My Morning Jacket / Wilco 5/28/2005

If there were two bands to represent the Americana style to an open-minded Canadian city, then My Morning Jacket and Wilco should be on the fifty dollar bill. Right before the city dove into their prestigious jazz fest, they were smacked with a brush of rock and roll from Louisville and Chicago on a hot, sweaty night that had Metropolis feeling like a Mississippi tavern.

My Morning Jacket played a brisk forty minute set augmented by a few new tunes and a few familiar ones. “Golden,” “Magheeta” and “One Big Holiday” are certainly played almost every show, but Jim James and company play those barn burners with the reckless glory of fiery high schoolers in a battle of the bands. Except for these elder rockers, they have their act down pat.

“One Big Holiday” in particular has become a live staple, with the patented high hat opener and fast guitar riffs that will have your grandfather head-banging. The reverb drenched five piece tore through “The Way He Sings” off of At Dawn and “O is the One” that had the foreign doubters in the crowd turn into true believers. Although My Morning Jacket could have used another thirty minutes to really catch fire, the hardworking band made the most of their short opening time slot.

In their second trip to the Metropolis in three years, the ever evolving Wilco brought their now one year seasoned lineup and revered song book to the stage. After an introduction of classic tunes, “A Shot In The Arm” and “Sunken Treasure, “ along with newer numbers, “Company In My Back” and “Handshake Drugs,” front-man Jeff Tweedy asked the crowd, “Are you having fun? Sometimes when I’m having fun, I forget to talk, but don’t take it the wrong way.”

As Wilco heads toward the end of a year long tour in support of Ghost Is Born, the six piece has hit a plush comfort zone, with new members Nels Cline and Pat Sansone seemingly settled into their roles, along with John Stirratt (bass), Glenn Kotche (drums), and Mike Jorgensen (keyboards).

Tweedy, appearing more comfortable on stage than ever, even passed off some of his Ghost is Born and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot material as dark and sad, asking the crowd if they like the dark stuff, and then calling those the responded yes - “sick.”

The 49 year-old Cline plays like a man half his age, with his screeching guitar solos that add a new sonic intensity to the mix. Sansone, the stylish Brit-looking rocker, plays the versatile role of keyboard man and windmill guitar specialist, giving a splash of flair to the more business-like Cline. If there was any question whether chemistry can be made between two already established musicians to an already established band, it’s been answered.

Rarely played “At My Window Sad and Lonely” appeared along with a number of other acoustic based tunes, “Forget The Flowers,” “Misunderstood,” and “Airline To Heaven.” The band also broke out an equally rare “Radio Cure” from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, giving the fans who attended multiple shows a treat.

Tweedy wasn’t shy about expressing his political disdain for Canada's "neighbors to the south" with a brief rant about George w. Bush. He even went out of his way to complement the genetically blessed crowd, during a version of "Kingpin" where he urged the crowd to sing-along and “make a really ugly face during the screaming part of the song.” And then he urged the Canadians to try really hard, since they're all so good-looking.

With the sweat almost dripping from the ceilings on this rare 90 degree Canadian day, Tweedy joked that it was too hot to play anymore loud songs, saying with a wave of his hands, "nah, you've had enough." So to cool things down, the band played a gentle version of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” in grand Last Waltz fashion. But with talk of a new Stax/dance/motown flavored Wilco album in the works, and the comfort level of the band hitting an all-time high, Montreal looks to be far from Wilco’s last waltz.

Setlist

A Shot In The Arm, Handshake Drugs, Sunken Treasure, Company In My Back, War On War, Hell Is Chrome Airline To Heaven, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Heavy Metal Drummer, At Least That's What You Said, Muzzle Of Bees, Theologians, Radio Cure, I'm Always In Love, I'm The Man Who Loves You, Hummingbird

Encore 1:

Misunderstood, Forget The Flowers, The Late Greats, Kingpin, Jesus, Etc., Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Encore 2:

Hesitating Beauty, I'm A Wheel, My Window Sad And Lonely, Shall Be Released

Photos by Jake Krolick

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