This past Thursday, I had the good fortune of seeing Low and Wilco at Ovens auditorium in Charlotte, NC. First off, this was the closest, quality show I’ve ever been to; never before has such a band (in this case I’m referring to Wilco) that has been so integral in shaping my musical tastes played anywhere as close to me as last Thursday. Also, this was a seated show, and though we were in the mezzanine section, the view and acoustics were still good.
Low’s set was brief and oblique; they began and ended with songs off their most recent effort (Sandinista and Breaker), this year’s superb Drums and Guns their second outing with Dave Fridmann. The record is an out and out headphone masterpiece; it invades your mental space as the vocal harmonies and minimalist percussion cascade around your ears. Also, it sounds really great on larger stereos once turned up suffficiently loud. Unfortunatley, this sound and occassional lack of distinctive dynamic (which is more the trend on Drums and Guns than on The Great Destroyer or what I’ve heard of their other albums) does not translate successfully into the context of a large venue. Brittany first suggested this to me, and though I was initially resistant as I was floored by some of their songs, I now agree with her. I was left at the end of their set feeling rather flat, rather un-moved by the majority of the songs.
Low’s setlist:
Sandinista
Dragonfly
Take Your Time
Cue the Strings
I Remember
(That’s How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Pissing
Violent Past
Murderer
Breaker
Wilco, however, were another story entirely. Their set was buoyant and ebullient; it threw off sparks of life and beauty. They started their set with “Sunken Treasure,” a lovely treat off their 1996 album Being There. An appropriate choice as it features one of my favorite Tweedy couplets:
Music is my savior/I was maimed by rock and roll.
However the highlight of the night was the descent of the macrame owl. Yes, the macrame owl; cue the Spinal Tap references about the size of the owl and the request for more macrame owls. Fantastic.
The band was tight; Kotchke’s drumming was great and Cline’s lead guitar loped and howled and skittered over Tweedy’s melody lines. Ultimately, their set was filled with some of my favorites from their latest record, Ghost and YHF. I was near disappointment though as they started to wind down and had not played a single song from Summerteeth. I was pleasantly surprised as they played both “I’m Always in Love” and “Shot in the Arm” during their first and second encores, respectively. All in all, a good night.
Wilco setlist:
Sunken Treasure
You Are My Face
Side With The Seeds
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Shake It Off
Handshake Drugs
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
California Stars
Hummingbird
On and On and On
War on War
Jesus, etc.
Hate It Here
Walken
I Am The Man Who Loves You
Encore:
I’m Always In Love
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Encore 2:
Shot In The Arm
Heavy Metal Drummer
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wow. you said “ebullient.”