Cleveland was the first stop for this seemingly odd double bill tour.  Wilco has played here frequently since the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but this show marked the first Cleveland appearance of the Youth in over a decade.   While Tower City Amphitheater may not have been my first choice of venues to see them in, it was hard to muster any complaints with the music.  They started the evening with an unrecorded new song called “Peace Attack” with Thurston singing over a mid-tempo, folky riff.   The first guitar clangs of “Bull in the Heather” brought the majority of the Sonic Youth fans to life.  The band then launched into a couple of songs from Murray Street, starting with “The Empty Page” dedicated to Cleveland poet D.A. Levy.  Six of Murray Street’s seven songs were performed showcasing the bands uncanny ability for intricately textured guitar pieces that erupt into hazardous bombast at the drop of a hat.   “Rain on Tin”, “Disconnection Notice”, and “Sympathy for the Strawberry” provided the perfect balance of structure and self-indulgence with verses merely serving as transitions between triple guitar freakouts that never failed to amaze.  “Karenology” started off as an unassuming semi-pop song and came to a halt as Thurston Moore stood in a Saturday Night Fever pose with his hand in the air, the group waiting for his signal.  When Thurston’s arm dropped all hell broke loose as a trademark Sonic Youth feedback binge had begun.  Jim O’Rourke (looking for all the world to be a slightly heavier dark-haired Kurt Cobain) dropped his bass and manned some electronics adding to the hysteria of Kim, Lee, and Thurston’s guitar contortions.  The noise made way for a transition into old favorite, “Shadow of a Doubt” from Evol, a sparse and eerie tune unlike anything else they performed this evening.  Longtime Sonic Youth fans were also rewarded with ferocious versions of “Eric’s Trip” and “Catholic Block”.  They encored with another classic, a slower, creepier rendition of “Expressway to Yr Skull” that sent the kids home happy. 

Wilco had the unenviable task of following all this stuff up.  By the time they hit the stage, it seemed like an entirely different crowd had arrived at the half-full, charmless, corporate sponsored tent.  Wilco was dropped by their record label for delivering an album that was found to be inaccessible.  After what we just witnessed their performance seemed about as avant garde as an Eagles show.   It’s hardly the craziest shit you ever heard, especially after watching Sonic Youth play guitars with drumsticks and all.  That’s not a slam at Wilco (I know invoking the Eagles is a bit harsh) but rather just a comment on how stupid people that run major labels are.  If given a push by a major label, this is the kind of music that could make radio listenable again.    Jeff Tweedy started off on the acoustic guitar as the band pulled heavily from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot‘s smartly written, psychedelic country.  “Kamera”, “Jesus Etc.”, “Ashes of American Flags”, and “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” were all played to much enthusiasm.    I wondered if the Jim O’ Rourke connection (he mixed YHF) would lead to any all star jamming at the end of the night.  Alas it did not.  I just know they could have busted out some killer Neil Young covers, but all in all I can’t complain.  (Dave Ignizio)