Wilco

Sunday night Wilco played at the Santa Barbara Bowl. This was a really cool show from a great band. Richard Swift opened and although his stuff was mellow, he displayed a lot of musicianship and lyrical skill. His style has been compared to that of Rufus Wainwright, Ron Sexsmith, M. Ward, Jeff Buckley, and Andrew Bird. He did a couple songs just piano, which were outstanding, as well as playing the harmonica at the same time, which reminded me of Bob Dylan. At times he was joined by another guitarist or banjo player, but it was always two people at the most. He's worth checking out if you're a fan of the lo-fi. Here's a music video for you.

Wilco opened with "Either Way" the first song from their new album "Sky Blue Sky". All in all, they had a very slick show. Jeff Tweedy was a wonderful frontman, both maintaining his professionalism and still engaging the audience and making them feel included. However, the show really belonged to Nels Cline, the lead guitarist and newest member of the band. Nels' solos were simply amazing, and he was given room to improvise beyond what was normally allowed on the album. He tore it up on "Impossible Germany" my favorite track from the new album and one of the best songs that night. I've included a YouTube of vid of this song, albeit in studio. I love this song because not only are the lyrics compelling and beautiful, but the jam during the second half is executed perfectly. Besides "Impossible Germany" some other highlights from the show included "You Are My Face", "Side with the Seeds", "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart", and "Jesus, Etc."

Tweedy acknowledged that it had been his birthday the day before, and he thanked his wife and family for their support, which was nice. I was impressed by his live voice on all the songs except On and On and On, which might have been a tad out of pitch, but other than that he was fantastic. He was so into the show he almost forgot to begin the first chorus of "Jesus, Etc."! This show left me with a warm feeling inside and I look forward to seeing them the next time they pass though LA or Santa Barbara.

Footnote: The new Volkswagen ads feature tracks exclusively from Wilco's new album, "Sky Blue Sky", so that gives you a chance to hear them. Also, pick up their album, as it is definitely worth listening to!