As a self-described diehard Wilco fan, it’s hard to argue with the seemingly unsettling sentiment that the veteran band has traded in some of their defining innovation to rest on their laurels. Over the past couple of years, many have slapped Wilco with the ‘dad rock’ label. Maybe it’s malaise over a band slowly moving away from their once-progressive tendencies toward experimentation, settling on their past two, relatively unadventurous albums Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album). Or perhaps it’s the image of a the band that once defiantly stood in the face of the record industry, refusing to comprise their creative process, now licensing their music as the once-anthem for the Volkswagen Nation. Despite all of these concerns, however, Wilco in concert has never been something in question, and Friday night’s sold-out performance at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre was no different.
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Wilco |
Fox Theatre
Atlanta, GA
March 26, 2010
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The show had no opening act, no novelties of any variety preceding the band, just simply an evening with Wilco—one that lasted nearly three hours. After opening up Wilco (The Concert) with “Wilco (The Song),” the sextet followed with mostly newer material, mixed in with classics like “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” and “A Shot in the Arm.” Between frontman Jeff Tweedy’s disheveled cool, Nels Cline’s dexterous guitar work and drummer Glenn Kotche’s meticulous rhythms, Wilco’s consistency quickly became evident with each passing song.
Halfway through the show amidst the extended noise-ridden coda of “Poor Places,” the crew efficiently set up a makeshift living room near the front of the stage, complete with a whole other set of instruments complimented by adjacent vintage lamps. In this arrangement, Wilco moved through an acoustic “set” filled both alternate versions and older, less renowned songs, including acoustic version of “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” as an early bluegrass arrangement of “Casino Queen.”
The final “set,” was all about Wilco in its quintessential element—finishing their show with a series of fan favorites. Kotche’s chaotic bursts defined “Via Chicago,” as they were juxtaposed with the random flashes of their stage lighting like a storm full of lighting and thunder. Tweedy opted to let the crowd sing nearly the entire “Jesus, etc.,” before joining late as the sing along filled the Fox Theatre. With every song appearing to be their last, the band kept on playing track after track.
After 33 straight songs and a rapturous ovation, Wilco graced the crowd with one more, performing a cover of Big Star’s “Thank You Friends,” dedicated to the recently deceased Big Star frontman Alex Chilton. The song appeared to be, however, not just an ode to one of the group’s notable influences, but a fitting display of their gratitude for the ongoing support of its fans. It was moment not only paying tribute to lost ones, but also acknowledging their fan’s undying support as Wilco continues to sell out show after show, cementing their place as one of the today’s great American rock bands.
“Set 1”*
1. Wilco (The Song)
2. I Am Trying Break Your Heart
3. Bull Black Nova
4. You Are My Face
5. One Wing
6. A Shot in the Arm
7. Side with the Seeds
8. Deeper Down
9. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again)
10. Wishful Thinking
11. Impossible Germany
12. California Stars
13. Poor Places
“Set 2” (Acoustic)*
14. Spiders (Kidsmoke)
15. Far, Far Away
16. You and I
17. Laminated Cat
18. War on War
19. Hesitating Beauty
20. Casino Queen (Early Version)
21. Passenger Side
“Set 3”*
22. Airline to Heaven
23. Via Chicago
24. Handshake Drugs
25. You Never Know
26. Heavy Metal Drummer
27. Can’t Stand It
28. Jesus, etc.
29. Theologians
30. Hate It Here
31. Walkin’
32. I’m The Man Who Loves You
33. I’m a Wheel
Encore
34. Thank You Friends (Big Star cover)
*These “sets” were distinct, but without breaks in the show
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