The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame kicked off their Rock Hall Live summer concert series recently, and Saturday (June 27, 2026) night’s show featured a co-headlining bill of The Beths and Spoon. The two bands are separated by geography, generation, and career stage, but what they lack in those similarities, they make up for in commitment to writing great songs and playing them better live than they sound on record. It was a clear, warm night outside one of rock’s most famous institutions, The Rock Louvre and neither band showed any interest in wasting it.
In just a few short years, The Beths have moved from the Grog Shop to the Globe Iron and now The Rock Hall, and with good reason. The Auckland, New Zealand quartet opened the evening with a tight twelve-song set, more than enough to prove they don’t waste notes. It was banger after banger. They drew from across their catalog, showcasing just how many undeniable songs they’ve racked up in a relatively short time.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Elizabeth Stokes led the band through a set that featured quite a bit of their recent 2025 release’ Straight Line Was a Lie,’ along with a mix of songs from ‘Expert in a Dying Field‘ and some other fan favorites like “Jump Rope Gazers” and “Future Me Hates Me,” rocking the same they always have.
Another feature of the The Beths’ live show has always been the harmonies. All four members contribute vocals, and the effect in the open air outside the Rock Hall was just perfect, especially when they locked in on a chorus. The hardest-hitting song of the entire evening came during “I’m Not Getting Excited,” during which they proceeded to melt faces.
Then the set got a bit spacey connecting the poppy “Metal” and the esoteric “Til My Heart Stops,” the mood shifting somewhere more atmospheric before snapping back.
They were genuinely funny between songs, too. With the Rock Hall right beside them, they made the most of the absurdity by returning to the joke of performing outside what they called the “Rock Louvre” several times, with a bit of self-deprecating wit.
They closed with “Expert in a Dying Field,” which seems to get more and more relevant since it’s 2022 release. “How does it feel to be an expert in a dying field?” Stokes sings. It’s a question that hits differently depending on the day. It’s also a great closing song.
The Beths have been one of the best live bands on the circuit for years now, and Saturday reinforced what a long run they’re setting themselves up for. One could watch this band for the next twenty years and not feel like you’re getting diminishing returns. That’s rare. Itps possible that they’ll have a career as long and consistent as the next band on the lineup.
Spoon’s Britt Daniel and company are one of indie rock’s great institutions, mentioned in the same breath as the most consistent American bands of the last thirty years, but somehow perpetually undersold, underrated, and always just slightly below the level of mainstream recognition their catalog deserves. The thing about Spoon is that the average person might not know they know their songs. But then “The Underdog” comes on, or “The Way We Get By,” and something clicks. ‘Oh, that’s them’. Spoon has a handful of songs that were instant classics when they were released, the kind that burrowed into the culture without ever getting the credit that came with it.
They opened with “Wild” from 2022’s ‘Lucifer on the Sofa.‘ The song holds up next to anything in their catalog. Four years on, it doesn’t feel like a recent album cut, it feels like a Spoon song, which is a high compliment.
The stage show was a step above what you’d expect from a club-circuit indie band that’s quietly been doing this for three decades. The lighting rig was genuinely impressive, the kind of professional production that shows a band that takes every show seriously no matter the venue. The showmanship between all four members was evident, comfortable on stage in the way that only comes from having been up there ten thousand times but not coasting. They looked like they were having fun.
Britt told the crowd they’d learned a few songs for this tour they hadn’t played in a while. One of them was “Finer Feelings,” the kind of deep cut that makes a diehard in the crowd visibly lose their mind while the casual fan nods along pleasantly, not knowing they’re watching something special.
Another was “Out Go the Lights,” a standout from 2010’s ‘Transference‘ that Britt mentioned has long been one of his personal favorites in the Spoon catalog. It just never quite clicked live, he said, but he thought they finally got it right on this tour. It was hard to argue with that assessment. The song has a slow-burning quality that rewards patience.
Then things got genuinely electric. Dan Boeckner, Wolf Parade frontman, current Cleveland-area resident, and longtime Spoon collaborator through their shared project Divine Fits, walked out and joined them for a cover of Wolf Parade’s “Modern World.” It was a full-circle moment for anyone who’s followed any of those bands, and the energy in the crowd spiked noticeably. Boeckner stayed for a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sway,” a personal favorite, and a song that Spoon had no business pulling off as well as they did.
The set closed with “TV Set” by The Cramps, a fittingly unhinged note to end on outside a hall dedicated to the most gloriously unhinged music ever made. Three covers in one night is a lot, but they fit in great with the 18 song set. They weren’t filling time. They were showing their influences and their friendships, which is a different thing entirely.
Spoon returned for a two song encore, “The Underdog” and “Trouble Came Running” before saying ‘goodnight’ for real.
Two bands at very different points in their careers, sharing a stage outside the building that houses rock and roll’s permanent record. The Beths are writing their chapter. Spoon is already in the book. Saturday night, both cases were made convincingly.
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