The Upstate Life

Friday, June 22, 2007

TUL's Take: Wilco @ Merriweather

Out of the now four times I've seen Wilco, I feel confident enough to say that last night's show was the best performance I've ever seen the band put on. Yes, this might even surpass the infamous 9:30 show where they broke out "Don't Fear the Reaper". While I'm not a big fan of Sky Blue Sky, the material from their latest LP was spread out nicely amongst the rest of the group's catalogue. The setlist was near-perfect and the energy within the entire venue was something else. I don't have to stress that this was probably the most enjoyable show I've ever attended at Merriweather. What a 180 from the night before! Each and every band member appeared to really enjoy themselves onstage last night. Nels put 110% effort into ferociously attacking the strings on his guitar while Glenn stood up in the air with his drumsticks raised high several times between songs. Tweedy was really loose, cracked a few jokes, and seemed really enthusiastic to be performing in front of the thousands of Wilco fans that flocked to Columbia last night.

While Sky Blue Sky leaves something to be desired, the album translates live incredibly well compared to the studio recording. "Impossible Germany", probably my favorite track off SBS, was played to perfection last night. However, the best moment of Thursday evening's show was the segue from" Poor Places" to "Spiders (Kidsmoke)". Holy shit, words can't describe how amazing that was. And yes, after attending four different shows, we finally got to hear our beloved "Kamera." That right there made our night. Wilco successfully quenched the audience's thirst for more material by coming out not to one, not two, but three (yes, three) encores! I'm telling you, if you passed on this show because it was at Merriweather and not at the 9:30, then shame on you my friend. Shame on you. Setlist via the Via Chicago forums:

A Shot in the Arm
Side with the Seeds
You Are My Face
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
Kamera
Handshake Drugs
Via Chicago
Shake It Off
War on War
Sky Blue Sky
Impossible Germany
Jesus, etc.
Hate It Here
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird
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California Stars
Poor Places>
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
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Heavy Metal Drummer
The Late Greats
I'm Always In Love
Outtamind (Outtasite)
I'm A Wheel
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What Light

Posted by Brett at 4:51 PM |