This post is from Out the Other's 2009 Bonnaroo Artist Previews, where I'll be posting previews of all the musical acts playing the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Please check out and subscribe to the full site to learn more about all of this year's performers.
Two weekends ago, when I drove to Knoxville with a friend to see Wilco at the Tennessee Theater, I was telling the story of how the band won me over in the festival setting. The year was 2004, the festival was Austin City Limits, and it was my first experience at an outdoor, multi-stage festival of that magnitude. I had absolutely no plans to see Wilco play that weekend - in fact I had never really listened to them before - but I found myself on their end of the festival grounds, searching for a cluster of porta-potties with a relatively short line. While I waited to pee (romantic music story, right?), I caught the 10-minute jam of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," which appeared on that summer's A Ghost Is Born. Something about the combination of the fresh air, the blue sky, the multiple beers and the extended jam just clicked with me, like music sometimes does, and I immediately ran up to get a better spot for the rest of the set.
It's hard to believe that was almost five years ago, and it's hard to believe that Wilco really wasn't a part of my musical life up until that point. Since then, I've had the opportunity to see the band several more times - including an amazing show at the Ryman here in Nashville, and intimate performance at the now-defunct Uptown Mix, and last weekend's show in Knoxville, along with additional festival appearances. And in a time when most of my more music-nerdy friends are saying "I've been listening to Wilco forever... I'm kinda over them these days," my love for the band just continues to grow and grow and grow.
I'm going to spare you the Wilco history lesson - that's something you can easily look up elsewhere - and instead concentrate on those of you who may never have had the opportunity (or the desire) to check Wilco out live. Just. DO IT. They are sincerely one of the most consistently fantastic live acts I've had the opportunity to see multiple times over the course of the past few years, and they absolutely shine in the festival setting - I would never be this devoted to them if they hadn't won me over outdoors at ACL five years ago. If you need extra convincing, just pick up a copy of the freshly-released Ashes of American Flags DVD (or borrow it from a friend, I bet you know someone who owns it already), which showcases the band's live skills and even features last year's Ryman show that I attended.
It was announced this week that the new Wilco album that is set for release at the end of June will be called Wilco (The Album), and songs from the record have definitely been making appearances in recent setlists. Which means if you're already a Wilco fan, you most likely get to look forward to new material at this year's Bonnaroo. But fear not if you're old and jaded and just love the old stuff - if recent sets are any indication, Wilco still loves to trot out the old crowd-pleasers (the show I saw two weeks ago drew pretty heavily from their first few albums). A win-win situation either way - I just hope they play "Spiders (Kidsmoke)."
Two of my favorites to hear live:
"Spiders (Kidsmoke)" (from A Ghost Is Born)
"Hate It Here" (from Sky Blue Sky)
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