California Stars (Live) By Wilco
It’s hard to classify a band like Wilco, made up of front man and guitarist Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt on bass and in charge of most harmonies, Nels Cline on lead guitar, Mikael Jorgensen on keyboard, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, and drummer Glenn Kotche. When you’ve been playing over 15 years, with sound, energy, and members changing over time (all except for Tweedy and Stirratt), the genres Wilco encompass tend to evolve and blend together, resulting in an incredibly rich concert experience that spans pure country, alt country, experimental, straight up Rock and Roll.
With such long-standing history, the audience is made up of what you would come to expect from Wilco shows – you’re not just rocking out with the college kids, but your high school librarian and your hippie great uncle are bobbing around in the crowd as well.
Make no mistake, though Wilco is a band that overflows with talent, Jeff Tweedy is the artistic genius driving the ship. Oftentimes when bands have such complicated, calculated instrumentals, the quality of the lyrics never quite live up to the promise of the melody. This is not the case for Tweedy’s lyrics, which in some cases are quite literally Poetry with a capital “P,” taken directly from his publication Adult Head, a book of Tweedy’s poetry. Only Jeff Tweedy could make the melancholy lyrics “I am trying to break your heart” cause couples to snuggle closer to each other. There’s something very believable and endearing in the way that he alternates between cooing and screaming to his audience. It is this sort of authenticity that, combined with Tweedy’s creative instincts and general swagger, sells out shows in minutes. Wilco fans love him and he loves us back, and after going to just one show, I guarantee you’ll be hooked for life.
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