Concert Review - Wilco
Wilco live at the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, WA.
On a shockingly dry October night in Bellingham, Grammy award-winning band ‘Wilco’ stormed into the famous Mount Baker Theatre and brought live music back to the PNW.
“Never miss a Sunday show” is a common expression used in the live music scene, touting that the Sunday show (or even the last show on a bands 2-3 night run in your city) is the best show to see and should not be missed at any cost. This rings true once again for this Sunday night show featuring Wilco.
Every concert review must start with the sought-after merchandise table as it is my first stop when seeing literally any concert ever. Wilco shocked me with a wonderful mix of decently priced merchandise ranging from books and CDs to shirts and posters. I picked up a shirt and a poster, both of which are pretty basic purchases at concerts for me.
The venue was stunning and it exceeded my expectations by a mile. The Mount Baker Theatre, an antique venue situated in Downtown Bellingham, seats roughly 1,500 people but feels giant when filled with hollering Wilco fans. The staff was very nice, all sporting smiles as if they enjoyed their job. I can say that I am stoked to see more artists there, and I am double stoked since I can walk there and not have to deal with parking.
This was the view from my section. What a deal!
The show opened up with the Seattle-based rock band ‘The Young Fresh Fellows’. These guys were tagging along with Wilco on a select number of PNW shows on this tour, and I thought they were okay. The loose percussion style, rock groove, and odd lyrics were just not my taste. They definitely were fun to watch, but not a band I would pay to see headline a show.
As soon as those house lights went out, stage lights turned on, and Wilco took the stage, the whole venue became a new world. Jeff Tweedy, frontman of Wilco, is one of the best performers I have ever watched. Tweedy subtly held 1500 people in his back pocket for an almost two-hour-long set, taking them along on this journey through 11 Wilco records and over 20 years of music.
As someone who listens to music seasonally, this Wilco show was timed perfectly with the fall vibes it presents to me. Being from Southern California, the fall season means high winds and beach days in October. Here in Bellingham, the fall season means rain, (some) high winds, hoodies, and leaves actually falling. Seeing the leaves change and fall, the temperature drop below 55 degrees, and seeing Wilco live with my fellow PNW citizens was truly a great way to break into this new area.
Overall, Wilco live is a must-see for anyone who likes mid-tempo American rock. Jeff Tweedy is a great frontman, lead guitarist Nels Cline is an experimental genius, and bassist John Stirratt glues the band together with the iconic Wilco bass lines that exist in every song. If you do get the chance to catch Wilco in your city, treat it like a Sunday show and go.
