Over his 11-year career, people in my generation (20- to 30-something) have grown accustomed to Beck's presence. He's like an old friend of a friend who was there with just the right dance beat when we tried to party our way out of our first quarter-life crises, who distracted us with quirky remarks when we got fired from our first jobs for instant messaging. His show at the Paramount Friday night, therefore, felt in many ways like a road trip back across the course of our adult lives so far.

Beck began the journey in the present with "Black Tambourine" (from his latest album, "Guero") before coasting back to requisite college-bonding album "Odelay." Looking every bit the eccentric alt-rock god we remember in his skinny white suit, Beck alternately screamed the lyrics to "Devil's Haircut" with punk panache and strutted around stage to the song's spacey ripples and tinny rock 'n' roll bass line.

Review


Friday night,

Paramount Theatre, Seattle

On a solo rendition of "Nobody's Fault but My Own" from 1998's "Mutations," Beck recapped the pathos of our first romantic debacles, his husky tenor stretching itself out over the song's anguished, exhausted melody.

But lest we dwelt too long on past mistakes, he later sassed his way through "Sexx Laws" (from 1999's "Midnite Vultures," an album that seems made for an after-hours dance party conducted over pizza and beer at a friend's apartment), challenging one of his band members to a bout of banjo dueling.

Later, Beck poked a little fun at our youthful arrogance with an acoustic version of "Debra" (also from "Midnite"), the song's lazily sleazy pickup lines sounding even sillier when backed only by acoustic guitar. On "Guess I'm Doing Fine," from 2003's mature, brokenhearted "Sea Change," Beck reminded us just how hard adulthood can be, adding an improvised "Guess I'm 35" to the world-weary lyrics.

But the concert wasn't entirely a trip down memory lane. "Girl," which balances California dreamin' vocals with '80s retro robotics, and "Hell Yes," a classic Beck song (if there is such a thing) that entangles hip-hop, blues and folk in an irresistible mess, from "Guero" demonstrated that Beck is not only ready to revisit and recontextualize the postmodern pastiche aesthetic of his youth, but also that he's as inventive as ever.

When he encored with quintessential mixtape track "Where It's At," when everyone in the audience, no matter their age, sang along with the timeless hit "Loser," Beck drew a trajectory across the years and across generations, proving that both he and his music still resonate.