Recap Wilco at Riverside Theater

It’s long been fashionable to label Wilco as safe, predictable “dad rock”—so much so that the many well-reasoned rebuttals are nearly as tired as the original accusations. In a live setting, however, the band has always been surprisingly bold and risky, taking its music into new and sometimes harsh sonic territories. That was certainly the case Friday night during the group’s triumphant, sold-out show at the Riverside Theater, though the high quality of the set wasn’t the biggest takeaway. Instead, it was the positioning of the group’s newest album, The Whole Love, as not only one of its best records in recent years, but one of its best, period.

Opening with Love’s quiet, moody, and epic-length “One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend),” it was clear that Jeff Tweedy and company were more than confident in their new material. Album opener “Art Of Almost” soon followed, revealing a deep, heavy, and near-funky take on the band’s sound. A booming crescendo of feedback and noise led directly into yet another track from Love, the terrific “I Might.” There were plenty of fan favorite sing-alongs tossed into the mix, of course, ranging from Being There’s plaintive “Misunderstood” to Yankee Foxtrot Hotel’s blissful “Heavy Metal Drummer.” Tweedy appeared relaxed and confident throughout the two-hour-plus show, at one point joking that the loopy, circus-like “Capitol City” (again, from The Whole Love) was the band’s biggest “European hit.” Later, he noted that Milwaukee was something of an “extended hometown,” much to the delight of the fawning and relatively rowdy theater crowd.

The band reappeared for two encores, the first of which featured both versions of the unstoppable “Outta Mind (Outta Sight).” Legendary singer-songwriter—and show-opener—Nick Lowe joined the band for the final encore of the night, performing Lowe’s classic “Cruel To Be Kind.” The mere presence of Lowe was indicative of the show’s all-too-generous nature (yes, Lowe played Elvis Costello’s “Alison” and that one where he takes a pot shot at Rick Astley), and the embarrassment of musical riches contained therein. Joyous, jubilant, and unpredictable, it was a show young beyond its years.