Review: Wilco in Concert

“It’s a sad day in the Wilco family today, we will miss our fallen comrade and fellow traveler”, announced Jeff Tweedy after opening Monday night’s Wilco show with A Shot in the Arm from 1998’s album Summerteeth: “Your pillow wept / You covered your eyes / And you finally slept / While the sun caught fire…” The lyrics were, perhaps, perfectly apropos of their collective feelings of melancholy. It was revealed to Wilco and their fans only a day earlier that Jay Bennett, influential co-songwriter and guitarist of the band from 1994-2001, had died in his sleep. Despite this bittersweet beginning, the American alt-country pioneers, who performed to a sell-out crowd at the Cervantes Theatre in Malaga, were a much different (and better?) band then when last I saw them perform live nearly 9 years ago.

Wilco’s lineup has changed frequently over their 15 years of existence, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. New to the lineup since 2004 is avant-garde guitarist Nils Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone whose contributions account for both the sophisticated arrangements of the newer material off their last two albums, as well as re-arrangements of their stylistically diverse back catalog. Throughout the set, the guitar work of Nils Cline and Jeff Tweedy added dynamics both noisy and experimental reminiscent of forward-thinking stalwarts like Television and Sonic Youth. But the songs always seemed to find their way back home to more elemental and melodic roots-rock base. Highlights of the set included crowd favorites I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, War On War and Pot Kettle Black.

Frontman Jeff Tweedy still sports his characteristic tired and disheveled look, however was surprisingly animated on stage and made a genuine effort to interact with a polite but captivated audience between songs. Each band member had a turn at sharing the spotlight with playful rock and roll posturing that lightened the mood and got the audience on its feet by the end of a lengthy one hour set. For an encore, the band returned to the stage to perform You Are My Face and Impossible Germany off their 2007 release Sky Blue Sky. A second encore was in demand from the audience, and Wilco delivered, this time dedicating it to Jay Bennett. They closed with the song Monday, a rocker penned by their fallen ex-band member who was duly honored and remembered on this unforgettable Monday night in Malaga.

Video