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WILCO MANIA: In case you hadn't already heard, the rumors are true: the Weekly's very own Jim Nintzel did in fact save Wilco's Jeff Tweedy from (un)certain death due to a stage dive gone awry. Towards the end of Wilco's performance last Wednesday at Tempe's Electric Ballroom, Tweedy 
tried to enlist the shoulders of a large but reluctant fan, who,
in an attempt to avoid being boarded by the singer, abandoned
him to the hard cement floor. (Welcome to Arizona, Jeff!) But
for Nintzel's quick thinking and strong arms, Tweedy would have
suffered a seriously conked noggin, if not much worse. His second
attempt fared only somewhat better, making his third and completely
spontaneous leap of faith, running start and all, truly amazing.
Through it all Tweedy never missed a beat.
Besides the crowd's initial luke-warm support for his antics, one unenlightened spectator among the impertinent and demanding crowd actually requested a Son Volt song! Tweedy good-naturedly replied, over the sounds of his band picking out the chords to the offending request, "I think you have the wrong band. I don't know that one. My band seems to know it, but I don't." None of the insults suffered by Wilco during the Ballroom performance can compare, though, to the slap in the face delivered by the management at The Rock last fall when they booked the band for an early, early show--at the last minute, sans advertisement--because they didn't want to interrupt their dance theme night. Between that and being run out of an Arizona hotel on their last tour, an experience that resulted in the song "Hotel Arizona," a return trip for Wilco could be chancy. All impertinence aside, Tweedy has emerged as a compelling and charismatic performer since that, um, other band I saw him play with back in '94, claiming center stage with a dexterity, authority and intensity that wasn't as fully realized even at last fall's Tucson show. Tweedy may have cut his hair and traded in the cowboy hat, boots and leather-fringe jacket for an iridescent green shirt and Dr. Martens, but he's done nothing to compromise the integrity of his music, nor his own serious and focused delivery. Although I missed the banjo and would not have missed some of the big rock-and-roll finishes, the performance itself was fantastic, lasting well over an hour and a half and covering a wide assortment of tunes from both albums. If anything, Wilco's taken the step from relative obscurity to a modicum of popularity with a grace and confidence that suggests it won't be too long before we'll be forced to enjoy only our memories of Wilco playing smaller venues. Tweedy and company seem to have matured on levels other than musical as well, engaging the crowd both during and after the show with candor and ease. Rolling merrily past the few technical problems, out-of-tune guitars, and a misunderstanding early on--Max Johnston got the evil eye from Tweedy when he fucked up a big finish--the small mistakes and adoring fans were managed with level-headed humor and a fair share of sensitivity. Jay Bennett commented afterwards, "Yeah, we muddled through." I'll say. And in case you're dying to know, yes, they played an Uncle Tupelo song--a big electric version of one of my favorites, "New Madrid." Viva Wilco! LAST NOTES: Soul Cracker is playing a dandy double-header this weekend at the 3rd Stone Bar and Grill, 500 N. Fourth Ave., with shows both Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24. Both shows get underway around 10 p.m. and provide two opportunities to rest the mind from finals and recover the back from moving all those boxes. Cover is $3 at the door, call 628-8844 for more information. Seattle's Silkworm, with Bluebird from Los Angeles and Tucson's own Sasabe Giants (this is reportedly their final appearance!) give an early bird in-store at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 22, at Toxic Ranch Records, 424 E. Sixth St. Tickets are $4. Call 623-2008 for more information. Afterwards, toddle on down to the Monsoon Madness....
Monsoon Madness continues in Winsett Park, on Fourth
Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets, with the triple bill
Hey, there's more to the Wildcat House, 1801 N. Stone Ave., than ball games and booze, and you can see for yourself on Monday, May 26, when Underground Promotion presents an 18-and-over show: Keith Murray and L.O.D. Squad with B.O.P. and Mad Lad. Call 321-1000 for tickets to the show or more information. Our favorite Swedish meatballs, Sludge Nation, are throwing a fjord-filled party to belatedly celebrate the not-so-recent release of their CD, Blow Your Speakers. Get on the Nordic track at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at the Airport Lounge, 20 E. Pennington St. Cortex Bomb Orchestra will provide an explosive opening set. Cover is just $3. For more info on the show, call 882-0400. Doo Rag makes a rare hometown appearance on Friday, May 23, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Inch and It open the show at 9 p.m. On Sunday, Club Congo hosts Phoenixpalooza, featuring husker-doofus sensation Trunk Federation coming down from Maricopa County with Yoko Love, Les Payne Product and Orphans. Our sources up north tell us Trunk Federation is on the verge of making it big, so catch their new line-up in a small intimate setting before they're selling out arenas. For more info on the Congress shows, call 622-8848. Speaking of Club Congo, rumor has it the legendary Link Wray may take a break from his European exile to visit this summer. Keep your eye on the Rhythm & Views section for details.
BAD NEWS: For reasons yet to be revealed, the Pavement
show booked for Tuesday, June 3 at Gibson's in Tempe has been,
sniffle, canceled. Call the venue for more information about ticket
refunds.
--Lisa Weeks
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