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Beck Brings Wall of Sound to Berkshires

Beck's nearly two-hour performance on Tuesday night at Mass MoCA could be heard throughout the city's downtown. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Beck fans crowded into Joe's Field at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art to hear various songs from the 1990s alternative rock pioneer's catalog.

Beck Hansen played a near two-hour show at Mass MoCA that solidly rocked the valley — and even prompted a noise complaint from faraway Drury on Florida Mountain.

"We don’t get up here too often so we are going to play a semi-long set," he said of his tour stop in Western Mass.

Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl and five-piece, psych-rock band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger opened the concert.

Beck looked out into Joe's Field and pointed out the art that is spread throughout the Mass MoCA concert venue, including the "insect-eyed omniscient tower" that sits near the entrance of the venue.

The band hit the stage and instantly went into Beck's 1996 hit "Devils Haircut" off "Odelay," his fifth studio album. With little transition, the band went directly into "Black Tambourine," a song from his 2005 album "Guero."

Beck thanked the crowd for coming out on a Tuesday night.

"We are here to have fun and get slightly rowdy," he told some 5,000  fans after thanking them for coming out on a Tuesday night.

Beck played his first major hit, "Loser" off his 1994 album "Mellow Gold," and urged the screaming crowd to sing the chorus to his genre-blending classic.

Although Beck sampled songs from most of his 12-album catalog, he focused on songs from "Sea Change," his 2002 melancholy eighth album.

The band backing him was the same one with which he recorded "Sea Change," so he wanted to revisit those songs.

The band played long acoustic sets with "Sea Change" tracks such as "Golden Age" and "Lost Cause" bleeding into each other.

Beck also performed songs such as "Black Bird Tree" and "Heart Is a Drum" from his recent release "Morning Phase," the so-called sibling album to "Sea Change."

He came back for an encore and played funk and soul-inspired songs from his 1999 album "Midnight Vultures." He played extended versions of "Sexx Laws" and the "Prince-esque slow jam" "Debra.” The band jammed on the two songs while Beck interacted with the crowd.

The band moved right into an extended high-energy version of "Where It's At" off "Odelay" to finish the show. The band ran into each other and threw their instruments around creating noise and feedback until the crowd was faced with a wall of sound ending the concert.

DiLego Jewelry to Close After Over 90 Years in Business

By Daniel MatziBerkshires correspondent
05:28AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Sisters Pamela Costine, left, and Cynthia Lamore have been operating the store since their aunts retired in 1987. Both started working in the business as teens.  Lamore's decided it's time to retire. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — DiLego Jewelery Store, the family-owned business that has been a staple of North Adams for nearly a century, will be closing this summer. 

 

The closure was announced on the store's Facebook page late Sunday night, where it immediately drew comments of remembrance and well-wishing.

 

Cindy Lamore, whose great uncle Frank DiLego opened the store on Main Street in the late 1930s, said the shop will cease operations following her retirement, slated for June 30. A 20 percent off Mother's Day sale will begin immediately, with increasing discounts leading up to the closing date.

 

It took Lamore "a couple of years" to reach the decision to close. Witnessing the passing of lifelong friends or their struggles with debilitating illness prompted her to reconsider her priorities, especially considering the extensive time devoted to running a small business. 

 

"You really question what you're waiting for," she reflected.

 

While recognizing that changing consumer habits have led to a decrease in jewelry and watch sales in recent years, Lamore stressed that her decision to close was a personal one. She and her business partner and sister, Pamela Costine, wanted "to do it on our terms," she said.

 

Comments on Facebook praised the store's customer service, and friends, family, and customers alike reminisced about buying jewelry for special occasions, stopping in for watch repairs, and the perennial rite of childhood for many: getting ears pierced.