This was our last day at the fest, and we originally planned our return flight to California around a rumored Wilco show. Since I first heard A Ghost Is Born, I’ve become more and more enamored with the band, digging into their back catalog and whatnot, but I hadn’t had a chance to see them live. Luckily, the rumored show proved to be true and we were treated to a great night.
We got down to the Miller Lite Oasis at around 7 PM. Wilco was scheduled to go on at 9:30 preceded by a set by Andrew Bird at 8:00. Bird plays plucky, literate indie rock, using all sorts of instruments, including a violin, xylophone and a guitar. He plays a riff on one of the instruments then that riff is repeated over and over while he plays another instrument. Sometimes he lays three or four riffs over one another to create a very complex song, which is pretty impressive considering his band consists only of himself and a percussionist/organist Martin Dosh, who looks a lot like CAKE frontman John McCrea with his trucker hat and beard. While everyone was standing for their set, I heard a lot of chatter around me. Bird’s melodies make for great background music, but it simply doesn’t demand the listener’s attention.
Wilco came on stage around 9:35 and after opening with “Ashes of American Flags,” they went into a great three-song set, including “Handshake Drugs,” “The Late Greats” (my favorite Wilco song, and one of the best songs from 2004) and “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.”
Leading up to the show, I put my 16 favorite Wilco tracks on a CD for Amy to help her familiarize herself with the band. Of their 19-song set, 10 were from the CD, so much of the set list was amongst the band’s best work. (Amy only recognized seven songs, so apparently she didn’t finish all of her homework, but I’ll cut her some slack – after all, she is on summer break.)
The band has a tendency to go a little crazy with their intros and outros, but they kept it reined in for most of the show. Jeff Tweedy was a lot more personable than I expected, often engaging the audience with his witty remarks. After seeing the band’s documentary, “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” I was expecting zero crowd interaction from the insular singer. At one point he referred to his own his reclusiveness, saying, “You guys get out there and shake your ass. That inspires me to be a better frontman.”
I was extremely impressed by the show, which lasted almost two hours. From the catchiness of “Heavy Metal Drummer” to the Beatles-esque piano in “Hummingbird” to the fantastic instrumental portion of “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” it was just a great concert, top to bottom, and a great way to close out this year’s Summerfest.
Set list: Ashes of American Flags, Handshake Drugs, The Late Greats, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Impossible Germany (new song), Airline to Heaven, Forget the Flowers, At Least That’s What You Said, Jesus Etc., Walken, Theologians, I’m The Man Who Loves You, Heavy Metal Drummer, Kingpin, Hummingbird Misunderstood, War on War A Shot in the Arm, Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Recommended playlist: I Must Be High, Hummingbird, Forget the Flowers, Theologians, I’m The Man Who Loves You, Jesus Etc., Can’t Stand It, The Late Greats, Thirteen, Misunderstood, Handshake Drugs, Kamera, Heavy Metal Drummer, Wishful Thinking, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Outtasite (Outta Mind)
