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Wilco: photo by by Joel.Oliphint

If you are a huge fan of Wilco, you have probably already seen them live, so this review won’t be news to you. But as a long-time fan who finally saw them in Columbus, Ohio (on Columbus Day) on a brisk Monday, Oct. 12^th, I can now say that despite the fact that Wilco make fantastic albums (2007’s “Sky Blue Sky” still gets regular rotation in the car), they take that material to a whole new level during their live shows.

Performing over two dozen songs that spanned most of their discography with some emphasis on their new release, “Wilco (The Album)“, Jeff Tweedy and his band played inspired and intense versions of fan favorites like “Handshake Drugs” and “Impossible Germany” with a relaxed air that made it seem like nothing could come more naturally to them.

Tweedy chatted with the crowd, encouraging them to sing in his place on “Jesus, etc.”, and giving them a pat on the back even though he said that the crowd in Austin sang it better, and knew more of the words, even if they were drunker. Tweedy poked fun at a woman with using flash to take pictures, and later mildly scolded someone shooting video. When the perpetrator yelled back “It’s not illegal”, Tweedy simply replied “but we asked you not to”.

Wilco has come a long long way since its alt-country days of well-done albums like “Being There”. Their pop and rock sensibilities kept evolving, finally taking a very experimental turn on “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”. For the next three albums (and two live releases) the band absorbed equal parts Neil Young and Sonic Youth into it eclectic pop mix, finally emerging in the last couple of years with a six piece lineup that can play incredibly moving, memorable songs amidst the arty rock’n’noise chaos. It’s powerful on record, and absolutely stunning live.

Two things to add – Wilco’s Nels Cline continues to be my guitar hero, whether he’s spraying jagged-edge lead guitar all over a tune or just adding texture with his lap steel. He is amazing. Cline has several solo albums, “Draw Breath” is my current favorite.

The other thing – opener Liam Finn and his collaborator Eliza Jane were incredible. Finn, son of the famous Crowded House songwriter Neil Finn, performed intense singer-songwriter tunes with guitar loops, samples and a ferocity on the drums that may make him my new drum hero! His new EP with Eliza Jane, entitled “Champagne in Seashells” is fantastic and well-worth the price of admission.

So I finally saw Wilco, and will definitely do so when the opportunity arises again. How about you? If you’ve seen Wilco, what’s your favorite aspect of their performance?