In the opener, ‘Art of Almost’, the whole band are immediately utilised, and as the song leads into its nerve-shred ending it sees all bandmembers explode with sonic angst and energy. None so more than Nels Cline, who still astonishes every time I see him. Following up in a manner which mirrors the album’s tracklist, we get the bouncy ‘I Might’ - a clear sign that tonight will draw heavily from their latest offering. Wilco are a formidably tight unit, exuding a sense of collectiveness that borders on telepathic. Even though they throw a few curve balls in their ordering of songs, there is still an aquatic sense of flow to their musicianship. They are all undeniably masters of their instruments and maintain a deep professionalism, and although this would suggest a cold, calculated approach to their performance, they radiate a sense of playfulness and energy that many a teenage band would kill for.
They dip into albums primarily from their '00s period, but we also get a couple from Summerteeth ('Via Chicago', 'A Shot in the Arm') and even a trip all the way back to A.M. with the gloriously rootsy ‘Box Full Of Letters’. ‘At Least That’s What You Said’ is perhaps the magnum opus of tonight’s performance, embracing the duality of Wilco as a band: the soft delicate laments of Jeff Tweedy’s gorgeous vocals and irresistible lyrics, coupled with the full on sonic assault the band can pull out like a gun from a holster. When the piano and drums meet they are simultaneously bolts of lightning and crashes of thunder, working together, with no delay.
As if we needed any confirmation of Wilco's rejection of convention, they throw in ‘One Sunday Morning’ mid-set, a fifteen-minute acoustic number that closes the latest album. While it’s a welcome outing for the song itself, the placing feels slightly odd and breaks the momentum somewhat. As the band continue to play, one thing that becomes frighteningly apparent is that apart from perhaps Nels Cline, anyone of the band’s members could be easily be the most underrated musician in the group. This continual onslaught of talent that lies in the hands of these players is at times overwhelming.
The encore of 'Via Chicago', 'The Whole Love' and 'I’m the Man Who Loves You', is a pleasing finale, even if the new song somehow doesn’t feel that it’s quite earned its place in the encore. The new album racked up eight of tonight’s nineteen songs, and while there were slight grumblings to be heard, it proved both refreshing and challenging for a band to throw themselves into their new material with the belief they clearly have for the songs, even if it meant no 'Jesus Etc.'