“Music is my savior.”
These words, uttered with conviction by Jeff Tweedy during the second set of Wilco’s 32-song performance at the Met, rattled through the bones of the sold-out Philly crowd. Later in “Sunken Treasure,” the song’s second-to-last line, “I was tamed by rock ’n’ roll,” echoed throughout one of our fair city’s premier venues, and the essence of Wilco’s effect on its fandom was summed up by this perfect song from 1996’s Being There. Rock music is a great, familiar comfort that can soothe and calm our soul. Wilco supported this thesis throughout an exquisite evening of music.
The sublime staples of every great Wilco live experience were present in Philly, and the band sounded spectacular. Both “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” and “Via Chicago,” with their epic soundscapes, were heard. Woodie Guthrie via Mermaid Avenue appeared twice: “Hesitating Beauty” and “California Stars” unwrapped the past in the present. The brilliance of Nels Cline’s solo on “Impossible Germany” was nestled in the second set, with the guitarist captivating the audience for nearly six minutes.
And let’s not forget the deep love for the singalong nature of “Jesus, Etc.” and a one-two punch of “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “I’m The Man Who Loves You” to end the second set. None of these moments are ever to be taken for granted. On Tuesday, they especially could not be missed because the glorious acoustics of the Met allowed for Wilco to sound as great as ever.
The performance leaned heavily into 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, which certainly pleased the crowd. When you see a group of grown men jumping for joy when “Side With The Seeds” is being unspooled, it’s a good sign. Half of Sky Blue Sky was played, with songs like “Hate It Here” and “Walken” sounding better than ever. Even if its most recent full-length was basically ignored, with 2023’s Cousin only getting one song, Wilco spread a lot of love around its 31-year-old discography.
Tweedy barely spoke to the audience until after “Sunken Treasure” concluded. He then addressed his admiration for Philadelphia to reassure us Wilco does want to play here, even if we complain more than any other place in the world about our repeated absence from the band’s tour schedules. “Jesus, Etc.” and “Impossible Germany” followed, making for an awesome three-pack of sonic splendor.
This was night not easily forgotten for any fan, let alone someone like me who’s seen them more than 20 times now. Tweedy and Co. showed why they’re one of the best at rock ’n’ roll right now.
—words and photos by Chris Sikich
