There aren’t too many bands around that would entice me to travel from Toronto to Hamilton on a Tuesday evening. But then, Wilco isn’t just any band. They are, at least in my humble opinion, the single greatest band playing music today. And so it was that my wife, sister and future-brother-in-law made the trek across the QEW to see our heroes in action.
This was the fourth time I’ve seen Wilco live, and each time I’ve commented that “The show was great, but I wish they’d played
This was Wilco’s first trip to Hamilton, and frontman Jeff Tweedy spent some time consulting with the audience about whether he should refer to it as “Hammertown” or simply “The Hammer.” This banter continued throughout the night; as the audience shouted the usual we-love-yous and song requests, Tweedy at one point said it seemed the audience had declared one particularly vocal fan their “designated spokesman.” Considering his longstanding reputation as a bit of a difficult and moody guy, it was good to see Tweedy so loose and playful.
The rest of the band was in fine form, as usual. Wilco has a particular knack for sounding both technical and polished and loose and jammy at the same time. A significant part of that is due to the incredible skill of guitarist Nels Cline, whose 30+ year career has seen him play jazz, punk and alt-country with equal brilliance. Bassist John Stirratt – the only original Wilco member besides Tweedy – is also a vital cog, as his bass lines skillfully keep songs moving in the right direction even as the rest of the band breaks into one of their frequent wall-of-noise jams (listen to “Bull Black Nova” in the Youtube clip above, for a perfect illustration, despite the less-than-stellar quality).
Having now had the good fortune to see Wilco in the Toronto area three times in just over a year, I suspect it might be a bit of time before I get to catch them live again. If I have to occupy my time with CDs and other things Wilco-related (a new Wilco-themed sandwich shop in Toronto, for instance), at least I know last night’s Hamilton stop will remain a vivid memory of the band’s live power for months to come.
