What can be expected from a Beck concert? It's unpredictability.

He can move from funk to ballad, classic to contemporary fusion, sometimes making musical instruments out of props like furniture and cutlery. He has been known to use puppetry. He goes in directions that consistently surprise and delight his audiences – just as he has in his career.

This week's Beck concert at the Grand Sierra has a unique twist announced in advance. He will bring along Venezuelan American folk singer Devendra Banhart for his northern Nevada debut. Banhart has built a following over the past six years, both through his recordings and his appearances at music festivals, appearing down the performing order from the likes of Beck and Jack Johnson.

It's impossible to define exactly what Banhart's music is, a combination of Latin folk and mysticism. His current Web site, www.devendrabanhart.com, requires the dragging away of objects clustered in the center of the screen, everything from a dressmaker's form to a skull, to reveal the line: "Holy Moly We Are in Israel, Rolly Polly Call Me Ishmael." Only then can the site be entered.

Banhart will play with his band. Its most recent incarnation is as Power Mineral, but the members rename it continually, seemingly whenever a name comes to them, and it's been called Fried Hummingbird and Brain Taint, among other more colorful and less printable monikers.

As for Beck, he's released his newest album this summer, "Modern Guilt," and once again it sent writers into a frenzy of contradiction and struggle to define exactly what it is, calling it "retro-futurism" and "retro-contemporary fusion." In short, it's Beck, a little of what was, a little of what is, and a hint of what is to come. It's highly listenable as the artist is always highly watchable in concert.

Around the Silver Circle

• There aren't many performers who can be booked into casino theaters quite as quickly as KT Tunstall has been. Her premiere album, "Eye to the Telescope," turned out three hit singles – "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," "Suddenly I See" and "Other Side of the World" – was certified double-platinum, had sales exceeding 3.5 million, and wound up on uncountable iPods. Her follow-up, "Drastic Fantastic," debuted at No. 9.

Tunstall owes a lot to television for her quick rise. She was a last-minute replacement on the England's "Later with Jools Holland," outpolling other guests like the Cure and Embrace. When Katharine McPhee chose to sing "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on "American Idol," the song went from No. 79 to No. 23. Now Tunstall perform her blues and alternative rock in the Grande Exposition Hall at the Silver Legacy Friday.

• When Larry the Cable Guy last played the Reno Events Center, the movie "Cars" had just opened. Larry went to the downtown Riverside Cinema, waited for a matinee audience to exit, and stood there signing glossies he had brought along for the kids. They were pictures of Mater, the tow truck, the character he voiced in the movie. There was no publicity for his appearance and he was not paid to do it. It's just what he does. He's been known to stay after performances and visit and sign for hours. He returns to the Reno Events Center on Saturday.

• When last in the area, Sheryl Crow played the pavilion, the Reno Hilton's smaller venue. That was three years ago and, even though she was no small name at the time, her drawing power has been considerably strengthened, enough that she plays the Outdoor Arena at Harveys on Saturday, accompanied by James Blunt and Toots and the Maytals. She's won nine Grammy Awards and in February released "Detours."

• For the first time in its 36-year history, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has been held over, adding another week to the runs of two plays, the new musical "Cambio" (final performance Monday night) and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (final performances Tuesday through Thursday) at Sand Harbor.

• "Bad Moon Rising," "Susie Q," and "Midnight Special" are all part of the mandatory set list for Creedence Clearwater Revisited, the current incarnation of Creedence Clearwater Revival with ex-CCR members Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. The MontBleu, where the band plays Saturday, has wisely planned for a dance area.

• White tigers have become as associated with Las Vegas as much as India, but Lake Tahoe has a rare chance to see a few cubs. To benefit the S.A.B.R.E. Foundation, whose goal is to establish a sanctuary in Nevada to help save the species from extinction, the Crystal Bay Casino will let the public view them and offer limited photo opportunities in the Crown Room from 1 to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Aug. 30. Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

IF YOU GO

Beck and Devendra Banhart: 8 p.m. Thursday; Grand Sierra; $42.50; grandsierraresort.com

KT Tunstall: 9 p.m. Friday; Silver Legacy; $35, $45, $60; (800) 687-8733 or www.silverlegacy.com

Larry the Cable Guy: 8 p.m. Saturday; Reno Events Center; $45, $55, $75, $80; (888) 288-1833, www.downtownreno.com or www.ticketmaster.com

Sheryl Crow: 6:30 p.m. Saturday; Harveys Outdoor Arena; $49.50, $70.50, $99.50, $125.50; www.ticketmaster.com or www.apeconcerts.com

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: 7:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; Sand Harbor; $22-$67; www. LakeTahoeShakespeare.com

Creedence Clearwater Revisited: 9 p.m. Saturday; MontBleu; $60 general admission; (800) 648-3353