Not many rock stars look so self-assured when a crowd of thousands gives him or her the bird, at his request, no less but clad in his button-down black shirt and a fedora, Wilco's frontman looked effortlessly like a young, carefree Bob Dylan.
It was one of many poses on the night. The first hour saw a chilled-out vibe, with Summerteeth specials "Via Chicago" and ultra-rare "How to Fight Loneliness" in addition to a truncated, acoustic take on A Ghost is Born's "Spiders (Kidsmoke)."
"We saw this room and we decided to play our beautiful songs," Tweedy told the crowd.
Later, it was a parade of the rock songs, including a back-to-back attack of "Can't Stand It" and "Heavy Metal Drummer." "Impossible Germany" gave guitar virtuoso Nels Cline a chance to flaunt his skills.
The newest batch of material, The Whole Love, translated well, although "I Might" lacked without its essential '60s organ drive.
The biggest punch was reserved for the encore, an eight-song sprint of songs from the band's first four records save for the fan love letter "Wilco (The Song)." ("Wilco will love you, baby.")
Amid the encore blast was a high-octane revision of three Being There songs. "Kingpin" which featured the middle finger moment showed infinitely more swagger than in the studio, while "Monday" proved positively celebratory.
After that performance, Tweedy and his supporting cast had every right to be self-assured.
Setlist
Poor Places >
Art of Almost
I Might
Muzzle of Bees
Via Chicago
Spiders (Kidsmoke) > [Acoustic, truncated]
One Wing
How to Fight Loneliness
Born Alone
California Stars
Impossible Germany
Whole Love
Pot Kettle Black
Hate it Here
Theologians
Can't Stand It
Heavy Metal Drummer
Dawned on Me
Hummingbird
Encore
A Shot in the Arm
Wilco (The Song)
Passenger Side
Kingpin
Monday >
Outtasite (Outta Mind) >
Casino Queen >
Hoodoo Voodoo
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Updated 12.48 a.m. and 9:34 a.m.