Beck's Wild West Coast Tour

After returning from his European tour, Beck hit the West Coast in July. "The shows have been amazing," he reports. A film crew that shot the San Francisco stop at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on July 18th (for an upcoming live DVD) caught Beck bouncing around his catalog of hits, sharing Chinese food with his band and inviting audience members to dance during "Mixed Bizness." "There were a lot of peacocks strutting their wares," says Beck. "And a lot of girls gone mild." The night before the S.F. show, Beck — who just released his second single from Guero, "Girl," with an amazing Mad magazine-inspired video — shocked diners at a local taquerla with an impromptu gig. At first, the mariachi on duty was pissed. "I tried to get up and he shot me down," says Beck. "Then his beeper went off — he had another engagement. I played for a half-hour next to the salsa counter."

This story is from the August 11th, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone.