Wilco //
Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
September 22nd, 2012 //
Wilco made their second swing this year through the Bay Area, this time gracing the Greek Theatre Berkeley with their presence for two nights last Friday and Saturday. As usual, they played balanced sets from their collection of eight albums. Many songs were repeated both nights, including “Impossible Germany,” which Nels Cline absolutely thrashed on lead guitar both nights.
Saturday was much more crowded than Friday night, even by Jeff Tweedy’s admission. Tweedy thanked the people who returned Saturday for “bringing their friends,” and he commented that there was much less weed being smoked Saturday, which picked up after he made the comment. About five songs later, Tweedy said that the “folks from last night would have liked this song” and promptly went into “I Must Be High”.
Saturday’s show began with three tracks off Wilco’s newest album The Whole Love and started with the slow, drawn-out “One Sunday Morning”. The song set a uniquely bittersweet tone to the two-hour-and-15-minute show. “Art of Almost” followed, and it picked up the pace considerably. When it got to the seizure-inducing part of the song (watch here), not a person in the pit was moving. But that’s not to say the crowd of 30- to 50-year-olds weren’t along for the ride.
Two songs later, one of the night’s biggest highlights, “Misunderstood”, the entire crowd yelled the line “if you still like rock ‘n’ roll”, and this was screamed as if it were 1998. It was an endearing moment, though; group singalongs and indie rock don’t really go together much anymore.
The set ended on a strong note with “Shot in the Arm” and “On and On and On.” The eight-song encore Saturday night didn’t include many fan favorites, and the crowd was treated to more countrified tunes like “Christ for President” and “Dreamer in My Dreams.”
The 11 p.m. curfew always comes quickly at the Greek, but most concertgoers probably needed to get home to relieve the babysitter, if they didn’t bring their kids to the show. Not that I blame them for bringing their children because Wilco truly delivers for every age group.
Setlist:
One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)
Art of Almost
I Might
Misunderstood
Company in My Back
You Are My Face
Impossible Germany
Capitol City
Born Alone
Jesus, Etc.
Say You Miss Me
Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again)
Whole Love
I Must Be High
Walken
I’m the Man Who Loves You
Dawned on Me
Shot in the Arm
On and On and On
Encore:
Via Chicago
Passenger Side
Forget the Flowers
Christ for President
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Kicking Television
Dreamer in My Dreams
