“I sorta dug through all my songs that had strings on them. Usually how it goes is they kinda just do strings on top of the hits, but these were actually strings on all the records” Beck David Hansen states part way through what is, a truly magical evening of music, departing from the norm and going with his gut, in true Beck style.
Beck with The BBC Concert Orchestra @ The Royal Albert Hall
On a crisp spring evening in London, the Royal Albert Hall is transformed into an ethereal dreamscape as Beck takes the stage for the first of two nights of his highly anticipated orchestral residency. Dressed in an occasion-fitting black, unbuttoned, double-breasted pinstripe suit and without his typical fedora hat, backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by the ever-dynamic Edwin Outwater, the genre-hopping icon delivers a near-two-hour set that fused alternative rock, baroque pop, and sweeping cinematic textures into a performance of rare emotional range and musical inventiveness. Beck, ever the shapeshifter, has long blurred the boundaries between folk, funk, hip-hop, and psychedelia. But with a full orchestra behind him and the grandeur of the Royal Albert Hall surrounding him, his sonic explorations are elevated to majestic new heights.
The show opens not with a bang, but with the delicate instrumental Cycle from 2014’s Morning Phase. It was a whisper of a beginning, allowing the lush strings to breathe and the grandeur of the setting to settle in. As Sea Change cut The Golden Age follows, the tone is set: this will be an evening of melancholy beauty, emotional excavation, and sonic transformation. The audience—rapt and respectful—watch on as Beck moves gracefully through some of his most hauntingly introspective material.
“We’re going to do a bit of a deep dive into some of the songs we don’t get to play that often” he teases to cheers before introducing his rendition of The Korgis’ chart-topping 1980 hit Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime that was recorded for the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. A song already known for its wistful melancholy, it became something else entirely in Beck’s hands—ghostly and reverent, with a mournful string section giving it cinematic weight. His voice, clear and worn with wisdom, carried the tune like a prayer in a cathedral, broken only by soaring guitars.
Stating that songs from 2002’s Sea Change are going to be aired he shared: “I have a great memory of this song, we recorded it live with the vocal and everything, with the orchestra and the band all in one room together. So here we get to do it again”, Beck’s acoustic guitar crashing over delicious strings, elevating the song beyond it’s recorded form. Melancholy Morning Phase tune Wave was also given a lush, aching arrangement that leaned into their emotional vulnerability. The orchestra didn’t just accompany; it elevated, offering counter-melodies, dynamics, and swells that brought out the songs’ inner tension and resolution.
Beck with The BBC Concert Orchestra @ The Royal Albert Hall
The mood lifted with lead Mutations single Tropicalia, a bossa nova-infused burst of colour and rhythm. “This is a song about Brazil” he offers. “I’ve never been to Brazil” he continues drily, to a smattering of chuckles from the audience. Here, the orchestra playfully danced around the groove, punctuated by jazzy percussion and woodwind flourishes that summoned the sun-drenched charm of 1960s Brazil.
“It’s a beautiful room and I’m really honoured to be here” he shares. “I’ve played here once before and I don’t know what I was thinking but I played by myself. I’m making up for it this time … overcompensating” he continues, looking across at Outwater, his orchestra and bass man Jason Falkner before offering up more from Morning Phase by way of Blue Moon which, by contrast to the previous tune, offers a shimmering, wintry counterpoint—gentle, pristine, and gorgeously melancholic. Even the 54-year-old LA-native’s more rhythm-driven songs took on new dimensions. The New Pollution, reimagined with orchestral pomp, became something akin to John Barry-meets-Prince: cinematic, funky, and a little dangerous but left the Royal Albert Hall audience firmly, and oddly, in their seats. Missing brought an eerie elegance, while the Colourbox / This Mortal Coil cover Tarantula shimmered with ominous grandeur, its 1980s synth-pop roots replaced by sweeping strings atop Beck’s soulful vocal, Falkner’s harmonies elevating.
Even more daring are his tributes to Scott Walker. It’s Raining Today and, later, Montague Terrace (In Blue) are not merely covers but heartfelt homages. Beck channels the late icon’s avant-garde spirit with interpretive grace, showing an almost spiritual alignment with Walker’s artistic pathos. These songs, rarely heard in such a setting, earn some of the night’s most rapturous applause. “Please indulge me in doing this, think of it as £100,000 karaoke” he states humbly before proceeding.
The musician proved unafraid to dive deep into his back catalogue, unearthing gems like Round The Bend, Paper Tiger, and We Live Again. These songs, rarely performed live, felt right at home in this setting—delicate, textural compositions that embraced the orchestral treatment fully. Phase, Morning, Waking Light and hit Odelay single Where It’s At close out the orchestral portion of the night with a sense of emotional release and thematic closure. Waking Light in particular soars. Its gentle piano motif, courtesy of Roger Joseph Manning Jr. behind a Yamaha grand, and elegiac lyrics seem custom-built for this kind of performance. With the orchestra swirling around him, Beck stands nearly motionless, letting the music crest and fall like waves—subtle but overwhelming.
After a brief interlude to allow for the orchestra to depart, Beck and his band return for a final encore that remind the audience exactly where he came from. Gone are the strings, the conductor, the polished poise. In their place come the slacker charm and irreverent swagger of 1990s Beck, Mr. Hanson relishing in his surroundings as he darts about the stage tiers that had housed the orchestra, hitting the bass drum and gong firmly before tickling a xylophone. “I feel like I should learn The Nutcracker” he jests.
The harmonica-driven barnstorming One Foot In The Grave feels like a trip down a dusty road, a lo-fi country stomp with scruffy charm. Devils Haircut and Mixed Bizness bring the energy roaring back, with fans wanting to be on their feet but continuing to resist. The final number, of course, was Loser—the anthem that made him famous. Here, stripped back and recharged, it was both a nod to nostalgia and a victory lap and finally enticed the crowd to their feet. The irony-laced lyrics hit differently in the grandeur of the Royal Albert Hall, but the crowd roar in approval, echoing every word.
What made this concert so remarkable wasn’t just the novelty of hearing Beck with an orchestra—it was how fully realised the concept was. This wasn’t a rock star dabbling in classical; it was a genuine musical conversation between artist and ensemble with much of the material aired tonight recorded with strings and orchestras originally. Edwin Outwater’s arrangements avoid the common pitfalls of orchestral collaborations: there was no overplaying, no ornamental fluff. Every note serves the song.
And Beck, for his part, shows just how deep his artistry runs. He isn’t performing at the orchestra or on top of it—he’s within it. Songs that had long been associated with dusty tape loops, sample-heavy production, or acoustic intimacy now shimmer with new life. Nothing feels forced. It feels inevitable. The Royal Albert Hall has played host to countless legends, and on this night, Beck joins their ranks not by replicating his past glories but by reinventing them. It’s a rare thing for a pop artist—especially one over three decades into their career—to take such bold creative risks. Even rarer is doing it with such success.
For longtime fans, it was a revelation. For newcomers, it was an invitation into a world where boundaries blur and beauty emerges from contradiction. And for Beck himself, it seemed to be both a reflection and a release—an evening where he could look back at his past and render it in orchestral technicolor. And as the final notes of Loser ring out and the lights come up, the audience rise not just in applause but in awe. Beck delivered more than a concert—he had delivered a statement: that music, in its truest form, is always evolving.
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Beck with The BBC Concert Orchestra @ The Royal Albert Hall (Kalpesh Patel)
Live review and photography of Beck with the BBC Concert Orchestra at The Royal Albert Hall, London on 19th April 2025 by Kalpesh Patel.
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