I had given up on going to this show after having snoozed when the tickets went on sale. I then looked up some of the set lists earlier in the tour and was amazed at these crazy, long shows they were doing. So I persisted and found tickets just days before the show. And I am glad I did.
Sometimes I give a song by song account but 37 songs (not a typo) are too many to discuss. Wilco (the song) from Wilco (the album) was the opening song by Wilco (the band) after the theme music from the Price is Right accompanied the band's entrance. Yes humor does belong at this show. Great song and a prototype for the show. Catchy tunes, accessible with lots of flourishes, little and big from Nels Cline. I first saw Wilco at the 3 Rivers Arts Festival at a free show in 2003 (I have a magnificent live recording of the show made by the great local taper, Alex Heard, let me know if you would like a copy). When they returned to the 3 Rivers Arts Fest the next year, I believe it was their first show after frontman Jeff Tweedy finished rehab and the first live show with Nels. I remember thinking that Tweedy is a great guitarist in his own right and wondered why they needed this new guy. Well, it turns out that Nels is outstanding, famous in his own right among guitar afficianados and perhaps the most economical guitarist around. What I mean by that is, within the confines of these short, 3 to 7 minute songs, Nels adds little runs throughout and solos, some concise and some luxurious and magnificent like in "Impossible Germany". Cline can play clean and conventional solos as well as seriously dissonant feedback flourishes. The rest of the band are not pikers either. John Stirratt plays a solid, mostly underneath bass. Glen Kotchie plays some complicated drum parts, showing of particularly on "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" with it's loose percussive opening. Pat Sansone is the multi-instrumentalist that adds versatility to the band, including at times a Sonic Youth like guitar fuzz wall of sound. Mikail Jorgenson plays some great keyboards, stepping out front with regularity with a bluesy and rock'n'roll style (though I believe he slipped a little melotron in there as well).
They mixed up the songs well representing their entire history. They ran through 14 songs including mixing in a lot of new material with familiar songs including "Handshake Drugs", "California Stars" and "Impossible Germany" back to back to back. As song 14 was winding down in a dissonant wall of sound, the melancholy "Poor Places", the crew invaded the stage with lamps, a pared down drum kit, a simple keyboard setup and acoustic guitars. Spiders(Kidsmoke) emerged from this transformation. This and the next seven songs were performed from this front of stage setup. The audience was not necessarily in sync with the band. Jeff Tweedy stated the obvious after Spiders, that this is a quieter part of the show, adding that that means "we can hear you talking". He dedicated the next song "More Like the Moon" to people in the audience (like me) who don't have 50 bucks to throw away by not paying attention. "War on War" and "Forget the Flowers" were highlights of the intimate set. The stage was transformed back during "Passenger Side" and "Airline to Heaven", the third song with Woody Guthrie lyrics that they performed this night. Another 12 songs followed before the encores. This included the "Jesus Etc." singalong, a raucous "Heavy Metal Drummer" and the dinner coupon giveaway. There really were too many highlights to highlight all of the. Suffice it to say, they moved from pinnacle to peak. A rocking "Casino Queen" was the first encore, yes Wilco can rock pretty hard when they decide to. "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" and "I'm a Wheel" finished things off in satisfying fashion. Thirty seven songs, about three hours of music and high-jinks.
This was my fourth Wilco show, all have been excellent, this one the best yet.
Outstanding!!!
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