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July 6, 2007
Certainly not "Dad Rock"
I saw Wilco play at the Bank of American Pavilion on Thursday, the 28th. We arrived somewhere in the middle of the opening band's set (bleh), and as I gazed upon the anemic crowd that had assembled thus far, I immediately thought aloud "Is it not cool to like Wilco anymore?" Given how long Wilco has been around, I didn't expect to be surrounded primarily by undergrads and 20-somethings (like at, say, TV on the Radio), but neither was I expecting the abundance of older folks who looked as though they were ready for Jimmy Buffett to launch into "Margaritaville" at any moment. Seriously, why all the Hawaiian print? And when I say "older" I mean 40's and 50's. My dad would not have been out of place in the slightest with his tucked in t-shirt, khaki shorts and running shoes. A man two rows in front of us wore a John Deere cap - not ironically. We were outnumbered.
Now, my husband remarked that it is the summertime, and this means the student population is significantly depleted so that might account for the more diverse set of concert goers and also how the show managed to not sell out. Wilco! Didn't sell out in a relatively small venue! I immediately blamed the new album for this travesty, as anyone that I have discussed Sky Blue Sky with might already have assumed. But despite my distaste for the album as a whole, there are certainly individual songs that I enjoy, and because of this I hoped that hearing the new stuff live might give me even greater appreciation. It did, sort of.
When the band came out on the stage, I jumped to my feet and started screaming - as one does - but several folks around me only stood begrudgingly due to their inability to see past other standers. A lot of people ended up sitting during the slower, less interesting songs (read: Sky Blue Sky) but we resolutely stood and someone behind me muttered something to the effect of "[annoyed mutter]... this girl won't sit down." Ha!
At some point during the show, the older folks had become swallowed up by young excited fans. There were still empty seats here and there, and more opened up as people of a certain age began leaving - these seats were quickly filled by fans from farther back. The couple in front of us arrived late, and I am not kidding, they glared at me and Jeff every time we cheered. It was hilarious. They sat down a lot, and ended up leaving after the first encore.
As for the show itself - awesome. Just awesome. This entry wasn't intended to be a concert review, but I will tell you that Tweedy assured us that we were the first city to hold the clapping tempo when the band dropped out during "Kidsmoke." I have yet to research whether or not this is true or just something he says to make cities feel really good about themselves. Our motivation was undoubtedly spurred on by his comment that "New York couldn't do it." (Oh Boston and your inferiority complex!) He was in fine form, chatty and energetic, and by the end of the show I had forgiven them for neglecting our city for so long and even for "Impossible Germany." Just don't let it happen again.
| By heidi | 10:21 AM
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Posted by: Micah at July 7, 2007 10:44 PM