NFV Song Spotlight: Beck Pete's Scared of Everything

 

I first came across Beck Pete at El Cid in 2019. It wasn't a full set. El Cid double booked the day and so the bands playing in the afternoon were all restricted to 20 minutes or less. In fact, the last band of the night played maybe less than 10 minutes. 

Beck Pete at Hotel Ziggy

But that made for a memorable introduction to her music. Who can forget seeing bands rushing up and down the stage as quickly as possible. 

It took until 2021 to finally catch a full set at a WFNM at Bar Lubitsch. And in 2024, I once again got to catch a set at another WFNM night, but this time at Hotel Ziggy.

What is fun about a Beck Pete set is that she sometimes just says whatever pops into her mind. For example, to start off the set she was scrolling through her setlist and told the audience, "Just seeing the setlist right now so you don't see me. I'm invisible." She wasn't feeling comfortable in her shoes so she wondered about taking off her shoes, but she had worries. She wasn't worried about rather or not her toenails were polished or not. No, her concern was about the fact that she feels that she has unusually long toes. She finally kicked off her shoes for her final song "PTSD." I'm thinking the pain of wearing the shoes outweighed the body image worries she has about her toes?   

Beck Pete at Hotel Ziggy

For the night, she gave little tidbits about various songs. For her opener "Habits," she explained to the audience, "This song is about my dad. It's about being more like your dad than you think you are. Why do we become them, guys?" She introduced the song "Scared of Everything" by saying, "This song is one of my favorite songs that I've ever written. It is two parts. The first part is when you are in the middle of something and you realize you aren't ready for it. And the second part is realizing you are ready for it and you kind of move on. Both parts have a bitter sweetness to them."

The music video is filmed in an abandoned living room. Parts of the walls and ceiling expose the guts of the house. The wall paint seems to be peeling or scraped. The wall heater has definitely seen better days. But there is also a small glimpse of revival. There are shots of the front door that is brand new with perfect white paint. It appears that someone is working to bring the house back to its former glory or maybe improve on it. 

Beck Pete at Hotel Ziggy

At Hotel Ziggy, the song was performed with a friend on guitar and vocals that tugged at the heartstrings. She gave the audience vulnerable glances with eyes that looked a touch watery and a right hand that gently tapped her chest. She had a response section for the audience and the choir responded back with, "Who knew I could give and take."     

For the time that seems to slip away with you

For these nights, makes me feel like I have everything to lose

Setlist: Habits, Romantic, Bite Down, Bonus Round, Shut My Mouth, Scared of Everything, PTSD