Photos by Jim Mimna
In memory of my mother, Sandy Dwenger, who fostered a
profound love of music in me and always supported my writing.
Sadly, she passed away just as Wilco was leaving the stage on this night.
The Scene: Though the forecasts leading into the night were for thunderstorms and rain for much of the evening, aside from a brief shower early in the night, nothing of significance ever materialized. Instead what the nearly sold-out crowd got was a night of damn near perfect weather as the clouds parted and allowed Jeff Tweedy and Wilco to strut their stuff in front of legions of Denver’s music connoisseurs.
Wilco: From the opening notes of “Handshake Drugs” to the closing notes of “Misunderstood,” Wilco was on fire (if you discount Tweedy’s vocal flub in “Jesus Etc.”) last week when they headlined Red Rocks. The band has headlined the venerable Morrison venue several times over the last ten years, but last week was, according to many, the best of them all.
They showcased their ability to turn a beautiful melody into a cacophony on a dime during “Via Chicago,” pushed into the world of electronica with “Art Of Almost,” wow’d the faithful with innovative instrumental explorations on songs like “At Least That’s What You Said,” and even flirted with pop on “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “Passenger Side,” and more. Simply put Wilco is one of the most diverse bands playing today and they put it all on display last week to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band.
One of my personal highlights of the evening came in the form of a beautiful rendition of “Impossible Germany” from the band’s 2007 release Sky Blue Sky. The sheer beauty of the song washed over the swaying crowd and again highlighted the depth of the band’s catalog as guitarist Nels Cline pushed an intricate and extended solo to the forefront of the mix for the middle section of the song. Though Cline hasn’t been with the band from the beginning (no one has except Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt) it’s impossible to deny his incredible contributions to the Wilco sound.
The 22 song main set was nothing short of amazing so, as the band returned for the first of what proved to be two encores, it was hard to imaging them pushing things to new heights but they managed it with a rollicking “The Late Greats” and an electrifying “Shot In the Arm” that would have left any fan satisfied if the show ended right there.
Instead of wrapping things up, stagehands brought out several mics that gave away the acoustic set that we were about to be treated to as the second encore. The five song segment featured “War On War” from the band’s breakthrough Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album, along with a pair of Woody Guthrie penned gems “Hesitating Beauty” and “California Stars.” Wilco brought the show to a close with a sing-along to “Misunderstood,” the lead track from their 1996 double album Being There, but from where I was sitting there was a person in the crowd that didn’t understand exactly what had just gone on during the monster 30 song performance. This was one for the ages.
Energy: A
Musicianship: A+
Sound: A
Stage Presence: A-
Set/Light Show: A-
Overall: A
Outstanding review!