The Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI, USA - 16 November 2000
Wilco played its unique brand of music (cow-punk, dark pop, call it what you may) to a packed house at the Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave., Thursday night.
As the crowd filed from the venue's doors nearly two hours after the band first took the stage, few voices expressing discontent were to be heard.
Beginning their set with a collection of new tunes fleshed out by several from the Mermaid Avenue collection (both Volumes 1 and 2) Wilco eased its way into a primarily toned-down set.
At one point during the evening's entertainment, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy remarked "this is another morose song from within our shells"--a statement that summed up the band's set effectively. Tweedy rarely allowed a smile (or a hint of one) to play across his lips in favor of a more distant look that lent itself to the tales of introspection that he spun.
Initially, Wilco appeared to be disavowing the changes that it made to its sound on last year's Summer Teeth by exhibiting the strong country flavor that typified the band's first release, A.M. (and to a lesser extent its sophomore offering, Being There).
However, as the show progressed, Wilco slowly worked in the brooding pop that characterized its last disc. During "A Shot in the Arm" Wilco appeared to be playing at an American roots-rock version of Radiohead--featuring healthy doses of feedback, looped vocals and space-aged keys.
Inevitably, however, Tweedy and company always returned to the country-tinged tunes for which they are known.
As the band wrapped its set, the audience was less than excited about the performance that they had witnessed--claims of "weak" were heard from several quarters. However, after taking the stage for its encore, all complaints ceased. During "Misunderstood," from the band's 1996 album Being There, Tweedy let loose, shouting repeatedly "I'd like to thank you all for nothing, nothing, nothing at all"--the ripping punk for which Tweedy initially gained notoriety finally bubbling to the surface.
Meanwhile, Jay Bennett, Wilco's axeman, bounded across the stage madly--dreadlocks flailing and goofball grin shining. The band's first encore showcased Wilco's affection for rock--an affection that finally let the depressed facade that the group had let dominate the evening slip. For its second encore Wilco hammered out an extended version of "Casino Queen" which featured a tasty sandwiched version of "Hoodoo Voodoo."
In the end, Wilco played an excellent show despite its initial leanings toward a less than exciting evening. Finally substituting feedback and rollicking country tasting rock 'n' roll for the folksy feeling laid-back numbers with which it kicked the night off, Wilco turned up the volume and left its fans satisfied once again.
--Brian Gettler