Wilco pulls out all the stops in five-night residency
How special was Wilco's show Friday night at the Riviera Theatre? Special enough to bring back the banjo.
The Chicago band's longtime listeners will recall a time when front man Jeff Tweedy wanted so badly to break with his roots-rock beginnings that he told fans to stash the twangy instrument in a rather uncomfortable part of their collective anatomy.
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
But that's all ancient history now. Rather than an ambitious little band straining at the reins of its possessive cult, Wilco circa 2008 is a sextet of versatile veterans gifted with mainstream acclaim (they recently earned a fourth Grammy nomination) and secure in their artistic accomplishments.
So when sideman Pat Sansone grabbed the once-banned banjo and plunked out the opening riff of "What's the World Got In Store," nobody flinched. It was just one notable moment in a night of many during the first of Wilco's five sold-out shows taking place through this week.
In a twist on the recent trend of bands performing their best-loved albums in order as they were recorded, during this run Tweedy and Co. say they will play every song from their six proper albums at least once.
For those keeping score at home, much of Friday's show drew from Wilco's 1999 art-pop landmark "Summerteeth" and its 2002 successor disc, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."
And that was just early on. By late Friday, the band had ticked off more than 20 tunes over two-plus hours and was still going strong.
The night had its screw-ups (as when Tweedy flubbed a lyric in "Airline to Heaven"), surprises (a horn section joined in for "Can't Stand It") and old songs that reappeared like forgotten friends ("Too Far Apart" --man, it's been a while).
The mood was celebratory, and the focus was where it belonged: on the band and its breadth. Nels Cline on guitar and Glenn Kotche on drums were particular standouts, guiding the group from the interstellar-shootout shrieks of "Shot in the Arm" to the whispered restraint of "At Least That's What You Said" and from the slinky soul of "Jesus Etc." to the slamming Krautrock of "Spiders."
Wilco was slated to return to the Riv for shows on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Those who didn't manage to snag a scarce ticket can listen to the Tuesday gig live on WXRT-FM (93.1), starting around 7:30 p.m. And check back for a full recap in Thursday's Sun-Times. We'll be watching for that banjo.
Anders Smith Lindall is a local free-lance writer.