I can remember the first time I heard Wilco- I remember where I was, what I was doing- it holds that kind of memory for me. The song was �She�s A Jar.� It was the best song I�d heard in ages and I immediately fell in love with Jeff Tweedy�s voice. He has that rare ability to sound lonely, bitter, happy, fragile, sad and loving all at once. There is no compromise with his words, or in the delivery of Wilco�s music. Tonight Wilco are Jeff (guitar and voice), John Stirrat (bass), Leroy Bach (keyboard) and Glen Kotche (drums/xylophone). It�s been what seems like a messy year for the band, with line up changes and records label hassles but I�m glad I�m here tonight to support them in a united �fuck you� to the records company chiefs who got it so wrong. Most of the songs tonight feature off their brilliant new �Yankee Foxtrot Hotel� album and Tweedy appears coolly casual, even a little distant. His voice immediately lulls the applause and cheers to a magical hush with the opening line from �I Am Trying To Break Your Heart� : �I am an American aquarium drinker, I assassin down the avenue�� Away from the microphone, he kind of danders from toe to toe, chewing gum, nodding his head, playing guitar. They sing �Kamera�, �Radio Cure�, �War On War�, �Ashes Of American Flags� and the eerie �Jesus Etc.� The new tunes have an other-worldliness about them. The endings don�t follow any formula- they just seem to trail off into another atmosphere and disappear beautifully. Tweedy alternates between acoustic and electric guitar and man, he can certainly play that guitar! Assaulting it with all the respect the song deserves. Then it�s back to some older Wilco territory with songs from �Summerteeth�, �Being There� and �Mermaid Avenue� such as �She�s A Jar�, �A Shot In The Arm� and �How To Fight The Loneliness.� Wilco are dark, poetic, tender, brutal and unpredictable�making cute observations like ��my pop quiz kid, a sleepy kisser, pretty war, with feelings hid�� before bursting your daydream with an chilling lyric like ��she begs me not to hit her.� Despite heckling from one particular guy in the crowd, they refuse to play �Via Chicago�, which is a bit disappointing- but at least they acknowledge it. I guess there�s a better chance of hearing that one towards the end of the tour. From then on, Tweedy banters a little in between songs. �Heavy Metal Drummer� gets a great reaction while a new song from their new album warns that you shouldn�t read the books that your girlfriend has written, something that someone from Wilco must have done. They are demanded back for not one but two encores!! It�s the first time that that Tweedy takes of his jacket, and I take it as a sign that the guy is only starting to warm up and relax. They play �California Stars� and �Hesitating Beauty� from �Mermaid Avenue� and �Outtasite Outtamind� from �Being There.� For their second encore they play a storming version of �Misunderstood�, spitting out the vocal �Nothing!� over and over in time with the drums. It�s a fantastic song that not enough people have heard yet. Than it�s over far too quickly. It�s off to another part of this world for them and it�s off to Ricks for me (the best after show food Dublin has to offer) Wilco are a magical band and they deserve to be loved more. They write great lyrics and beautiful music. They�re kinda moody, kinda kind. They tell it like it is. When nothing else seems to make sense, Wilco do- Sheila.
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