by marty
Halfway through the opening set of the opening date of its 2010 tour, frontman Jeff Tweedy gleefully declared it, "Wilco Gone Wild" and threw his head back with a laugh.
Imagining the laid-back, and often solemn, indie music godfathers at some Spring Break bacchanal is fairly ridiculous, especially for the 42-year-old singer and father of two boys. Not that the middle-aged, Chicago-based band is stuck in its ways. In fact, it is the opposite.
During its nearly 3-hour, 30 song set last night at the Jackie Gleason Theater, Wilco re-imagined many of their hit songs, ranging from a stripped down bluesy version of "Kamera" to a fusion frenzy on "Pot Kettle Black." For this scraggly country group turned indie rock band, Tweedy continues to push his bandmates forward to experiment in creating new and exciting sounds. The addition of true Guitar Hero Nels Cline to the band has put a razor's edge to Tweedy's musical explorations. Clines' solo on "Impossible Germany" was one of the show's highlights.
The enigmatic Tweedy was loose and playful. He brought a pre-teen up from the crowd to sing a couple of versus of Woody Guthrie's "California Stars." In the second half of the show, Tweedy did an amusing Carnac the Magnificent routine to introduce song requests from the sold out Miami Beach crowd. The lucky audience members were rewarded with a free meal at a nearby sushi restaurant.
The second half of the show started with an acoustic set where the band sat together surrounded by old-fashioned floor lamps - giving off a living room jam session vibe. But instead of playing the easier, long-winded, jam style of music, the band adheres to a jazz aesthetic, where improvisation and the silence between the notes are valued over the grandstanding solo. The interplay of the musicians and the melodies all through the night elevated the event from a great concert to something magical.
The "Evening With Wilco" tour continues for the next three weeks before it heads overseas. Better see your friendly, neighborhood scalper as the tour is sold out.
Setlist:
Price is Right theme music
1. Wilco (The Song)
2. Bull Black Nova
3. You Are My Face
4. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
5. One Wing
6. Shot In The Arm
7. At Least That's What You Said
8. Pot Kettle Black
9. Deeper Down
10. Impossible Germany
11. California Stars
12. Either Way
13. I'll Fight
14. Handshake Drugs
15. You Never Know
Break
16. Spiders (Acoustic)
17. What's The World Got In Store (Acoustic)
18. Kamera (Acoustic)
19. Hesitating Beauty (Acoustic)
20. Sky Blue Sky (Acoustic)
21. Casino Queen (Acoustic)
22. Outta Mind (Outta Sight) (Acoustic)
23. Misunderstood
24. Heavy Metal Drummer
25. Jesus, Etc.
26. Hate It Here
27. Walken
28. I'm The Man Who Loves You
29. Monday
Encore
“California Stars” by Billy Bragg and Wilco (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)
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