Wes Anderson is a very particular filmmaker with an instantly identifiable aesthetic, and a big part of that aesthetic is music. Over the past few decades, Anderson has made great use of ’60s pop and rock songs, and many of those songs are now inextricable from their scenes in Anderson’s movies. Last weekend, an all-star lineup came together at the Hollywood Bowl for three shows that paid tribute to the music of Anderson’s films.
Most of the performers played all three nights of the Wes Anderson tribute, and the house band for those shows was Beck’s one-time touring group of Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Jason Falkner, Joey Waronker, Gus Seyffert, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen. Meldal-Johnsen served as the events’ musical director. Beck performed, and his covers included Elliott Smith’s “Needle In The Hay” (from The Royal Tenenbaums), the Bobby Fuller Four’s “Let Her Dance” (from The Fantastic Mr. Fox), and Love’s “Alone Again Or” and Oliver Onions’ “Zorro Is Back” (both from Bottle Rocket). Jim James, Jenny Lewis, and Rushmore stars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman joined in for “Let Her Dance.”
Wes Anderson himself was on hand for the shows, and he introduced Jackson Browne. Browne performed “The Fairest Of The Seasons” and “These Days,” two songs he wrote for Nico and that Anderson memorably used in in The Royal Tenenbaums.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Kareno O covered the Rolling Stones’ “Play With Fire,” as heard in The Darjeeling Limited, and the Creation’s “Making Time,” famously used in Rushmore. Spoon’s Britt Daniel did “Making Time,” too.
Bill Murray, who has appeared in a ton of Anderson films, wore a red beanie to introduce Devo, who played “Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy),” which appeared in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh also ran through parts of his scores from The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic. On one of the nights, Mothersbaugh’s performance included the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the West Los Angeles Children’s Choir. The Los Angeles Philharmonic also score selections, from Isle of Dogs, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Bottle Rocket.
Jenny Lewis sang Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train”; Anderson used the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group’s version of that song in Asteroid City. Jim James did the Kinks’ “Strangers,” from The Darjeeling Limited, and Cat Stevens’ “The Wind,” from Rushmore. Jeff Goldblum played Zoot Sims Quartet’s “Blinuet,” which was in Rushmore. Karen Elson covered Françoise Hardy’s “Les Temps De L’amour,” from Moonrise Kingdom. Pink Martini’s China Forbes honored Jason Schwartzman by covering his Coconut Records songs “This Old Machine” and “Any Fun.” Other performers included Rufus Wainwright, Kaoru Wantanabe, Rogê, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Many of the stars joined in for the grand-finale cover of the Faces’ “Ooh La La,” as heard in Rushmore.
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