Show Review: Wilco at the Agganis Arena



It’s official. Wilco are the greatest band working today.

Okay, maybe there are a few out there who would tie for first place, but they’re definitely up there. The band’s de facto leader, Jeff Tweedy, has gone from alt country poster boy to Brian Wilsonesque power-popster to experimental noisemaker, while all the while keeping his sense of melody and lyrical mastery intact. Their most recent album, A Ghost Is Born, is a far cry for A.M., their 1995 debut, but it doesn’t take a lifetime of listens to hear similarities.

Their delicate balance of songwriting prowess and avant-noise was on full display last Friday at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Tweedy, bass player John Stirratt, drummer Glenn Kotche, guitarist Nels Cline, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone favored new songs over the old (ten songs from A Ghost Is Born and none from the debut album, if that’s any indication), but made them all seem timeless. Hitting the stage with “Airline to Heaven,” from Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II (their second Woody Guthrie tribute collaboration with Billy Bragg), the country/folk followers of Tweedy’s older days were appeased. The rollicking “I’m the Man Who Loves You” followed, and while quiet, brooding numbers like “Muzzle of Bees” and “Jesus, Etc” weaved in and out of the show, they were tempered with dissonant numbers like “Handshake Drugs” (with its cathartic feedback coda) and the epic drone of “Spiders/Kidsmoke.” Guitarist Cline has been something of a secret weapon of late, incorporating his manic experimental guitar stylings into Wilco’s shows and also dialing down the theatrics in order to pick up a lap steel guitar on the more roots-oriented numbers.

Besides his constant desire to experiment musically, Tweedy has been uncharacteristically good-humored lately, imploring the audience to incorporate the word “Boston” into the sing-a-long portion of “Kingpin,” calling their current stretch the “arena tour” with tongue firmly in cheek, and even walking onstage for the encore wearing a BU hockey jersey with “Tweedy” emblazoned on the back. As he’s said in recent interviews, Jeff Tweedy is the happiest he’s ever been.

Regardless of the ongoing maturity of Wilco’s music, they never seem to forget that they’re a rock group and are more than happy to indulge in fun, harmless clichés -- the wild light show was a supreme guilty pleasure, and Sansone’s Pete Townshend-style windmills during the raucous “I’m A Wheel” were straight out of Rock Star 101.

Power-pop crowd pleasers like “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “I’m Always In Love” were featured (and the term “crowd pleaser” should not be considered derogatory – the Wilco crowd has pretty damn good taste in music), and one of the night’s nicest surprises was the closing number, a sublime cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.”

My Morning Jacket, a band I’ve been suggested to check out, opened for Wilco and clearly had fans of their own in the crowd, judging by the enthusiastic support. Their music is definitely worth a listen. Kind of roots-rock, with a definite 70s feel (lots of long hair bobbing back and forth, complete with Gibson Flying V’s and rock star poses), their look is misleading, since their songwriting is stellar. This is the rare case of me witnessing an opening act and making a mental note to check them out the next time they tour solo.

Wilco is a rare band in today’s climate – they refuse to ride trends, they’re not hopelessly derivative, and they play all their instruments and write their own songs. Even at the height of their powers, they refuse to rest on their laurels, constantly moving forward. They sound better than ever. Do not miss a chance to see them.

For a full setlist of the Boston show, go here.