Party Ends

   Sometimes, when you grow so accustomed to your cynical ways, and every show you go to see  costs eight bucks, and it's that band who's really hot right now, or someone who's really fresh and new and made that great EP that you've listened to ten times, and they're all fine young musicians, you forget some of the wonder in seeing a band that you reeeeeally love play songs that you have listened to a million time for years. Last night, I realized what I miss every time I open the local paper and see one of those full page adds for a show at the Coca Cola Star Plex and go "shiiiit, thirty dollars to see them? Oh well, it would be so packed with frat kids that I wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway." And I came to this realization at a free show, which makes it even better.

   Last night Wilco came to the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth and put on a stellar performance (as would be expected), but it was so good that I didn't even begrudge them the inappropriately long, cornball, adult-contemporary guitar solos; which, believe me, is a stretch for me. Leaving behind some of the Frampton-esqu reaches of Kicking Televisions, Mr. Tweedy lead the seasoned minstrels through a career spanning set list, jumping back and forth from Summer Teeth, to a Ghost is Born, and throwing in a few covers along the way, and doing things a little harder than usual. While talking to bass player  John Stirratt, he said that the evening's tone was intentionally more rocky, straying far and wide from the acoustic guitar driven sounds of Being There and much of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. With everything from a crowd interactive rock show staple of call and response, and people presenting drinks to the musicians feet at the front of the stage, the effect was an undeniably Wilco show, with enough variance and unexpected twists to not feel as though you were flipping through you favorite tracks back home.

   I have to brag on our front row seats that my incredible wife got us after the band came into here store here in Dallas. There is nothing like a show where you can sit or stand at your leisure and th band is only a few feet in front of you. Wow, it was surreal. After the show I was mildly shocked at how down to earth and modest a bunch of guys who are in the top of their profession, and have been for so long, were when talking to casual listeners and superfans alike. Very approachable, Kotche, Stirratt, and the new guys Nels Cline (an unspeakably talented guitarist) and Pat Sansone, made easy conversation with everyone over some local brews. Jeff was, sadly, absent from the after show gathering, but that is his typical fair.

   And so, even if you have, like me, myself, lost a little interest in the aging of the Wilco sound, don't lose hope; they have the goods still, they're just going in a new direction, which is cool, but now I know, and you know too, that someday, someday soon, they very well might point themselves right back our way.

(that is the most commas I have ever put into a sentence)

   Here is a video of one of the best songs of the night, though not from our actual show because they are crazy strict about taking videos, and flash photography, which is why there aren't more pictures:

Video - Wilco - Jesus Etc. -

And for good Measure, this incredible song: MP3 - Wilco - Hummingbird -