Wilco Blow Massey Hall's Lid...

[audiobill]

Clear Off.

As promised, my review of the Wilco concert is ready for airing. I needed our Thanksgiving Dinner (yes, American brethren...we just had our Thxgvin this weekend) and a couple days' breathing space to fully digest what we experienced at Massey Hall, Saturday night.

Jeff Tweedy cut an imposing figure on stage. He has a presence, unlike mid-career Neil Young, yet with a distinctly Jeff Tweedy flair: stooped height and dishevelled hair embracing a round, smiling face. The band apologized to the audience, after the second song, because of the excessive feedback that intruded upon parts of the songs. They skipped the sound check and were now contending with ghostly sounds. His promisory note to us: We can redo the two songs and play them again or we can play an extra--long concert and have some fun -- turned out to be the latter.

It's hard to believe that Uncle Tupelo's umbilical chord is connected to the band that played for us. Tweedy and company rocked harder than I ever imagined. Indeed, they were playfully experimenting with waves of feedback and elecronic atmospherics that took them ever-further away from their alt-country roots. This, in this reviewer's opinion, is a very good thing. At times, there were four electric guitars hammering away, while the drummer provided creative beats that took the whole ensemble into "space rock" territory. I was blown away. This is not to say that more mellow tunes didn't pace the evening. Songs like "California Stars" and "Far, Far Away" were beautiful in their relaxed splendour, piercing the evening air of Massey Hall. Moreover, the stage was decked out with all kinds of equipment — tons of guitars, a series of keyboards, rows of pedals and a laptop, all pulled together with a vibrant red, persian rug.

Most of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was played, much to our delight. Similarly, several tracks from A Ghost Is Born, blended nicely into the mix. Three encores later, and a final plea of hope "for our Canadian brethren to understand our American plight and dilemma, (and the need to Vote), capped off a memorable evening. 2hours and 10 minutes of sheer musical genius is still ringing in my ears, 2 days later.


N.P., stever wynn's "Topanga Canyon Freaks"
audiobill

[Mr MidFi]

Nice review, Bill. Wish I'd been there!

[Davey]

Nice review, Bill. Wish I'd been there!

Ditto what he said, and nice NP you got there too, audiobill! I had tickets to see them earlier this year with Howe Gelb down in Tucson but we got blown off when Mr. Tweedy went in for drug treatment. I hate it when that happens. They give you the ticket price back but keep all the rest of the extravagant service charges. Grrrrrrrr

[audiobill]

I notice Wilco will be heading south, soon: November 13, 2004
Saturday, 8:00 PM San Jose Center for Performing Arts
San Jose, CA
November 14, 2004
Sunday, 8:00 PM Paramount Theatre-CA
Oakland, CA
Wilco
November 19, 2004
Friday, 8:00 PM Wiltern Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
Wilco
November 20, 2004
Saturday, 6:30 PM Marquee Theatre
Tempe, AZ
Illinois is also on the schedule, for what it's worth,
audiobill