Beck Tops Eclectic Bill at Benefit Festival

A strip of abandoned loading docks in the depths of downtown Los Angeles might seem an odd site for a benefit concert, but on Sunday the Santa Fe Loading Docks proved an apropos setting for an impromptu music fest. Proceeds from the daylong event were split between the Los Angeles-based Cure Autism Now organization and a charitable fund established for Banjo Sky Harris, the autistic son of a local musician (Sukia’s Ross Harris) and godson of Beck, who all but topped the bill.

The lineup featured fare as diverse as the nearly 3,000 people who turned out over the course of the day, and though there were occasional snags in the program--a late start plus assorted technical problems--everyone took it in stride. There was scorching, minimalist funk from Mecolodiacs and campy electronic soundscapes from Sukia, with blues, garage rock and folk in between.

Beck, however, managed to encompass it all. Costumed in naval attire (a la Capt. Stubing in “The Love Boat”), Beck led his band through 45 minutes of music that grooved and rocked, soared and swaggered. The inspired frontman strutted his stuff, laying down a rustic rap one minute and summoning a soulful falsetto the next. He thanked the audience with an Elvis-like note in his voice, then, with James Brown authority, commanded them to dance--and they did.

Pop Defect had the daunting task of following Beck at about 9 p.m. to close the show. The feral punk-pop trio forged on despite a technical problem that left it without vocals, playing a furious instrumental set for the diminished but enthusiastic crowd that remained. Considering the slick precision that’s become the norm in music festivals, it was refreshing to bask in the grass-roots spirit of this low-key-palooza.