Beck and the San Diego Symphony always know where it’s at at The Rady Shell with special guest Molly Lewis.

On a night graced by the impeccable warmth and cool air of a perfect San Diego evening, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park became a crucible for a rare and exquisite alchemy: the whimsical, melancholic genius of Beck melded with the grand, expansive sound of the San Diego Symphony. The result, a majestic performance reframing of a singular artistic career.

The evening began with a captivating and wholly unique performance by Molly Lewis, a musician known for elevating whistling into a high art form. Her hypnotic, cinematic melodies, which seemed to float on the gentle breeze, set a mood of elegant anticipation. Her performance was a perfect, and perfectly unexpected, overture to the symphonic night that was to follow.

Under the masterful baton of conductor Edwin Outwater, the symphony was a character in the drama, a soaring and empathetic counterpoint to Beck’s understated elegance. He leaned into the more introspective corners of his vast catalogue, offering a setlist rich with rarities and unexpected gems. The opening orchestral half of the evening was a study in profound beauty, as a triumvirate of songs—the desolate, beautiful “Wave,” the lush, bossa-nova-tinged “Tropicalia,” and the languid “Where It’s At”—were rendered with a magisterial power.

This was a night for the connoisseur, a deep dive into the Beck’s lesser-played works. We were treated to a haunting rendition of The Korgis’ “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” from the film Little Miss Sunshine, and a cinematic take on “Tarantula,” a track from the movie Rome. The performance of “Morning” was particularly stunning, its delicate acoustic core expanding into an elegant, sun-dappled expanse of strings and brass.

The grand symphonic portion concluded with a sense of ceremony. As the magnificent orchestra retired, the ever-theatrical Beck indulged a playful impulse, wandering the stage to tap and toy with the abandoned instruments of the symphony, a jester in a cathedral of sound. The night’s ending saw Beck and his formidable touring band take the stage for a more raucous, yet no less refined, performance. This shift in energy was anchored by a cohort of outstanding musicians, including the virtuosic guitarist and producer Jason Falkner, whose history with Beck and countless other artists lent an exceptional polish to the proceedings, and keyboardist Roger Manning and drummer James McAlister. For the encore, the crowd was finally given the high-octane jolt they craved, as Beck unleashed the frenetic funk of “Devil’s Haircut” before closing with the inescapable, genre-defining classic, “Loser.”

The evening at the Rady Shell was a testament to the enduring power of artistic collaboration and the timelessness of a great song. Beck, with the San Diego Symphony, proved that even the most well-known musical landscapes can be transformed into something new and breathtaking.