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[MUSIC REVIEW] Wilco at Tanglewood
8.13.08
TANGLEWOOD
WILCO
August 12, 2008
by Seth Rogovoy
(Lenox, Mass., August 12, 2008) -- While there was a little too much hype claiming that this was the first authentic rock concert at Tanglewood since the 1970s (as recent as the mid to late 1990s, artists including Bob Dylan and Neil Young performed there several times), Wilco's appearance on Tuesday night was, nevertheless, triumphant -- as much for what they accomplished musically as for what they stood for in terms of breaking a perceived barrier against rock at Tanglewood.
Having been well acquainted with the band's music but never having seen the group perform, one had no idea what to expect, and frankly, one was a little puzzled? How would the group capture the well-textured intimacy of some of its later work? Would the seemingly introspective Jeff Tweedy be enough of a presence to hold a concertgoer's interest for at least two hours?
Well, this concertgoer was pleasantly blown away on all accounts. In every way Wilco surpassed all expectations. When the music required pretty and lush, the arrangements were pretty and lush -- even more so than on record. When the music required a hard-rock crunch, the band, powered by phenomental guitarist Nels Cline, out sonic-ed Sonic Youth. And as for Tweedy, he as an utterly charming, genial, if low-key frontman -- making the most of his limited vocal range but retaining focus and, yes, entertaining the crowd with Chaplinesque gestures and well-chosen asides in between songs.
Wilco's mix of The Band-like Americana with Beatlesque pop is pretty unique, and with the addition of some funk, some noise-rock, and some glam, the band pulled off a diverse, upbeat show out of even its gloomiest material. The secret is that so much of Tweedy's work celebrates music itself, that, in the end, Wilco is at its best as a live band, even more than as a recording act.
The one weak link in the show, one that didn't detract at all but didn't add anything either, was the occasional addition of a three-man horn section from Chicago called "The Total Pros." That they weren't is probably the kindest thing one could say about them.
Seth Rogovoy is the editor-in-chief and award-winning music critic at Berkshire Living Magazine.
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