WILCO IN CONCERT:
Though Wilco always uses the sounds of Americana as their launchpad, they’ve managed to explore a universe of musical possibilities over the past twenty years. With his poetic turns of phrase and endearingly raspy vocals, frontman Jeff Tweedy provides a country heart to their music that always wins over fans at their live performances. While he delivers the earthy grit, the rest of the band soars into the stratosphere, incorporating everything from ambient electronica to Dixieland jazz. But they also know how to rock on epics like “Impossible Germany”, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”, and “A Shot in the Arm”. Though ticket buyers never quite know what to expect from these innovative musical adventurers, they know they can count on Wilco to deliver a an electrifying, genre-defying concert experience every time they take the stage on tour.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Frontman Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco out of the ashes of his earlier alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, absorbing most of the lineup to release the new band’s 1995 debut A.M. The group quickly developed a reputation for incorporating experimental elements with their next two albums Being There (1996) and Summerteeth (1999). Despite those sonically ambitious releases, nothing prepared fans for the aural onslaught of 2001’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which pushed the boundaries of music production and defied genre lines all together. The band’s record label famously refused to release the album, while overwhelming fan support and critical adulation lead to a bidding war that netted Wilco a lucrative recording contract. Their next album A Ghost Is Born (2004) won a Grammy for Alternative Album of the Year. Following several critically acclaimed albums and core additions to the group, Wilco remains a vital and restlessly creative force in both their live concerts and their recorded output, which includes 2015’s secretly released Star Wars.
