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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > October > 09 > Entry
Review: Wilco at the Cedar Park Center
Guitarist Nels Cline was the highlight of Wilco’s powerful but at times strange debut at the 8,000-seat Cedar Park Center on Thursday night. Cline was particularly dominant on material from later in the prolific band’s career, including a soaring solo on “Impossible Germany,” from the 2007 release “Sky Blue Sky,” which served as a reminder of his ability to complement Jeff Tweedy & Co., while at the same time standing out as an exceptional musician in his own right.
The guitarist also shined on “Bull Black Nova,” from this year’s “Wilco (the Album).” The band’s ability to seamlessly weave this and other new songs, including “Wilco (the Song)” and “You Never Know,” into the set served as a reminder that the most recent lineup, which has been in place for a while, has come into its own in recent years. Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt hold court as the band’s veteran members, while keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen, drummer Glenn Kotche and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone operate under the radar until exploding into well-orchestrated cacophony. While they can still play the heck out of the alt-country and classic rock of the albums that preceded 2002’s game-changing “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”—a funk breakdown in the middle of “Can’t Stand It” stood out as a high point—the subtleties of songs such as “At Least That’s What You Said” from 2004’s “A Ghost Is Born,” and “Hate It Here” made the band’s live experience particularly special.
Some of the set’s odd feel came on account of the venue, which Tweedy himself noted a few times, at one point early on jokingly noting, “we’re just hanging out, playing some music in a hockey arena;” he also stated later that he preferred two nights in Austin, implying that he’d rather be at Stubb’s. If you’re planning on attending a show there in the future, be prepared to stand in the will-call line for an excessive amount of time, and be warned that some of the seats off the floor have less leg room than an airplane. Sound-wise, it was a bit muddy from the right of the stage (although people elsewhere in the room said it sounded great), and at times it was difficult to hear various parts of the mix, including when openers Liam Finn and Eliza-Jane Barnes joined the band for a just-okay “California Stars.”
Tweedy also took some of the band’s momentum away as his stage banter increased toward the end. It’s become something to expect at a Wilco show, but it doesn’t do the them any favors. Their practice of two five-song encores has become standard too, but in a more positive way, especially with an energized “Heavy Metal Drummer” and closer “Hoodoo Voodoo,” where Cline and a fired up Pat Sansone lit up the stage with their dueling guitars.
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By duderino
October 10, 2009 10:44 AM | Link to this
Personally, I love Tweedy’s dry, witty banter throughout the show. He’s a present-day icon in my eyes and it’s always fun to hear what he’s got on his mind. This was a really great show, but next time let’s bring these boys closer to home for those multiple night gigs.
By ed
October 10, 2009 11:30 AM | Link to this
if you caught the dallas show, it was one to hold on to forever. I went to both and nothing compared to the Dallas show. Nothing will ever top them playing “Cars Can’t Escape” :)
By Jefe
October 12, 2009 10:17 AM | Link to this
“…be warned that some of the seats off the floor have less leg room than an airplane.”
And that’s an understatement. Loved the show, but I’ll never see another in that venue for that reason alone. Anyone over six feet tall will have bruised knees the next day. I did. Serious design flaw.
By Dave
November 2, 2009 5:33 PM | Link to this
I attended the Wilco performance and I thought they put on a great performance. The Cedar Park Center on the other hand….I can deal with the outrageous beer prices, ATM fees, etc. Those are discretionary purchases. However, there is no reasonable option to parking in their lots. To charge $10 to park in their lot is to me the definition of gouging. If you need that money to cover costs, it should be put into the ticket price. Also, I find it amazing that they had all that land to build on and somehow in the end wound up with only enough space to put a couple inches between the seats. I have literally never sat in more cramped seats. For a brand new facility, this is inexcusable. I won’t be going back. If it costs that much to go, you better make it worth the trip.