So much for the dad-rock label that’s been slapped on Wilco since Sky Blue Sky; they lay waste to the stigma within the first few songs of their sold-out Massey Hall gig (night one) in a glorious deluge of noise squalls that would make Thurston Moore proud. After a slick jaunt through clever self-reflexive opener “Wilco (The Song)” from this year’s Wilco (The Album), they proceed to tap the otherworldly frequency with a devastating take on best-song-ever “I am Trying to Break Your Heart” — complete with a tricked-out burst of electronic loops beneath the chorus melody. Next up is the brooding “Bull Black Nova” and “Shot in the Arm” which both descend into ear-shedding endings.



They ease back momentarily for Sky Blue Sky opener “Either Way,” which singer Jeff Tweedy admits hasn’t gotten much play lately, demonstrating how he has to fake the high notes like the guys did back in the ’60s. While third guitarist turned permanent member Nels Cline (a.k.a. my choice for greatest living guitarist) is featured throughout, it’s his showcase song “Impossible Germany” where we get an extended taste of flurried notes and piercing tremolo that ranges from tasteful Nashville-worthy sustain to something that sounds more like J Mascis channelling late-period Coltrane (seriously, it’s that good). What’s amazing is that despite his endless supply of note-cram phrases, Cline’s playing fits seamlessly into the six-man mix, whether he’s trading off with multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, navigating Glenn Kotche’s intricate and fluid fills or occasionally laying back to let Tweedy stretch his own newfound ability to shred.



Tweedy seems in great spirits throughout the evening, especially on tunes like “Handshake Drugs” and the action-heavy “I’ll Fight.” The bandleader even invites the audience for a nationality defending sing-along to “Jesus, etc.” which he initially says was good, not great, before calling us Canadians needy. Tweedy’s quirky enthusiasm is also far more enjoyable than that of opener Liam Finn, whose look-how-many-instruments-I-can-loop-together-to-make-a-generic-rock-song schtick came off as obnoxiously self-congratulatory rather than genuinely entertaining. Sure, “Second Chance” is catchy as hell, and the unaccompanied ripping guitar solo in the middle of ballad “Remember When” is kinda fun, but Finn’s lineage (which in no way explains the strange resemblance to Zach Galifianakis) and a boatload of hype is nothing to get worked up over.

Back to the Wilco, their encore begins with “Heavy Metal Drummer” and continues on for close to half an hour with a slew of songs including Being There’s “Outtasight (Outta Mind)” and the greatly-improved-live jam “Walken.” But it’s the barnburner finale “Hoodoo Voodoo” from the band’s initial Mermaid Avenue collaboration with Billy Bragg that perfectly encapsulates the entire performance as Cline, Sansone and eventually Tweedy exchange copious guitar solos on a track that blends curly country-rock riffs with all an out sonic apocalypse. If this is dad-rock, middle age never sounded so good.