Beck Imposter Jack White Performs Chumbawamba Cover in Nashville

"I'd like to do one of my favourite Beck songs from the 1990s that I wrote"

BY Allie GregoryPublished Mar 22, 2022

Gearing up to re-record a bunch of his old classics, Beck has been making his presence known on- and offline a little more than usual recently. One such effort to put a pin in his relevancy came last night (March 21), during a concert at The Basement East in Nashville, TN.

Performing a setlist of potential re-recording material — including tear-jerker Sea Change hit "The Golden Age" and Odelay cut "Sissyneck" [via Stereogum] — the artist apparently took a moment's break off stage to do Beck things, when a wild Jack White appeared in his place to do his very convincing Beck impersonation.

"I'd like to do one of my favourite Beck songs from the 1990s that I wrote," a very blue-haired "Beck" says at the beginning of a live footage clip posted (curiously) by Jack White's Third Man Records.

The mysterious singer then launched into a medley of Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" and the Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," before the real Beck made his way back to the stage. "What are you doing, Jack?" real Beck asked fake Beck, "You asked for some nail clippers. I went out to my car to get them. I come back, and you're playing my show." Laughs all around!

Pack it up, folks — the old alt guys have reached peak comedy. The audience did seem to enjoy their antics, at least; yelps and woo-ing can be heard from the crowd in the Third Man clip, which you can watch below.

Does this comedic team-up mean anything more than an on-stage one-off for the rendezvoused rock stars? Maybe! "I have a lot of stuff with Jack White," Beck revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music back in 2020. "We probably have almost an album's worth now just from the last two decades of hanging out." Nothing new on that so far — only time will tell. 
 

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