Wilco
Saturday, 11-13-07
The Crossroads
Better than: Elton John at the Sprint Center
Review by Richard Gintowt
Wilco has been my favorite band since high school. I’ve spun each record endlessly and faithfully driven to god-forsaken places like Omaha and Wichita to catch the band live. Heck, I even gave Jeff Tweedy a tape of my band when I was in high school (still waiting for a response…).
The thing is, Sky Blue Sky isn’t my favorite Wilco record. It’s a great album and a perfectly sensible follow-up to A Ghost Is Born, but it just hasn’t dazzled me the way Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Summerteeth did. Maybe it’s the mellowness of it, or maybe it’s the melancholy. Either way, I’m gonna stay right by Wilco’s side – ‘cause they’re Wilco, ya know?
Having caught the band in Columbia, Missouri, a month ago, I was hoping they’d mix up the set list for Saturday’s show at the Crossroads. For the most part, they didn’t. I’m pretty sure the two encores were exactly the same. Maybe that’s my fault for attending two shows in such close proximity, or maybe it’s fair to expect more variation from a band with six records.
To their credit, the set list did include multiple tracks from A.M. – material they’d seemingly disregarded on the Yankee and Ghost is Born tours. “Too Far Apart” and “Box Full of Letters” sounded great, and the Summerteeth material sounded no worse for the wear (though I’d love to hear “Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)” or “ELT” instead of the omnipresent “She’s A Jar”).
Tweedy was all giggles with his stage banter, praising the crowd and suggesting that the nearby Elton John show was probably attended by “a bunch of jerks” (he also vamped Elton into “Too Far Apart” – I’m telling you Elton / We couldn’t be any closer to you). The characteristically self-effacing singer also had the crowd laughing when he said that his voice just “keeps getting better and better” on the heels of a hoarse falsetto coda to “Too Far Apart.”
The band seemed to be enjoying themselves, livening up instrumental passages from Sky Blue Sky with frenetic triple guitar solos. A sweat-drenched Glenn Kotche brought his usual A-game to the table, ornamenting newer material with his array of melodic percussion devices. Pat Sansone of the Autumn Defense seems to get more and more in the mix with each passing tour, contributing some tasty Rhodes piano and third guitar. John Stirratt’s harmonies were mixed nearly as high as Tweedy’s vocals, revealing just how crucial they are to the band’s current ‘70s-rock pastiche.
As the evening carried on, I was struck by how popular Wilco has become. Hipsters, bros, tightwads and teens – all seemed to be equally engaged by a band that was once deemed too much of a risk for a major label. It felt good to see Wilco reaping such rewards by making records on their own terms.
Remember this band? It seems like such a long time ago…
Personal Bias: Wilco is pretty much my favorite band ever. SRSLY.
Random detail: The drunk-ass emcee’s warm-up speech went something like this: “The Crossroads! Beer! Wilco!” (Boooooooo…) [Richard, meet Stretch. -- Ed.]
By the way: Andrew Bird is great. You know what would be better though? Andrew Bird with a band.
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Andrew Bird IS his own band. That said, Wilco fans have always been an eclectic bunch (hippies need to be added to the list), but never very warm towards opening bands. Maybe its the beer, or the Midwest audiences, but if Calexico couldn't win anyone over in '04, it seemed only fitting that Andrew Bird would fly right over the audience this time around. Shame too, as his Granada show last month was easily one of the year's best in my opinion.
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