Live Muse Sick N Hour Mess Age — Wilco & Sleater-Kinney Bring the Sauce to the Commonwealth…
August 18, 2021 — Richmond, VA
There is something to be said about the power of live music. With its absence for over a year and change, there is an intrinsic need to fill the inner live music tank. Its mojo has powers capable of pouring energy into your soul making many feel an urge tuned to the key of je ne sais quoi. It’s the decisions we ponder and choose after witnessing a sweltering set by legendary bands Sleater-Kinney and Wilco that left many concert goers coming to terms with what to do with their newly achieved rock and roll super powers.
Wilco and Sleater-Kinney sauntered over to Brown’s Island in Richmond, VA on a moist (Jeff Tweedy’s words) Wednesday evening. Sweat was pouring more than spilled beer here.
With the new Covid protocols in place, you simply need to show your vaccination card or proof of a negative test within 48 hours. Cue the irony or ace concert-going prowess, I took an on-site Covid test at Dead and Company’s tour opener in Raleigh on Monday, 48-hours before this stacked double bill.
Going to concerts these days is still fairly normal, however gaining entry is the new extra step that has mostly worked. It’s fairly easy if you’re prepared but it’s a stitched work-in-progress of protocols on all fronts. We are all relearning new processes these days, however once you are on the grounds at an outdoor show, it’s the music with the people you are with that matters most.
If you’ve never seen Sleater-Kinney live, then I will pray for your soul. I’ll also pray for you if it’s your first time because Corin and Carrie always bring the heat with extra sauce.
Seeing Sleater-Kinney live in 2021 is akin to ordering off-menu at an In-n-Out even if you’ve never been to one before. That act alone would be gangster as you’re instantly fulfilling inner VIP knowledge and since Sleater-Kinney is one of the greatest live acts to put in work for over 27 years, you have all come to the right place.
SK have flown mostly under the radar to the masses since their 1995 self-titled debut. Spoiler alert — they’re a well cherished secret. If you’ve seen them then you know. SK is the sauce we all need in our lives.
The above clip is case and point. Sleater-Kinney can move a crowd. They also can swoop into assistance if you pass out in the pit. After Corin Tucker noticed a distressed fan in the crowd, she made sure that fan was taken care of. SK are there for us and if their musical heat is too hot, then they will kindly point you to the kitchen exit but with a medical escort. It was only 87 degrees but with with the river humidifying around Brown’s Island coupled with the exclusive musical sauce Sleater-Kinney was slinging, it’s safe to say some still need to ketchup.
“The Fox” from 2005’s The Woods is vocal guitar gutteral gold. If Corin Tucker’s voice is the secret instrument in the band, then it’s Carrie Brownstein’s guitar work that makes you listen. If you drink it all in, it’s the perfect combo.
The re-imagined intro to “One Beat” is now piano driven and it still hits. If you’re familiar with the opening track of the 2002 album of the same name, then you already know who’s signature is all over that track. The inescapable earworm of a drum pattern was crafted by original drummer Janet Lee Weiss. It felt very SK of them to honor her legacy in the band with this new piano-ladened groove. Sleater-Kinney care and they are down to entertain you.
Sleater-Kinney’s setlist from Richmond, VA on 8.18.2021:
High in the Grass
Hurry On Home
Price Tag
Down the Line
Jumpers
Shadow Town
Can I Go On
Tomorrow’s Grave
A New Wave
Complex Female Characters
Bring Mercy
Modern Girl
Worry With You
The Fox
One Beat
Entertain
If you ask fans in the crowd what Wilco means to them, you’ll receive a mixed bag of answers and that’s the beauty of it. Depending on the time, day or disposition, the fans may have different answers but one thing was clear, the thousands at Brown’s Island on a moist hump day were willing to comply — meaning comply with the heat, the entry requirements and even learning how to QR scan for suds cashless-style. We all should comply because if there is one certainty in life that holds true is that Wilco will love you, unconditionally.
And, with the initial air conditioned venue choice moved outdoors to Brown’s Island it felt like a welcomed flex move. It was a smart choice due to the vibe of the setting with clear skies, a beautiful moon beaming, an overpass above, the James River to the side and the trains passing by to pay their musical respects.
Kicking off their set with “A Shot In the Arm,” Wilco was winking at the start and we were all in on the joke. There IS something bloodier than blood in our veins these days…
Wilco are rock stalwarts with a devoted fanbase who crave a little compliance even with their three-beer grip trips but the overall pulse was the communal gathering to enjoy the company and drink it ALL in.
“Random Name Generator” from 2015’s Star Wars follows the shot to beckon the warmed up crowd to “listen to the weed whistle way” and by all accounts, this crowd was down to comply.
Wilco are pros with prose and choosing Brown’s Island with its backdrop of the Richmond skyline was aces. How next level is it that when the opening beat of “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” begins, you cannot help but think of the classic 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and its iconic cover art.
With the two Riverfront Plaza buildings overlooking the stage as stand-ins for Chicago’s Marina City towers, this show was art and the crowd was grooving. Art of Almost? I’d say this venue choice was spot on.
“Impossible Germany,” with it’s Television-inspired earworm of dueling guitar work, got the crowd in full stoke mode with its expansive jam-out. Live music is back, baby.
The piety moment of the evening came with one-two punch of “Jesus, Etc.” followed by “Theologians.”
Wilco can craft a setlist and coming out of the encore with the kruatrock bop of “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” Wilco kindly sent the sweaty concert revelers home with “California Stars” as the moon overlooking Brown’s Island beamed brightly.
A shot in the arm of live music is precisely what we needed in our lives right now and Wilco and Sleater-Kinney administered a double-dose and over-delivered with their muse (sic).
Wilco’s setlist from Richmond, VA on 8.18.2021:
A Shot in the Arm
Random Name Generator
Side with the Seeds
One and a Half Stars
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Art of Almost
If I Ever Was a Child
Impossible Germany
Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
Box Full of Letters
Everyone Hides
Born Alone
Jesus, Etc.
Theologians
Heavy Metal Drummer
I’m The Man Who Loves You
I’m Always in Love
Encore:
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
California Stars
Watch the experimental first-person account of this great evening as your live music momento.
