photo via Twitter.com/Cuninho

I should preface this review by stating this was my first Wilco show, so if I come across as way too excited there is a reason for it. In the past I have bought tickets to see Wilco on three separate occasions and once to see Jeff Tweedy solo. Every time something came up that prevented me from seeing them. So as you can imagine I went into last night’s show just waiting for something to come along and screw up this occasion. Fortunately nothing came up and I got to witness an epic show. The band took the stage at 9:17 and immediately jumped into “Wilco (The Song).” You could tell from the minute they took the stage they were in fairly good moods. Next up was the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot staple “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.” It sounded amazing and played a hand in setting the pace for the rest of the show.

Having spent some time with the new record I was hoping they would play quite a bit from it. Throughout the course of the show they played 23 songs and four were from the new album. The second new song was “One Wing.” You could tell those that haven’t really heard the new album were impressed. I was hoping for “Bull Black Nova” and after a brief wait my wish was granted. This song is so killer on the album, I knew it was going translate nicely to a live setting. Although, to say it translates nicely is a rather lofty understatement. The song played live is an absolute beast, and it was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the show. It was at this point my friend Chris White turned to me and said they’ve already made up for that piece of shit Sky Blue Sky. While his opinion is his own regarding Sky Blue Sky, I will say the new album is instantly better.

Read the rest of the review and check out the setlist after the jump…

After a few more stellar songs that included “Sonny Feeling (off the new album) “, “Jesus, Etc.” and the delightful “California Stars” from Mermaid Avenue, the band finally tore into my personal favorite Wilco song. That song is of course “Misunderstood” (Yeah I know it’s cliché, but I love the song). This song absolutely kicked ass and we counted 41 “nothings,” which seems to be a lot of nothings. Unfortunately some prick started throwing what appeared to be sharpies at Nels right when this song started. What kind of idiot goes to a show with a pocket full of sharpies to throw at the band.

Shaking off the sharpie attack they continued on through “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” and “Hummingbird” before leaving the stage at 10:57 for the encore. They hurried back out and ripped into “The Late Greats.” They continued through “Hate it Here” and “Walken” before jumping into another personal highlight, “I’m The Man Who Loves You.” They closed the evening with a dual guitar shredding version of “Hoodoo Voodoo.” As you can probably imagine this was an absolutely stunning way to end a show. They left the stage at 11:21 and I immediately attempted to start processing the greatness I had just witnessed.

All in all my first time seeing Wilco was a very memorable one. The band really did sound amazing, and I couldn’t have been more happy with the set list. Aside from the dick throwing sharpies and someone else with a laser pointer the crowd was pleasant and really into the show. Of course sometimes good comes from bad, which was the case when tweedy called the guy with the laser pointer a douche bag. A Classic Tweedy moment that complimented a remarkable show. I feel very comfortable ranking this up there with some of my greatest shows. I also feel comfortable placing Wilco in the esteemed company of My Morning Jacket, Tom Waits, and Radiohead as one of the best live bands playing today.

Set list: (Via)

Wilco (the song)
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Pot Kettle Black
A Shot in the Arm
One Wing
At Least That’s What You Said
Side With The Seeds
Bull Black Nova
Handshake Drugs
War on War
Sonny Feeling
Jesus, etc.
Impossible Germany
California Stars
Forget the Flowers
Misunderstood
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Hummingbird
—————–
The Late Greats
Hate It Here
Walken
I’m The Man Who Loves You
Hoodoo Voodoo