aeblog

he had to cross the street anyway

I drove up to Portland, ME on Friday night in a flashy new indigo Gulf with a worn down, but ready for adventure mle. We had recently watched 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart' together, and could not pass up the opportunity to see Wilco in concert. Although they have now scheduled a date at the Wang, earlier it appeared that Portland was going to be the best local date. And the Wang kind of sucks anyway because it isn't at all built for rock shows.
So after much traffic and the slowest burritos ever, we entered the State Theater, positioned ourselves right in the middle about 25 feet back and listened.
Wilco is not a surprising band for me. This show, like their most recent album was no exception. But this is not a bad thing. They served up what one would expect from Mr. Tweedy and Company; a simple, honest and incredible well done performance of simple, honest and incredibly well-written songs. What I like about Wilco is their ability to be so inventive within an elegant simplicity. Listen to the drums in 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart' as an example of what I am talking about. This is not a prog-rock anthem to complexity (far from it, thank god) yet the drums are wildly clever *and* understated at the same time. How did he do that? Some of John Stirratt's bass lines are similarly sneaky. And of course Jeff Tweedy's lyrics and vocal melodies never let us forget that this is a smart group of musicians. Smart and tasteful and rockin' too.
Perhaps the most memorable moment from the evening happened before the show began while mle and I were eating our burritos across the street from the Theater. We are sitting there minding our own business and who ambles by, but Mr. Tweedy himself! Much to the dismay and embarrassment of my concert-going companion, I took it upon myself to no longer mind my own business and go talk to him. We walked across the street together and I told him how excited we were for the show and wished him good luck in the performance. He was friendly, and I felt cool until I saw mle's mortified expression. But I can't let opportunities pass by unused! I think she has forgiven me.