When a show is billed as “An Evening with Wilco,” the audience hopes that the performance will live up to its name. The phrase implies a sense of intimacy beyond a mere rock concert or a showcase of the band’s top songs on Spotify. The expectation becomes that this legendary alternative folk band, playing in a grand theater, will instead feel like a few close friends strumming chords around a campfire.
At The Met Philadelphia, Wilco delivered this and more with a sprawling 2-hour and 40-minute two-set show that spanned their vast, 30-year discography.
The sextet walked on stage promptly at 8:00 p.m. and started playing immediately with the soft “Story to Tell” from their 2022 album “Cruel Country.” No initial greeting, no fanfare and not even an opening act: this was about the music. Before this short song was even over, everyone at The Met that night was on their feet, whispering things to each other: “He sounds so great.”
And he did. Frontman Jeff Tweedy’s voice sounds even better today than it did on Wilco’s earlier projects. Maybe the rasp that comes with age is a gift, especially with the type of music they play. It functions as added texture, not a flaw.
While their opening track was understated, the set built in intensity from here as they launched into “Handshake Drugs” from the 2004 album “A Ghost is Born.” This song is a true slow burn, starting off acoustic and restrained before rising steadily into an explosive final minute. This was a demonstration of the band’s range in just a single song.
It quickly became clear this was going to be far more than a night of greatest hits. Delving into their ever-growing discography with deep cuts like the frolicking “If I Ever Was a Child” and the newer “Evicted,” offering diehard fans a setlist full of satisfying surprises.
While the band was clearly comfortable playing as a tight unit, individual musicianship is not to be forgotten. Drummer Glenn Kotche’s inventiveness was a highlight, especially on more experimental songs like 2019’s droning “Quiet Amplifier.” Multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone shifted between keyboard, guitar and percussion with ease. Bassist John Stirratt, the only other original member alongside Tweedy, even performed lead vocals on a song of his own. Nels Cline’s unpredictable guitar performance was an absolute treat—it is rare to see someone appear as though they are taming the instrument while simultaneously pushing it to its limit.
When the band came out after an intermission for the second set of the night, it was difficult to believe that the show was only halfway over. Most bands would call it a successful night after 18songs, but Wilco was about to deliver another 14.
As the crowd welcomed the band back on stage, Tweedy remarked, “Of all the cities in the world, this is the city that complains the most that we don’t come here,” to which the audience responded with half-cheering and half-booing: typical Philly. Tweedy apologized and said, “We’re here now,” before beginning the second set with “Company in my Back,” which ended with the lights swinging back out towards the crowd in rhythm with the sound of blaring synths.
This second set consisted of fan-favorites, resulting in buzzing energy from the audience as the crowd sang along to the songs that sound like they are meant to be sung along to. “Random Name Generator,” for example, is one of their only songs that might be classified as full-on rock and roll. It was their loudest, most unfettered song of the night, and nobody in the theater could stand still.
For all the power of this track, they never strayed from restraint, showing the audience their control with their popular “Jesus Etc.” and then the showstopping “Impossible Germany,” which features a guitar solo from Cline that was a true masterclass, lasting almost six minutes. It is one of the finest guitar solos a live audience could witness today.
Their final two tracks before their last bows, the shimmering “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “I’m the Man Who Loves You” from their standout album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” were total crowd-pleasers that brought the show to a boiling point. It was the perfect two-punch combo to send every face out of the theater with a smile.
Wilco did not need an elaborate light show or a giant video screen. They shy away from spectacles like this, and instead let their songs do the work, performing them like the thirty-year veterans they are.