Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch
What were you listening to in 1995? Maybe you weren’t even born. My wheelhouse was smack dab in the middle of jam, with heavy doses of Grateful Dead, Blues Traveler, The Black Crowes, and the like as well as a smattering of indie and classic rock. Didn’t even know what Alt-Country was. H.O.R.D.E was a touring summer festival along the same lines as the early incarnation of Lollapalooza. Milwaukee was one of the stops for this fest and it was the last time I saw Morphine and the first time I saw Wilco.
Fast forward 30 years and my love for Wilco is as strong as ever.
On Wednesday night, Wilco kicked off their Tour to Infinity Tour at Milwaukee’s historic Riverside Theater. This was their first show since returning from their March visit to Japan and Australia.
Their entire catalog was represented at this performance and they have clearly been rehearsing and putting new spins on both old and new cuts (Wilco has been using The Riverside as a bit of a practice space in preparation for the tour).
While there was a bit of an emphasis placed on their two most recent albums, Cousin and Cruel Country, they didn’t neglect their earlier work, with Ghost is Born being the most represented, followed by Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and Summerteeth.
What seems new and fresh is a return to their experimental sounds. Cacophonic sounds were layered in to some less than experimental tracks. “Base of my Skull” went in a myriad of glitchy directions and jammy tracks like “Impossible Germany”, “Spiders/Kidsmoke”, and “A Shot in the Arm”, where Nels Cline tends to shred, had truly novel sounds. Refreshing for sure.
Of course, Wilco knows what their fans are looking for. They provide ample opportunities to sing along to fan-favorites. This show was no exception. They played track after track of hits. While there were many middle-aged guys in attendance, kids were often in tow.
Wilco is one of the best live acts out there and has been for over three decades. They may have meandered through phases where the genre shifts a bit, they have remained true to two things: beautiful songwriting and nuanced performances.
