I should state up front that this was not my favorite Wilco show. It did not earn an 'A'. The biggest issue with the performance was that everything was acoustic. Stripping songs of instrumentals can be powerful, but that power is diminished when you’ve stripped every last one. With electric guitar, “Impossible Germany” is a triumph: a few odd lyrics held together for six minutes by an irresistible rhythm. Without the guitar, all you have are the lyrics – which don’t seem to connect. Another, less serious issue was the fact I didn’t know a lot of the songs – even though I’ve heard all seven studio albums multiple times. Including one or two obscure tracks is intriguing; including five or six is obnoxious.
Despite these problems, it was a Wilco concert, so I enjoyed it. I was still able to rely on “Jesus,” glide on “Hummingbird,” and fall in love in the key of C (“Shot in the Arm.”). There were also numerous songs which were actually better at this show than previous shows. This version of “Via Chicago” had special significance considering the couple next to me flew in from Chicago for the show. This version of “One Wing” was especially haunting considering how fully it was stripped down. This version of “Spiders” was not the best I’ve heard, but it was daring. Starting a show with a low-key rendition of your most famous high-energy song is pretty bold.
Beyond the songs, what made the concert enjoyable was Jeff Tweedy’s wit. Like Ben Folds, Tweedy consistently wins over crowds with charm, gently chiding fans who shout out, ‘harshly rebuking’ himself for miscues, etc. This time it was funny to hear him lacerate himself for writing the lyric “you better turn your frown upside down,” and then qualify it by saying, “I can’t take it out though. Then I’ll get people saying, ‘Oh, but you see, that perfectly evoked what you need to overcome grief in modern society.’ Thank you for being nerds! J” It was also amusing to hear him tell the audience, “Feel free to join in any way you want – except with rhythmic clapping. That never works. How about rhythmic calling? [A few seconds later] Yes -- I think you’ve got that down!”
Overall, it may not have been a perfect show, but it did have a perfect ending. Tweedy had played with acoustic guitar the whole night, so the stripped-down style had long since lost its appeal. For the final song, though, Tweedy played “Acuff Rose” without an amp or a mic! To hear all 1200 people in the theater dead silent for three minutes was incredible. If Tweedy does something daring like that next show and throws in some electric guitar, I’m sure they’ll be right back up to an ‘A.’
Grade: B+
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