I went to see Wilco at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ, and thought they gave a superior performance. In a three-plus hours set they covered material from throughout their career, offering a full range of the varied styles and sounds that have come to define what this band is all about. The rockers rocked, the quiet tunes were intimate and affecting, and all I can say is I'm glad as I was there to see and hear it. I thought the track we heard here sounded particularly good, and it was preceded by a trio of recent songs that also share common roots in the late '60s/early '70s music that most definitely includes Traffic as part of that mix.

A couple of months from now Teenage Fanclub will be releasing their first disc in five years; the track that opened this next section is an advance from that album, and it certainly has whet my appetite for what's to come. The Searchers were one of the first bands to perfect that jangling, chiming guitar sound that TF uses so well, and Richard X. Heyman's first disc also owed a debt to that British Invasion band. On their debut the Singles looked to the original British Invasion band, and then we heard one from the alternate universe Fab Four (I'll be seeing Neil Inness on Sunday and will have more on that in the next show's wrap-up) that seemed to flow nicely into a new one from She & Him. The School also have a new album that exhibits many '60s influences among its tracks; the one we heard had a bit of an edge that reached out to some early Rolling Stones working in a more melodic Pop place than was normally the case in those days. Finally, Jarvis Cocker feeling good about the return of his girl fed into Findlay Brown still shattered by his loss.

We began this set with a Beach Boys track that originated with the Smile album, which remained unfinished and unreleased until Brian Wilson came back to it some 40 years later. I liked the way it worked here with the melancholy track from the High Llamas that followed, which in turn gave way to one from the new Unthanks album that sets a similar mood. Somewhat counter-intuitively, Nick Drake turned that around with one of his marvelously flowing tunes, which brought on Tim Buckley with one that achieves a similar effect and is a particular favorite of mine. Headless Heroes covering the Jesus and Mary Chain provided one of a more recent vintage, and then we finished with Donovan remaking himself—his original of that tune saw him doing a terrific imitation of the early Bob Dylan, but when it came time for a greatest hits LP Donovan updated the arrangements on some of those first tracks to reflect the influence that late '60s culture was having on his music.

One from the very enjoyable new Mose Allison disc kicked off this final section, and it was followed by a Pink Martini instrumental that introduced a Latin feel and brought on War with their irresistable mid-'70s hit. Booker T. working with the Drive-By Truckers offered a cover of an Outkast track, and then we heard a new Janelle Monae tune that features an appearance by Big Boi. That one's rhythmic intensity gave way to the cooler beats of Gnarls Barkley, which was then followed by a soulful new one from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings that perfectly set up James Brown to close this one out.

Here's the complete playist.

NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
SPOON . . . . . Before Destruction . . . . . Transference
BECK . . . . . Chemtrails . . . . . Modern Guilt
TRAFFIC . . . . . Every Mother’s Son . . . . . John Barleycorn Must Die
DR. DOG . . . . . Shame, Shame . . . . . Shame, Shame
WILCO . . . . . Handshake Drugs . . . . . A Ghost Is Born

TEENAGE FANCLUB . . . . . Baby Lee . . . . . Baby Lee
SEARCHERS . . . . . When You Walk In The Room . . . . . The Very Best of the Searchers
RICHARD X. HEYMAN . . . . . All For The Girl . . . . . Living Room!!
THE SINGLES . . . . . Until You Came Along . . . . . Better Than Before
THE RUTLES . . . . . With A Girl Like You . . . . . The Rutles
SHE & HIM . . . . . Thieves . . . . . Volume Two
THE SCHOOL . . . . . The One Who Left Me . . . . . Loveless Unbeliever
THE ROLLING STONES . . . . . Blue Turns To Grey . . . . . December's Children (And Everybody's)
JARVIS COCKER . . . . . Baby’s Coming Back To Me . . . . . Jarvis
FINDLAY BROWN . . . . . Holding Back The Night . . . . . Love Will Find You

THE BEACH BOYS . . . . . Surf’s Up . . . . . Sunflower/Surf's Up
THE HIGH LLAMAS . . . . . The Walworth River . . . . . Beet Maize & Corn
THE UNTHANKS . . . . . Living On The Water . . . . . Here's the Tender Coming
NICK DRAKE . . . . . Northern Sky . . . . . Bryter Layter
TIM BUCKLEY . . . . . Buzzin’ Fly . . . . . Happy Sad
HEADLESS HEROES . . . . . Just Like Honey . . . . . The Silence of Love
DONOVAN . . . . . Catch The Wind . . . . . Donovan's Greatest Hits

MOSE ALLISON . . . . . I Know You Didn’t Mean It . . . . . Way of the World
PINK MARTINI . . . . . Ohayoo Ohio . . . . . Splendor in the Grass
WAR . . . . . Low Rider . . . . . The Best of War and More
BOOKER T. . . . . . Hey Ya . . . . . Potato Hole
JANELE MONAE . . . . . Tightrope . . . . . Archandroid
GNARLS BARKLEY . . . . . Charity Case . . . . . The Odd Couple
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KEYS . . . . . Better Things To Do . . . . . I Learned The Hard Way
JAMES BROWN . . . . . Soul Power, Pts. 1&2 . . . . . Star Time (4CD)

Here's another one from Wilco (from the show I attended).

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