Wilco: Lawrence, KS – 05.14.08

Yeah, I know the photo is a little blurry.  So am I after hauling the missus and myself out to Lawrence last night.  But as it always is with Wilco, it was so worth it.

Sometime when I was in college, I swiped an old brown cardigan from my dad’s closet.  It’s fairly comfortable (though slightly itchy) and definitely not quite in fashion.  For me, last night’s Wilco show was a lot like pulling on that sweater again.  The band’s repertoire is so ingrained in me, but Tweedy and company always find a way to make sure that even the old stuff feels a little new, a little unfamiliar.  And as the frenetic frontman himself said last night, the rock concert experience is no longer in fashion.

Highlights of the evening including a wickedly driving version of “Kingpin,” a swaggering take on “Theologians” and an oh-so-appropriate rendition of “California Stars” that really put the exclamation point on the show’s perfect setting of being out-of-doors in downtown Lawrence.

Setlist: Walken, Hummingbird, A Shot in the Arm, At Least That’s What You Said, You Are My Face, Pot Kettle Black, Impossible Germany, She’s A Jar, Say You Miss Me, Handshake Drugs, War on War, Via Chicago, Jesus Etc., Too Far Apart, Theologians, I’m The Man Who Loves You, Kingpin, I’m A Wheel; Encore: Misunderstood, Passenger Side, California Stars, Hate It Here, Heavy Metal Drummer, The Late Greats, Red-Eyed and Blue > I Got You (At The End of the Century) > Hoodoo Voodoo