Sound Fest

Beck should have been a good show. From the first hits off “Odelay” to the Bollboard No. 4 debuting of this year’s “Modern Guilt”, he’s been wowing fans with his reinventions and entertaining antics.

But on Saturday, his performance was about as exciting as a live telecast on public television. In his defense, he had an interesting, bluesy little take on Dylan’s “Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat”. But the “Nicotine and Gravy” was not so sexy and the yawns set in.

So I left.

I wandered until I hit the Fisher Green stage where a writihing mass was pressing up against the barricade to the techno pop beats of !!! (pronounce Chk, chk, chk). Singer Nic Offer was somehow infectious with his hip shakes in short shorts and a snug patterned shirt that hinted at his paunch. It was perhaps the most energetic and better end to a great day at Bumbershoot.

FYI, by Sunday morning, no enterprising cell phone videographer had yet posted a !!! video, so I thought I’d give you all at least some kind of taste with one of their past performances: