Watch Beck Cover Prince’s ‘1999’

Is there nothing Beck can't do? He can be a smart-ass on record. He can be a sensitive singer-songwriter on record. Hell, he can even open for himself in concert! How many other artists can do that?

At the recent Montreal International Jazz Festival, Beck covered Prince's eternal classic '1999.' And like his recent cover of another R&B/pop nugget from the early '80s, it wasn't necessarily the smoothest of grooves. He's always seemed a little stiff when it comes to this sort of stuff, which we always thought was more or less the smart-ass point.

But it's certainly passable, as you can see from the above video. Beck even busts a couple moves during the song. So, points for that.

Look closely at the video, and you may spot Sean Lennon -- whose band the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger is opening for Beck on this tour -- playing cowbell on the left of the stage.

And here's a 'Billie Jean' cover Beck and his band performed for Jimmy Kimmel's audience back in April, in case you want to compare: