Recap Wilco at The Pabst Theater (Night No. 1)

Wilco concerts in Milwaukee haven’t exactly been rare occurrences through the years, and yet Tuesday’s show at The Pabst Theater—the first part of a two-night stand at the downtown music venue—had the feel of a special (and long overdue) event. Judging by how quickly these gigs sold out, local fans clearly were primed to see the venerated Chicago band in a relatively small, undeniably gorgeous, and acoustically sound theater. The same goes for the members of Wilco, who have played the Pabst on their own—including a memorable Jeff Tweedy solo acoustic show in 2006—but never as a band.

So, did the show live up the hype? In a word, yep. The band sounded incredible in the plush and comfy confines of the Pabst, and the audience responded with absolute reverence. (Even the Chicagoans in the crowd behaved themselves, as unbelievable as that sounds.) Still, it seemed like a dress rehearsal for tonight’s performance, which the band plans to stream live on its website.

Last night’s show was Wilco’s first of 2009, and Tweedy confessed that the band has spent a lot of time “not practicing” lately. While that wasn’t reflected in the band’s musicianship, which seemed as tight and thrilling as ever, it did explain why the set leaned a little on the safe side, drawing mostly from the band’s last three (and most familiar) records. Wilco’s first two albums, 1995’s A.M. and 1996’s Being There, weren’t represented until the very end of the second encore. And the performances of those songs—which included the band’s first single, “Box Full Of Letters,” and the in-concert staple “Kingpin”—felt a little perfunctory.

Of course, the Wilco of today is a very different band from the Wilco that made those mid-’90s alt-country classics. And the current incarnation of the band—along with Tweedy—is obviously more invested in Wilco’s output since 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which fortunately ranks with the best music of the band’s career.

Tracks from 2004’s A Ghost Is Born—a chilly, addiction-influenced record that sounds more and more like Wilco’s masterpiece as years go by—came across most powerfully on Tuesday night. “Handshake Drugs” has become one of Wilco’s most dependable concert highlights, bridging the gap between its rootsy past and more experimental present, and last night was no exception. Earlier in the set, the band rumbled into the desolate “At Least That’s What You Said,” which culminated with an apocalyptic guitar meltdown from Tweedy and spastic six-string virtuoso Nels Cline, who soared even higher with his ax during an extended coda on “Ashes Of American Flags.” If those persistent “dad rock” taunts thrown at Wilco have ever bothered Tweedy, he’s not showing it. Now more than ever, Wilco worships at the altar of the guitar solo—not a bad thing when you have a player as gifted as Cline in your band.

After playing 24 songs for two hours and 10 minutes, Wilco surely satisfied fans lucky enough to get tickets to last night’s show. But tonight’s concert looks to be even better. We’ll see you there.

Setlist
“Wilco The Song”
“Hummingbird”
“At Least That’s What You Said”
“Muzzle Of Bees”
“You Are My Face”
“I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”
“Pot Kettle Black”
“Ashes Of American Flags”
“One By One”
“Conscript” (new song)
“Via Chicago”
“Impossible Germany”
“Jesus, Etc.”
“Handshake Drugs”
“A Shot In The Arm”

Encore
“The Late Greats”
“Heavy Metal Drummer”
“Theologians”
“Walken”
“I’m The Man Who Loves You”

Second encore
“California Stars”
“Hate It Here”
“Box Full Of Letters”
“Kingpin”