It's been a while since Angelenos have had the chance to see Beck [ tickets ] Hansen perform. With the exception of a few isolated private shows, performances have been minimal since the success of Odelay. This past weekend at the historic Wiltern Theater, Beck proved that even though he's not constantly on the road, he's as far from rusty as humanly possible.

Performing the second show of a sold out two night stand (5/8 - 9), the audience was greeted with a giant backdrop of the Grand Canyon accented with dazzling psychedelic lighting. Since no major tour followed his most recent release, Mutations, Beck worked hard to make this night special for the fans.

Dressed in green lace-up leather pants, Beck stood in the middle of the stage, guitar in hand, backed by a consortium of musicians. Fleshing out Beck's regular band and DJ was the multi-talented Smokey Hormel (who will also be performing with Tom Waits @ the Wiltern for three nights in June) standing in on guitar and sitar.

Completing the accompaniment were two violinists who added to the layered sounds of songs like Bottle of Blues, Cold Brains, Nobody's Fault But My Own, and Tropicalia from Mutations. In fact, Beck and company flawlessly rolled through every song on Mutations, in their 90 plus minute set.

In between songs Beck told stories and cracked jokes, adding to the unique intimacy of the show. Most entertaining was the inspiration for writing Cancelled Check, which came about only after staying in a Japanese hotel, and stumbling across of all things..a Tony Robbins American infomercial.

Closing out the set, Beck played the guitar and harmonica solo, for an amazing acoustic version of One Foot in the Grave. After bidding goodnight to everyone, Beck and band returned for an encore jokingly dressed in true Spinal Tap form to play Odelay's, Jack Ass and the tongue-in-cheek Prince-inspired I Wanna Get With You.

Beck's greatest strengths have always been his on-stage bravado and ability to mix musical genres. Not many other artists have walked the tight rope of musical styles with as much success. His two nights at the Wiltern only served to solidify that well-deserved reputation.