As someone who was unfamiliar with Wilco’s music, I tried my hardest to research the songs and become a fan, or at least understand why people were so obsessed with them and what gave the band that spark of greatness. Last night I found the spark.
Saturday started off slower than the days before, but I thoroughly enjoyed many of the acts, including Catherine MacLellan, Cotton Jones, Wheels On Fire and Sharon Van Etten.
The County Pharaohs had a special blend of rugged alternative rock and thoughtful lyrics combined into well-structured songs from Chris Biester’s days fronting Appalachian Death Ride.
Mavis Staples began the performance with her new single “Can You Get To That,” a cover of “The Weight” by The Band and “You Are Not Alone,” joined by Jeff Tweedy, frontman of Wilco. As Tweedy walked on stage, lightning and thunder began in the distance and small droplets of rain threatened to cut the day short.
Thankfully, the two were able to finish the song before being rushed off stage and the audience told to back away. The rain hit hard, filling our tent with mud as I began to wonder if I would get a chance to see Wilco after all.
As the rain settled down, it became clear that the storm would pass quickly. However, Staples said she needed to sit down and could’t continue with the set she was forced to cut short.
That’s when the people truly started to gather. I was able to snag a spot center stage without being too close or too far away. My friends and colleagues had hyped this performance up so much that I was fully expecting to walk away disappointed.
The group’s work isn’t exactly the most exciting the first time you listen to it on recording so I was expecting a nice, laid-back performance.
I remained skeptical as Wilco started its first song, — thinking I really only cared to hear “Jesus Etc.” and the rest would hopefully be a pleasant surprise — but it was so much more than that.
I’m not sure when my mindset changed but I know that by the time the guitar solo on “Impossible Germany” came around I was deeply overtaken by the music and mesmerized by its brilliance. By then I understood why no one could explain to me the spark of Wilco — it’s undefinable.
I’m still not sure how such an unenthusiastic singer could have me so entranced in the music or how a group that seems so straight and laid back on records could use sounds in ways I’ve never experienced. They have certainly made a fan out of this writer. The next time I see them I’ll be the fan jumping up and down singing along to every lyric.
My only regret is I will never be able to fall in love with Wilco again and experience once more the pure emotional high the performance gave me last night.
wh092010@ohiou.edu
