorgeous "The Golden Age" (the only track from "Sea Change"), accompanied by forks, knives, glasses, plastic fruit and the wooden table, and then back to "Clap Hands".

Then the table was cleared away and the band returned to their usual instruments: the restart proved to be another of the night's high points, with a polished, thoroughly engaging "Where It’s At" and an explosive "E-Pro" that sent the crowd wild. With that, Beck and his band wrapped up and headed backstage (while the crowd kept on singing). Called back with roaring applause, they all returned (dressed, presumably, as astronauts) for the encore, and even for those of us who'd lamented the scant room given to the "Midnite Vultures" vibe, the party we mentioned earlier finally kicked off: "Nicotine & Gravy", "Beercan" and "Mixed Bizness" blended into an irresistible electro-funk smoothie, for which a chunk of the audience was let up onstage. More than twenty people ended up sharing the stage with Mr. Hansen (including the Raveonettes' guitarist and a few, let's be clear, harmless barrier-jumpers - an idea that had also crossed this very serious reviewer's mind, who then opted for the calmer approach of attempting to bribe a bouncer, sadly with miserable results). And he handed out dancing, hugs, even the microphone. It was pure delirium. Beck came to southern Italy for the first time to leave an unforgettable memory, and he undoubtedly succeeded: it will be impossible to forget.

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