Review: Wilco at Toronto's Massey Hall
Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy performs Saturday at Toronto's Massey Hall. Photo by Joseph Popiolkowski / Buffalo News
Toronto is usually bursting with activity — but especially so this weekend. The Toronto International Film Festival was in its final two days. The New York Yankees were in town to play the Blue Jays.
And rock band Wilco performed a two-night stand at storied Massey Hall.
Buffalo was abuzz this weekend, too, of course, with Curtain Up! on Friday and the annual Music Is Art Festival on Saturday.
But if you wanted to catch what News Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers recently called “the most interesting U.S. band of its generation” on its fall tour then you had to head north on the QEW Friday or Saturday.
Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone gave us six tracks Saturday from their new album “The Whole Love,” due out Sept. 27, including three in a row to kick off the set (see entire set list below).
The new material finds the band honing in on its signature blend of sonic whirlwind and traditional narrative rock-pop. “Born Alone” has one of Wilco’s most dire phrases "born alone, born to die alone" and ends with an ascending/descending musical trick called a Shepherd tone. How's that for taking it to the next level?
Clearly the band is perfecting its craft at the Chicago loft it writes/records/lives in when not on the road.
One of the band’s many strengths has always been to quickly initiate the uninitiated with its work going back to the late 1990s. Wilco’s nearly two-hour set held the near-capacity crowd’s rapt attention. An especially long (and well-deserved) round of applause for guitarist Nels Cline after his masterful solo on “Impossible Germany” surprised even the band.
“Look, you’re making him blush,” said Tweedy. “His shirt was black when we came out here.” It was red. Tweedy seemed to be in a jolly mood as he wisecracked and bantered with the crowd.
He let the audience handle vocal duties on “Jesus, Etc.” from 2002 masterpiece “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” during the first encore. On Friday night he wanted to sing it.
Then he dedicated “California Stars” to a guy way in the back of the house wearing a cowboy hat who danced all night like he was riding a horse.
The band emerged later for a second encore where it expended everyone’s last bit of energy on “I’m a Wheel.” Whew.
Legendary producer/singer-songwriter Nick Lowe got a standing ovation after his opening acoustic set.
Lowe’s set hit its stride beginning with “I Read A Lot” from his new album “That Old Magic.” He followed it with timeless classic “Cruel to be Kind,” a tender cover of Elvis Costello’s “Allison,” “When I Write the Book” and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” — a song written by Lowe but made famous by Costello.
The silver-haired and bespectacled Lowe said he was ailing from a throat infection but he still sounded great. It’s clear today's up-and-coming singer-songwriters have people like Lowe and John Prine on heavy rotation — their influence is clear.
A side note: No trip to Toronto to see Wilco would be complete without a stop at Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company on Bloor Street, which offers a wide variety of the lunch staple named after Wilco songs.
I had an At Least That's What You Said, which is described as “A tasty cheese sandwich that consists of basil pesto, thick pieces of roasted red peppers and avocado between slices of provolone and toasted.” It was exactly that.
My companion Derek had their popular Casino Queen, which is “Slices of smoked turkey topped with a balsamic onion marmalade, bacon, and avocado served on our whole wheat or honey-nut whole wheat bread.”
Couple those with some sides including potato wedges, Mandarin orange salad and Minestrone soup and you’ve got a hearty lunch fit for a chilly September day.
The last time Wilco came to Western New York was July 2009 at Lewiston’s Artpark. The last time it graced Buffalo’s city limits was the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s Rockin at the Knox in 2005.
Shea’s would be a more than suitable venue for them — it’s not unlike Massey Hall. Here’s hoping the stars align for that some day.
Here’s the set list from Saturday’s show:
One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)
Art of Almost
I Might
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Kamera
Company on my Back
Born Alone
A Shot in the Arm
Rising Red Lung
Impossible Germany
How to Fight Lonliness
Pot Kettle Black
Dawned on Me
Hummingbird
Encore #1
Misunderstood
Jesus Etc.
California Stars
Monday
Outta Mind (Outta Sight)
Encore #2
I’m a Wheel
