There’s a particular kind of electricity that rolls through Eleanor Tinsley Park during a spring show, the kind that comes from warm Texas air, skyline lights, and a crowd already buzzing before a single note hits the air. Beck stepped onto that stage in March 2018 like a man who’d been storing a decade’s worth of creative voltage in his back pocket and was finally ready to flip the switch. What unfolded was a performance that felt less like a concert and more like a kaleidoscopic tour through the most peculiar, joyful, shape-shifting corners of modern alternative music. Beck doesn’t do greatest-hits sets—he does greatest-vibes sets, greatest-moods sets, greatest-strange-little-moments sets—and Houston got all of them at once.
The night worked because Beck understands something that a lot of live performers never quite grasp: the crowd wants movement. Not just dancing, though there was plenty of that, but emotional movement, stylistic movement, tonal movement. They want to feel like they’re being pulled somewhere unexpected, and Beck is a master at tugging the wheel just when the road seems straight. From the very first riff of “Loser,” it was obvious that this wasn’t going to be a nostalgia show, even though the song itself is one of the most era-defining singles of the ’90s. Instead, he used it like an icebreaker, a way to take the crowd’s collective expectations and immediately twist them into something freer and more playful.
“Devils Haircut” came barreling in right after, loud and crunchy, the type of track that hits with a physical force when played outdoors. The park’s open air caught every drum hit and shot it back like an echoing cannon. “Black Tambourine” and “Wow” kept the momentum moving in entirely different ways—“Black Tambourine” drifting into that hypnotic, dusty Beck groove and “Wow” exploding with cartoonish swagger. That pairing alone says everything about Beck’s career: the man can pivot from psychedelic-folk haze to neon-splattered weird-pop without ever shifting out of his natural rhythm.
“The New Pollution” brought back the retro-futuristic funk of Odelay, and the crowd responded the way they always do to Odelay: with big, sloppy, wide-grinned dancing. You could feel the decades collapsing into one another—1996 and 2018 shaking hands for three and a half minutes. Then “Colors” arrived like a shot of sugar, reminding everyone just how skillfully Beck had embraced brightness on that album. The slick production translated beautifully live, becoming less pristine and more alive, with Beck’s voice cutting cleanly through the night.
By the time “Qué Onda Guero” rolled in, the show had turned into a block party. Beck delivered the song with such loose confidence it almost felt like freestyle, and the Houston crowd—familiar with the bilingual swagger and sunbaked rhythm—latched onto every syllable. “Mixed Bizness” kicked the dance floor into a higher gear, and “I’m So Free” kept spirits sprinting. The energy was bold, punchy, and full of color—exactly the type of mid-set stretch where Beck thrives.
Then came the shift, the part Beck absolutely nails every time: the mood slide into the heart of Sea Change. “Go It Alone,” with its swampy bass line and smoky nighttime undertone, settled the crowd without slowing the show. But “Lost Cause” hit like a cool wind. Outdoor concerts always do something special to that song; its sadness feels bigger under open sky. Beck sang it with the same quiet ache that made people fall in love with it in 2002, and for a few minutes, the entire park softened. The transition into “Blue Moon” deepened the effect, its airy sadness floating upward like steam. Beck knows how to make introspective songs feel communal, and the crowd embraced it, leaning into the quieter stretch rather than drifting from it.
The change back into upbeat territory started gently with “Think I’m in Love,” a track that’s always had a soft-swaying sweetness, and then “Dreams” reignited the fuse. “Dreams” is tailor-made for big crowds, its indie-pop shimmer becoming something gigantic and life-affirming when played live. “Up All Night” followed with its glossy, youthful rush—the type of adrenaline you can feel in your legs. This run of songs acted like the final ascent of a roller coaster, building everyone up for the inevitable Beck-style explosion.
That explosion came with “E-Pro,” a controlled hurricane of riffs and rhythms. The song punched through the park like an alarm, and the crowd answered with its loudest reaction of the night. Beck stalked the stage, dancing, jumping, shouting, and grinning—a frontman who never pretends to be too cool to enjoy the chaos he creates. The band leaned hard into the final breakdown, stretching it just long enough to make people breathless before snapping the song shut.
The encore was its own show. Beck came back out with “Where It’s At,” a song that feels like a mission statement every time he performs it. The groove is unstoppable, and the band stretched it into a swirling, improvisational playground. Then came the surprise: a medley featuring “Good Times,” “Miss You,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Cars,” and “In the Air Tonight.” This was Beck flexing every stylistic muscle he has—disco, rock, new wave, art-pop, and moody ‘80s atmosphere—like flipping through a radio dial that only plays classics. It was shamelessly fun, wildly unpredictable, and executed with the self-aware wink that Beck has mastered.
“One Foot in the Grave” brought the encore back to Beck’s anti-folk roots, a little raw, a little scruffy, and totally charming. And then, looping back to “Where It’s At (Reprise),” Beck closed the night the same way he’d been performing the entire show: full-circle, high-energy, effortlessly cool.
What made this night special wasn’t just the setlist, though the setlist was fantastic. It was the way Beck carried himself. He moved with the confidence of someone who’s seen trends come and go and never once worried about keeping up with them. He played every era of his career as though they belonged to the same universe, even though on paper they shouldn’t. His band was tight, sharp, and clearly having a blast. And the Houston crowd? They gave everything right back. A Beck show always feels slightly surreal because he slips between genres the way other artists change guitar picks, but in this setting—in this park, under this sky—it felt not just seamless, but celebratory.
By the time Beck waved goodbye, Eleanor Tinsley Park was glowing. People were sweaty and smiling and talking about the medley in breathless fragments. Others were singing the hook from “Loser” as they walked to the exits. A few were already checking their phones for videos of “Dreams” and “E-Pro.” That kind of afterglow only happens when a performer takes complete control of a night and bends it into something unforgettable.
Beck in Houston wasn’t a nostalgia act, a promo cycle obligation, or a festival set built for the casual listener. It was a reminder of just how deep and varied his creative world is, and how much joy he can pull from it when he steps onto a stage. This show was a celebration of movement—musical, emotional, and literal. A reminder that Beck doesn’t just create songs; he creates whole moods, whole landscapes, whole nights that linger.
SETLIST – Beck – Eleanor Tinsley Park – March 2018
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Loser
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Devils Haircut
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Black Tambourine
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Wow
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The New Pollution
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Colors
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Qué Onda Guero
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Mixed Bizness
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I’m So Free
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Go It Alone
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Lost Cause
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Blue Moon
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Think I’m in Love
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Dreams
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Up All Night
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E-Pro
Encore:
17. Where It’s At
18. Good Times / Miss You / Once in a Lifetime / Cars / In the Air Tonight
19. One Foot in the Grave
20. Where It’s At (Reprise)