1. The 12,000-seat Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay sat only a quarter full when “special guest” Japanese Breakfast took the stage, but most folks who found their seats throughout the set seemed to stay put for the duration. Frontwoman/auteur Michelle Zauner was too captivating not to grab everyone’s attention, especially when she hopped back and forth across the stage between gong hits during “Paprika.” A song later, she brought even more energy while belting out the vocally challenging high notes of “Be Sweet,” the undeniable song of the summer two years ago for indie-leaning music fans.
2. “I’ve been well behaved on this tour,” Zauner said after "Be Sweet" … "until tonight.” That might not be all that much of an accomplishment considering Japanese Breakfast only joined the Summer Odyssey tour three dates before. Zauner and her bandmates, who played a packed and memorable performance at the since-shuttered Bunkhouse Saloon five years ago, sounded more than comfortable in a much bigger room and fit in neatly with the tour package. Zauner shared a story about how she once alienated a high school Spanish class by playing Beck’s noisy 1994 project Stereopathetic Soulmanure, until the rest of the students insisted on turning it off.
Beck at Michelob Ultra Arena
3. “How about Japanese Breakfast? They’re horrible people, but we love their music,” Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars joked later on. A consummate showman, Mars put on a gripping performance throughout the French band’s 75-minute set, which blasted off with “Lisztomania,” arguably the group’s biggest hit. Phoenix sometimes sounds too polished on its recordings but comes across a touch grittier in a live environment. The band certainly sounds a lot louder, in no small part due to the rhythm section of bassist/keyboardist Derek d’Arcy and touring drummer Thomas Hedlund. That duo flung themselves around in a manner more fitting of a fledgling hard rock or metal band than a veteran indie pop act, and the show was all the better for it.
4. Phoenix’s last Las Vegas stop was in a more intimate environment, at Brooklyn Bowl in 2017. But there are a few rare bands just made to play arenas. Phoenix falls into that category, as its sugary-sweet, synthy sound doesn’t need to be contained; it’s at home in larger spaces. And, in the unlikely event anyone in the back was feeling detached, Mars put an end to that by venturing out into the far reaches of the arena to shake hands and give high-fives to conclude the set.
5. Compared to the two preceding sets, Beck was a relative letdown. It wasn’t all his fault; the 53-year-old alternative rock icon has been a frequent Las Vegas visitor over the past decade, and there wasn’t much to differentiate this show from his last handful of times in town. Beck's local familiarity paid off in other ways—he threw in Vegas references on a couple occasions, including a much-cheered shoutout to the Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge during a drawn-out verse of “Debra.” Phoenix came back out to join Beck late in the set for a performance of their joint single “Odyssey,” giving the tour stop performance its most unique moment. Blockbuster packages are more enjoyable when the acts not only bring the best out of each other but seem to share genuine chemistry. Japanese Breakfast, Phoenix and Beck hit on both counts during Las Vegas’ stop of the Summer Odyssey tour.
