Wilco has a new record out at the end of this month, called Wilco (the album) which includes Wilco (the song). In their show at the Wiltern Theater last night in Los Angeles, lead singer Jeff Tweedy aggressively hawked "the merch booth," and especially the "awesome program."
Couldn't tell if he was being ironic or had totally sold himself out.
But this much is for sure -- the show was loud, and the set-list was almost completely different from the night before, albeit with a few classic hits ("Jesus, Etc.", "California Stars," "Heavy Metal Drummer") mixed in with some familiar white-noise guitar freak-outs "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" "Bull Black Nova" to knock the crowd a step back.
Impressive show, if not especially emotional, with the exception of a heartfelt "Reservations," which was enough to make yours truly cry a little. Band played only two or three songs from the new record, but "One Wing" proved to be very effective live -- another heartbreaker.
Tweedy bantered with the crowd as I never have seen do before, and even brought his guitar down to the pit so a fan could strum out a song as he (Tweedy) played the chords. Maybe that's an old showbiz stunt, but I've never that one, either. He genuinely seemed to like the crowd, which he got clapping and singing with ease. He told us:
Appreciate that, Jeff. Thank You. Here's a fuller review, and right on the mark, from Darryl Morden. Here's a pic from fanpop:
