Beck & MGMT @ United Palace Theatre, 10/9/08

The kids like MGMT. United Palace was practically full when I stepped in a few minutes into MGMT's set. I found their debut album to be hit or miss (first half vs. second half) but I thought they were pretty damn good last night. They perform as a 5 piece band and it definitely brings out more depth in the songs than the recorded material. As for Beck, if I wasn't such a big fan of his I would probably lay into this show a bit more. The set list was good but man did he plow through the songs. It just seemed like he was going through the motions and really only acknowledged the crowd twice to say thanks for coming. I expect a bit more from eight albums and a $50 face value than a 70 minute show. That said, aside from a solid set list, the backing band was great and I really liked the bit with the headphones. Modern Guilt was a nice surprise for me this year, I think right now it's my fourth favorite Beck album (after Sea Change, Odelay, and Mutations), and those songs fit in very nicely last night. Overall, I can't really see myself buying a ticket to one his shows again and I'm ok with that as long I'm still digging his studio output.

Set list (via):
Loser
Nausea
Girl
Timebomb
Minus
Soul of a Man
Mixed Bizness
Nicotine & Gravy
Que Onda Guero
Ghettochip Malfunction/Shake Shake Tambourine/Clap Hands
Devils Haircut
Think I'm in Love
Modern Guilt
Orphans
Walls
Missing
Chemtrails
Golden Age
Lost Cause
Where It's At

Encore:
Gamma Ray
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
new song
E-Pro