There's a moment that all live-show enthusiasts wait for with baited breath. It doesn't come often, which makes it all the more special. But sometimes, when everything falls into its right place, it's as close to magic as life can get.
Wilco delivered that moment to the sell-out crowd of 1,200 adoring fans at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington on Sunday night.
As I sat front-and-center in my seat, frontman Jeff Tweedy implored us to clap along to "Spiders (Kidsmoke)." We clapped. We stomped. The room shook.
What made this moment so special, so uniquely ours, was that the six-piece ensemble comprised of some of rock's most talented craftsmen, felt it too. Guitarist Nels Cline (Mr. Happy Feet himself) and bassist John Stirratt jumped around the carpeted stage. Glen Kotche wailed on his drums and as his sweaty head of hair flung about in such a frenzy, I was convinced he was Animal of "The Muppets."
And I believe that Wilco enjoyed playing in such an acoustically sound space as The Grand just as much, if not more so, than we enjoyed listening to them. And together we made their first visit to Delaware a resounding success.
The 24-song show included two encores and the set list dug deep into their catalog from the get-go, as they kicked the night off with "Sunken Treasure," off of 1996's Being There.
Once my Wilco-fanatic friend sitting next to me heard the first few notes, he predicted "This is going to be an experimental night."
The pace was slow and steady for the first 20 minutes, and much of the audience was seated politely in their upscale opera seats. In between each song, the sound of chaos swirled on stage as they tuned their instruments and tortured us with anticipation. A note here, a note there, until finally the resemblance of a song. "You Are My Face" was the first track they played from their latest disc Sky Blue Sky and the crowd responded word for word.
I was desperate to stand, but remained seated with my section, doing my best version of a chair dance without making a complete ass of myself. Others, however, acted as if they were in their basements and unleashed some of the most intense air guitar rock performances I've ever seen.
Every corner of the room had a sideshow of air guitarists made up mostly of 20-to-30-something men and at least one fearless woman. Later, as Jeff commented to the audience that he'll never understand the thumbs up/thumbs down gestures, I concluded that I'll never understand the air guitar phenomenon.
Soon, the first few notes of fan favorite "Handshake Drugs" became identifiable and the right side of the crowd rose to its feet and most remained so for the rest of the show -- even through the quiet waves of shushing during the mellow "Radio Cure."
But mellow quickly turned into an explosion of horns, thanks to the guest appearance of The Total Pros, a trumpet, saxophone and trombone trio that joined the stage for "Impossible Germany." The Total Pros, coupled with guitarist Nels Cline's smashing solos, were enough to convince both sides of the room to stand in unison.
"This is a nice joint you got here," Jeff complimented. And later, upon the band's return for their first encore, Jeff congratulated the left side for rising. "Is it because we are so awesome?" he asked coyly. "It's overwhelming, I know."
"Hotel Arizona" was the most requested song of the night, according to the band's Web site, and it was delivered early to please the superfans. But not without a few re-starts -- three to be exact. Just before take four, Jeff joked that "everything was going so wonderful" and finally he got it straight.
But the funny flub didn't appear to bother Jeff whatsoever and he remained in a playful mood throughout the night -- he even jogged in place during "Hummingbird" and towled off his head, leaving a tousled mess for "Walken."
It was a night where Wilco could do no wrong. And as I stood clapping in admiration and awe during the second encore, I felt lucky to experience Wilco in Wilmo.
