Review and Photos by Megan Juarez-Fontana
Venue: Footprint Center (https://www.footprintcenter.com/)
Date: Wednesday August 11, 2023
Tour: Summer Odyssey Tour
Beck and Phoenix were on their long awaited Summer Odyssey Tour. Everybody lined up, eager to get inside and experience the show of a lifetime. Three amazing bands joining forces to captivate and hypnotize their audience with joy and happiness.
The first band to go on stage was Japanese Breakfast. Japanese Breakfast started as a side project in 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band is fronted by none other than Michelle Zauner. The band came onto the stage and the audience clapped. The band began to play and their music filled the air. It was light, airy and fun. Their music had a wonderful calming effect. Everyone enjoyed the sounds that filled the air. Zauner’s voice was smooth, tranquil and hypnotic. Her personality was infectious. She would talk to the audience in between songs. At one point she brought put her acoustic guitar and told the audience how she had to buy a new one because the Arizona heat melted her other acoustic guitar. The audience laughed as she began to play their next song. The melodies and notes floated in the air.
Japanese Breakfast
Photos by Megan Juarez-Fontana, All Rights Reserved
Phoenix finally hit the stage to continue the nights festivities. Phoenix hails from Versailles, France. the band formed in 1995. Their lineup consists of Thomas Mars-lead vocals/drums/percussion, Deck d’Arcy-bass/keyboards/backing vocals, Christian Mazzalai-guitar/backing vocals and Laurent Brancowitz-lead guitar/keyboard/backing vocals. They are joined by their touring members Robin Coudert-keyboards/percussion and Thomas Hedlund-drums/percussion. The band opened up their set with “Lisztomania”. Some of the audience got up from their seats to dance and sing along. Everyone loved the upbeat pop rock that overtook the Footprint Center. At one point Mars addressed the audience and talked about how the band got their name. Mars mentioned that he had a hat that said Phoenix on it and that was how they found the name for their band. The band then played “1901”. Everyone cheered and those who were sitting were now standing. Everyone sang along including myself. This is one of their most beloved songs. Everybody was having a grand ole time and getting pumped up for the final act of the night.
Phoenix
Photos by Megan Juarez-Fontana, All Rights Reserved
It was finally that time in the night for the long awaited lo-fi/experimental band, Beck. Beck started his musical career in 1988, and he is originally from Los Angeles, California. The minute the stage lights came on everyone jumped up from their seat, not knowing what to expect, myself included. I had listened to Beck’s music but have never seen one of his performances. Everyone was in for a magical treat. Beck and the band came onto the stage and opened up their set with “Devil’s Haircut”. Back started out playing guitar. He would switch back and forth between playing the guitar and dancing. Their stage background constantly changed with each song, giving fans a wide array of visuals. Everyone was in a magical wonderland. Beck’s energy was contagious. Everyone danced and sang along.
Beck’s music is a wide array of sounds and vibes that keep his audience captivated. Each song is different and creates a nice flow into each other. Not one song sounds like the other. He then sang “Loser” and the fans lost their minds. They sang the song by screaming at the top of their lungs. Beck ended his set with two great songs and surprises. The second to last song was “Odyssey”. During this song the band Phoenix joined them on stage as the members swapped instruments with each other and the audience loved it. The night was truly magical and full of fun. This is one of the concerts that everyone should have experienced.
Beck
Photos by Megan Juarez-Fontana, All Rights Reserved
