Beck and Phoenix perform at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago on Aug. 31, 2023.
Co-headlining tours are always noteworthy, but when a pair of mega-artists literally share the stage and perform together that is really something special. During their Aug. 31 Summer Odyssey Tour stop at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Phoenix joined Beck near the end of his set to perform their brand new, co-written single – and the theme of the tour – “Odyssey,” the perfect song to cap off a night that took fans on a sprawling musical journey of hits from both artists.
Beck used his show-closing set to share crowd-pleasers like “Loser,” “Devils Haircut,” “The New Pollution,” “Girl” and so many more. “Soul of a Man” gave him a chance to show off his heavier side while the Sea Change one-two punch of “The Golden Age” and “Lost Cause” found Beck bringing campfire vibes to the moon-lit scene.
“Wow, look at that moon. We haven’t played Chicago in half a decade. Holy shit. It means a lot to be here tonight,” Beck said earlier in the night before playing the entrancing Colors single, “Wow.”
Beck performs at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago on Aug. 31, 2023.
Frequently taking time out to thank his tour-mates, Phoenix and the evening’s opener, Sir Chloe, Beck also gave a shout out to the Pixies, Modest Mouse and Cat Power who were playing over at The Salt Shed for the second show of a two night run. He also made sure that fans knew the legacy of his current band – which includes Justin Meldal-Johnsen (bass), Jason Falkner (guitar), Roger Joseph Manning Jr (keys), Joey Waronker (drums) – who previously collaborated in the studio on Mutations, Sea Change and Morning Phase.
Whether unleashing the surf styles of “Gamma Ray” or the funky riffs of the fan favorite “Debra” – during which Beck spoke of scoping social media profiles, driving down Wabash and exploring Bed Bath & Beyond – the band sounded nothing short of perfection. Elsewhere, a magical saxophone-like instrument appeared from the sky during “Nicotine & Gravy” and “Dreams” led to one of the biggest dance parties of the show.
Phoenix – Thomas Mars (vocals), Deck d’Arcy (bass), Laurent Brancowitz (guitar/keys), Christian Mazzalai (guitar) – showed a lot of appreciation for Chicago throughout their set, most notably during the “Love Like a Sunset” Suite as the video screen displayed images of scenery in Chicago before panning out light years into the galaxy and back again.
Phoenix performs at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago on Aug. 31, 2023.
“We bring Chicago everywhere on tour with us. We’ve shown this video to a lot of places. Some people think it’s live for some reason, especially when we’re playing Chicago, but this was shot right there across the marina,” said Mars pointing out towards Lake Michigan. “It’s pretty special.”
“Lisztomania,” “Entertainment,” “Tonight” and “Trying to Be Cool” marked more special moments in their set, but Phoenix saved the best for last. Following a venue-wide sing along during “1901,” Mars ventured out into the crowd – giving hugs, crowd surfing, and even sipping a beer from a fan along the way – as the rest of the band played an instrumental rendition of “Identical.”
Beck and Phoenix will continue on their Summer Odyssey Tour through Sept. 10 when they will wrap things up in Columbia, MD. Check out photos from the Chicago show below and head over to Beck.com for more information.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
