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WILCO -- 10/09/09 Dallas


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  • 1 month later...

longtime wilco fan. my take on last night...curious to hear your feedback. this isn't a debate, i'm not "right"...just one person's opinion.

 

Wilco has become one of the most confounding live acts in music.

 

They have the complete package: songwriting (songcraft, melody & lyrics), musical chops, a good catalogue and whatever “it” is. Yet all but one time, I have walked away from a wilco show with a slight disconnect.

 

I always thought it was nils cline not 100% fitting in. but with 2 albums featuring nils (3 since he was brought in for the ghost is born tour, so they are his songs as much as anyone’s), nils has finally meshed with the band. In fact the musical highlights were all nils-led. They have never sounded more comfortable and relaxed.

 

And maybe that was what was a little strange about wilco last night. their appeal has always been a sense of brooding, anxiety and discomfort hidden behind the pretty music. It was so fun to watch this twangy rock band become an art rock band.

 

I never thought I’d ever say this, but wilco these days could stand to take themselves a little more seriously.

 

Let me back up: we wouldn’t be having this conversation if it wasn’t for everything they do right. there were long stretches of transcendence, where the music takes hold of you and you are hanging on every note. I am your face, impossible germany, handshake drugs, hate it here, bull black nova, theologians, hummingbird, can’t stand it (!) were just awesome in that “only wilco can write and play music like this” way. Mixed in with rockers like I’m the man who loves you, im a wheel, casino queen (!!) and slow ballads like company in my back, one wing and you never know, you got a really nice blend of tempo and tone…the complete wilco if you will. It was just about an A+ setlist really.

 

But they also have an uncanny ability to tear down the 4th wall and go from WILCO to “wilco”, 6 dorks playing dork rock. Tweedy taking a 15 sec joke and turning it into a 3 min rant. Trading shirts with the guy in the gold lame shirt? Funny. Talking about it after every song? not. let Kingpin be a crowd interaction song without forcing the crowd to clap and whoop. Let jesus etc be a singalong without prompting the crowd and asking if they can sing louder than Austin. And the rock star poses from glen before I’m the man and pat “townsend” sansome, who can’t play a guitar chord without a windmill? Wilco (the single)? Come on. Why play 2 encores that are really sets? For the “please come back” screams from the crowd?

 

And the crowd. Oh god the crowd. Wilco has become the indie DMB…what was once an endearing crowd of Johnny Every-Bloggers and their cutter girlfriends has turned into chicks dragging their disinterested meathead boyfriends and 16 year old indie starter kits. Skinny black jeans have been replaced by old navy cargo pants. I actually miss the hard core shoe gazer wilco fans. right or wrong, wilco just isn't perceived as cutting edge anymore. whether blame goes to the band or the fanbase on this who knows. but the vibe was different.

 

Wilco has everything they ever wanted. A stable lineup, a sober tweedy, a big loyal fanbase. And lord knows they deserve it. I just think they are one of those bands who are better when they are suffering for their art/have something to prove/etc.

 

i miss brooding wilco. i just can't lie.

 

 

That said, they played almost 30 songs last night. you'll never say they mail it in, that's for damn sure

 

Do you write for Pitchfork?

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