Beck Suprises Toronto With Secret Show

Halloween came early for Canadians last night when Beck and his band of merry, wig-wearing mates descended on Toronto's Drake Hotel to play a secret midnight show following their Ricoh Coliseum gig. The vibe was frat-party meets alterna-hoedown: Beck and crew downed shots and beer to fuel the lead song "Scarecrow." The bassist announced, "We're gonna try and play some stuff we don't normally get to play," and the band proceeded to cut loose with joyously sloppy versions of "Diamond Bollocks," "We Dance Alone," "Black Tambourine," and a mash-up of David Bowie's "Fame" and Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust." Beck seemed content to sit back and let his increasingly inebriated bandmates entertain the crowd, looking on in amusement as keyboardist/guitarist Brian Lebarton (who insisted on being called "Cameron" all night) stripped off his shirt and repeatedly tumbled into the stage curtains.

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Song Stories

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry | 1984

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.

More Song Stories entries »

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