Last night, the lovely JS and I had a blast at the Punch Brothers/Wilco concert at Red Rocks. I know I said that the Blind Pilot/Head and the Heart/Shins concert was the "Best. Concert. Ever." but I think this one may take the cake. Punch Brothers was amazing and, this may be the nostalgia talking, but I love Wilco live. The first show I ever attended was a Wilco show in Central Park, back in the summer of...2002. Gulp. I'm old. Nostalgia aside, Wilco is so creative, layering beautiful melodies and unique harmonies with the noise of experimental and classic rock, and they're really best live. I was in heaven. Oh, and I was beyond obsessed with the stage lighting, which was just a stunning work of art in itself. I may have taken a ton of pictures for inspiration's sake.
I did spend part of the show in a reflective mood though. The last time I saw Wilco, I was 21. I had just finished my first year of law school. I had boundless optimism and energy, and I still thought the world was my oyster. Now, ten years later, I'm more pragmatic and less naive. And there were a few moments last night that I felt weary--not tired (though I had stayed up late working the night before), but world weary.
When Jeff Tweedy first walked onstage, I was taken aback by how terrible he looked. That's a mean thing to say, isn't it? But the past ten years of drug abuse and rehab and God knows what else have not been kind to him. The Jumbotron closeups underscored not only Jeff Tweedy's coke bloat (the puffiness in the face that comes with snorting too much cocaine) but just the fact that he had aged ten years, and it made me feel old too. I'm not the same person I was back then, for better or worse.
But back to the music--it totally reinvigorated me, after a long, shitty day at work. Sometimes I forget how much of an effect music can have on my psyche. Wilco played five or six encores, including "California Stars" (a Woody Guthrie song) with the Punch Brothers, which totally made my night. I'd been hoping to hear "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," "War on War," and "Jesus etc." but all in all, a great show.
Wilco jamming with Punch Brothers
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