Boston Globe: Wilco Shines in "Pitch-Perfect" Tanglewood Show

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It was a remarkable week for Wilco shows, with two stand-outs coming from nearly three-hour sets each at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, and Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool the following night. The Boston Globe says the crowd at Tanglewood witnessed "a pitch-perfect tangle of earthy comforts and perilous adventure, during a stellar set from the planet's most radical roots band ... a phenomenally dynamic machine." The New York Press says the Brooklyn set showed that the band's evolution from alt.country pioneers "has brought us one of the best rock bands alive today."

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It was a remarkable week for Wilco shows, with two stand-outs coming from nearly three-hour sets each at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Lenox, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, and Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool the following night.

Boston Globe staff writer Joan Anderman says the crowd at Tanglewood witnessed "a pitch-perfect tangle of earthy comforts and perilous adventure, during a stellar set from the planet's most radical roots band."

Anderman defines the band's signature of late as "the inspired collision of sturdy songcraft and genuine fearlessness," calling Tuesday's set "a beautifully proportioned blend of the two, spread out on a canvas of lush pop, heavy rock, psychedelic soul, and country music."

The reviewer lauds guitarist Nels Cline for his ability to "turn the sweetest song into a thrill ride," as on Sky Blue Sky's "Impossible Germany," which, on stage, he brought "to heights of majesty on the back of his searing, serpentine solo." Anderson concludes with praise for the entire band, dubbing it "a phenomenally dynamic machine."

Read the full concert review at boston.com.

Albany Times Union staffer Danielle Furfaro also has kind words for the band after Tuesday's show, writing:

From the moment they took the stage Tuesday night at Tanglewood until the final note of their second encore, they proved that they bleed arena-sized rock and continue to be one of the most talented and energetic acts today. From beautiful melody to gentle twang to screaming psychedelia, Wilco mastered it all with superb musicianship ... These are clearly men in love with music.

That review is available at timesunion.com.

---

Wednesday's outdoor show at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, led David Callicott to reflect in the New York Press on "a great week of music" that began and ended at the unique venue, opening last Thursday with "the two-man storm-of-sound Black Keys" and this week's Wilco show, which Callicott calls "the icing on the cake."
 
The writer makes reference to the band's success at moving "seamlessly from their softer, gentler roots into their distorted proggish noise-scapes, showing off their range of ability and diversity of style." He sees it as "a tactic they’ve mastered, and no one else executes it quite as beautifully."
 
Throughout the night, Callicott found himself "repeatedly blown away by how they can take songs that sound so exquisitely produced on their studio recordings—such as the quasi-anthem 'I Am Trying To Break Your Heart'—and pull them off in concert with the same degree of precision, exacting just as much of a visceral effect, if not more."
 
He concludes: "Although Wilco initially held the mantle of alt.country pioneers in their early days, last night proved that their evolution—which shifted into high gear around the turn of the millennium—has brought us one of the best rock bands alive today."

To read the complete review and see a number of great shots from the show, visit nypress.com.

Brooklyn Vegan has dozens of great photos from the show as well at brooklynvegan.com.

featuredimage
Wilco, by Mary Ellen Matthews
  • Friday, August 15, 2008
    Boston Globe: Wilco Shines in "Pitch-Perfect" Tanglewood Show
    Photo: Mary Ellen Matthews

    It was a remarkable week for Wilco shows, with two stand-outs coming from nearly three-hour sets each at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Lenox, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, and Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool the following night.

    Boston Globe staff writer Joan Anderman says the crowd at Tanglewood witnessed "a pitch-perfect tangle of earthy comforts and perilous adventure, during a stellar set from the planet's most radical roots band."

    Anderman defines the band's signature of late as "the inspired collision of sturdy songcraft and genuine fearlessness," calling Tuesday's set "a beautifully proportioned blend of the two, spread out on a canvas of lush pop, heavy rock, psychedelic soul, and country music."

    The reviewer lauds guitarist Nels Cline for his ability to "turn the sweetest song into a thrill ride," as on Sky Blue Sky's "Impossible Germany," which, on stage, he brought "to heights of majesty on the back of his searing, serpentine solo." Anderson concludes with praise for the entire band, dubbing it "a phenomenally dynamic machine."

    Read the full concert review at boston.com.

    Albany Times Union staffer Danielle Furfaro also has kind words for the band after Tuesday's show, writing:

    From the moment they took the stage Tuesday night at Tanglewood until the final note of their second encore, they proved that they bleed arena-sized rock and continue to be one of the most talented and energetic acts today. From beautiful melody to gentle twang to screaming psychedelia, Wilco mastered it all with superb musicianship ... These are clearly men in love with music.

    That review is available at timesunion.com.

    ---

    Wednesday's outdoor show at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, led David Callicott to reflect in the New York Press on "a great week of music" that began and ended at the unique venue, opening last Thursday with "the two-man storm-of-sound Black Keys" and this week's Wilco show, which Callicott calls "the icing on the cake."
     
    The writer makes reference to the band's success at moving "seamlessly from their softer, gentler roots into their distorted proggish noise-scapes, showing off their range of ability and diversity of style." He sees it as "a tactic they’ve mastered, and no one else executes it quite as beautifully."
     
    Throughout the night, Callicott found himself "repeatedly blown away by how they can take songs that sound so exquisitely produced on their studio recordings—such as the quasi-anthem 'I Am Trying To Break Your Heart'—and pull them off in concert with the same degree of precision, exacting just as much of a visceral effect, if not more."
     
    He concludes: "Although Wilco initially held the mantle of alt.country pioneers in their early days, last night proved that their evolution—which shifted into high gear around the turn of the millennium—has brought us one of the best rock bands alive today."

    To read the complete review and see a number of great shots from the show, visit nypress.com.

    Brooklyn Vegan has dozens of great photos from the show as well at brooklynvegan.com.

    Journal Articles:On TourReviews

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