When Jeff Tweedy last took to this stage in 2011 as leader of the perennial class act that is Wilco, his performance was briefly interrupted by a punch up in the audience: tonight he’ll be hoping the sparks only fly on stage as he and his 18-year-old son Spencer return in the guise of Tweedy.
The lower sections of the concert hall are slowly filling up as opening act Field Report amble on stage to a warm welcome.
Since their inception in 2011, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin natives have been honing their brand of autumnal folk music over two albums, which have both been showered with critical plaudits.
This evening they acquit themselves in fine fashion as they offer selections from sophomore album Marigolden, with songs like ‘Michelle and Dreamhorse’ exuding an aura of pure redemptive grace.
Their allure only intensifies as they breeze through the 40-minute set, with each of the three-piece committing to the performance; Christopher Porterfield’s (Field Report being an anagram of his surname) lead vocals and lyrical guitar playing being discerningly complimented, and often jarred, by Shane Leonard’s fine percussion and Thomas Winsek’s instrumental textures.
Tweedy arrive to provide a live perspective on 2014’s Sukierae album, the so called “solo album performed by a duo”, albeit now with a fleshed out five-piece band.
However, despite the augmented stage presence, it’s evident that tonight’s show will be an intimate affair, one that requires minimal stage equipment and none of the usual embellishments, like drum risers and intricate lighting rigs: this is just five musicians out to uncover, and inhabit, the soul of the music.
Indeed, throughout the performance the band members display how they have taken hold of the fresh material to exploit its full potential; Tweedy senior’s honeyed vocals and plaintive strums guide the way, while young Spencer’s unfussy, tasteful drumming locks in with Darin Gray’s basslines, leaving Jim Elkington and Liam Cunningham to fill out the sound with keys, pedal steel and commanding lead guitar lines.
Since its release last year, the generously sized Sukierae has proved a lot to digest and I confess to not been fully immersed before tonight, however it is in hearing the songs live that the emotional impact strikes best, highlighting songs like ‘New Moon’, ‘Nobody Dies Anymore’ and ‘World Away’ to be among the best in Tweedy’s canon.
After a while the band takes a bow, leaving Tweedy senior under the spotlight from where he delivers solo interpretations of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo classics.
Seeing him strip songs like ‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart’, ‘New Madrid’, ‘I’m The Man Who Loves You’ and even the 10-minute juggernaut that is ‘Spiders’ back to their bare bones is quite a thrill, showing Tweedy to be an accomplished and daring performer as well as a master of modern American song-writing.
After a spell, the band enter once more to round of the gig with a five song encore, which takes the performance time to a full two hours, causing Tweedy senior to quip “always leave them wanting less, that’s my motto!” going on tonight’s show, nothing could be further from the truth.
Words: Brendan Sloan
