Wilco (18th April, Palais Theatre)

Before the Show
I'm standing in the queue for the merchandise table, which is long, even though the doors have just opened. Beside me a couple debate the merits of each t-shirt on display. The couple tells me they've come from the Pilbara region because they booked their tickets before the WA show was announced. 'Jeff Tweedy hugged me,' the woman says with a smile of remembered excitement. She mumbles something else about stalking him. I buy a poster. Wilco fans are a little older, but devoted. A father helps his son check shirt sizes. The woman in the queue asks if the poster is a tea towel. Apparently Tim Rogers sold tea towels. So did Split Enz, I remember, but I bought a scarf.

Support Act
I've never been to a gig at the Palais before but am instantly impressed when the usher shows me through the darkness to my seat. It's in the centre of row F in the lounge area, which gives me a perfect view of the stage. Glenn Richards of Augie March is playing Here Comes the Night with just a guitar for support. I sit and listen. Maybe I should be more religious in listening to their music, although their albums are quite long and the stripped back sound of his voice and the guitar is more appealing. The sound check has ensured there are no problems, but when he sings loudly you can really hear it. The rows of the theatre continue to fill. He plays One Crowded Hour. The room smells pleasantly musty, like it's been disused. The seats are old vinyl, deep and comfortable with arm rests either side.

The Main Event
There's a definite buzz when the lights go down and people realise that in a few short seconds Wilco will come out. I hope that they will play Misunderstood to open, like they do on the Kicking Television album. A cacophony of horn sounds signals their arrival to the stage and the six members of the band shuffle out, wave and launch into an unfamiliar track. One of their new ones. We listen silently and clap madly when it's done.

Then the familiar guitar distortion signals it's time for I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Jeff Tweedy ducks down and leans into the microphone to sing 'I am an American aquarium drinker'. Then it seems we're going to hear Shot in the Arm. The audience cheers. This is followed by Handshake Drugs. Each performance is spirited and the bass player John Stirratt steers the rhythm, prompting the drummer back to the appropriate timing sequence. The sound is mixed perfectly- you can hear the singing just enough.

We hear the recent favourites of I'm the Man Who Loves You, Jesus Etc, Theologians and War On War. The set is interspersed with the new songs which are great. The guitar sound is heavy and there's a definite driving rhythm behind everything. I can't wait to hear the whole album. The collaborative nature of it is evident in the guitar harmonies which play out well on stage between the members of the band. We're also treated to some of the Mermaid Avenue songs like Remember Me to the Mountain King, Airline to Heaven and one other 'unreleased' track. Jeff Tweedy is handed a new guitar at the end of each song, switching between acoustic and electric and probably different tunings as well. They pause to interact with the audience who yell out requests and compliments.

The set closes with Hummingbird. We applaud for two minutes and cheer and stomp and finally the band stops pretending and re-emerges. They start with California Stars, move into The Late Greats and Heavy Metal Drummer. Then we hear the start of Kingpin, which becomes a rollicking, rocking spree of audience participation where we have to echo pirate sounds back at the band, because Australia is associated with pirates for Jeff Tweedy for some unfathomable reason. They leave again and we're satisfied, but there's call for another encore.

Quickly, they're back on again. They play one of their new tracks, and then begin Poor Places which would be a great closer in itself. When the song ends with discordant guitar noise, Tweedy lifts a new guitar from the back of the stage and starts on Spiders. Ten minutes later they're finishing off the song with its trademark guitar riff. More wild applause. But it's not the end. The band leaves but Tweedy's back with a guitar, stands up at the front of the stage with no microphones or amplification and treats us to a sweet little solo song.

The Verdict
Best gig I've seen, as you can probably tell.