July 25, 2012

Wilco played Prospect Park

It has been quite a while since I found myself at the low end of the age spectrum at a show, but tonight that was certainly the case. For the second consecutive evening, Wilco sold out Brooklyn's Prospect Park and put on a dazzling display that highlighted their massive back catalogue. Perhaps the most quintessential Americana rock band of the past fifteen years, the band unleashed their polished blend of alt-country jams and straightforward indie-rock on a perfect summer evening. Deep cuts such as "Misunderstood,""I must Be High", and "Kingpin" were placed perfectly between new jams "I Might" and "Whole Love"while classics "Hummingbird", "Pot Kettle Black", and "I'm the Man Who Loves You" really got the crowd in high spirit. Nels Cline blazed through a wicked solo for "Impossible Germany" and the band kicked off the encore with a stellar "Via Chicago" complete with chaotic noise breakdowns. For a band that has been in heavy operation since the mid 1990s, Wilco show no signs of slowing down as they powered through for over two hours and appropriately included a track from their Mermaid Avenue project with Billy Bragg (appropriately timed for the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie). To take out the first encore the band ripped through an extravagant "Monday", probably the most rocking and groove inducing track of the evening and transitioned gorgeously into "Outtasite (Outta Mind)". The classic band was in full form tonight and hit on all the touchstones of their discography proving that no matter how you label this band (country/jam/hippie/indie/rock), their top notch approach to song-writing is something special and worthy of their illustrious career.

Setlist:
I might
Misunderstood
Side With The Seeds
Pot Kettle Black
Hummingbird
Black Moon
Spiders
Impossible Germany
Born Alone
Wishful Thinking
Laminated Cat
Say You Miss Me
I Must Be High
Whole Love
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)
Radio Cure
Art of Almost
Dawned on Me
A Shot in the Arm
--
Via Chicago
Airline to Heaven
Walken
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
--
Kingpin
Hoodoo Voodoo

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