Daily Egyptian Sp03
Spring 2003
Wilco, The M's rock Carbondale
Burke Wasson
Daily EgyptianPeople raved about the weather. A calm breeze blew through the SIU Arena parking lot. The sun beat down and a clear, blue sky was out for all to see.
Some people were tossing Frisbees and footballs. Others were spread out on blankets or lounging in lawn chairs. The crowd mostly comprised 20-somethings, but a few small babies bounced around and middle-aged festivalgoers also had smiles on their faces.
It was clear that it was a great day . . . and the music hadn't even begun.
The M's kicked off Spring Thing 2003 Saturday afternoon. The alternative band from Chicago entertained the crowd with an eight-song, 35-minute set before giving way to the event's headlining band: Wilco.
Wilco wowed those in attendance with a sprawling, 21-song set that lasted more than 90 minutes. The band was in fine form Saturday afternoon, fully taking advantage of its first visit to Carbondale.
Jeff Tweedy, the band's singer and guitarist, made it known to the crowd that Saturday was the last day of the band's tour. Wilco took advantage of that opportunity, but played by its own rules.
"Today is the last day of our tour, but we still have a lot of energy left," Tweedy said to the crowd. "We have a lot of slow songs because we like to conserve our energy. Then, we have a lot of fast songs that maybe we'll play later if we have the energy."
Wilco delivered on that promise as festival-goers at the front of the stage bounced up and down and sang their hearts out. The band used its many musical styles, ranging from shiny, country melodies to loud, power-chord rock. Concertgoers seemed to appreciate the bouncy, vibrant rhythms of "War on War" just as much as the menacing, drunken slide of "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."
Wilco featured six songs from its most recent album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," as well as crowd favorites from previous albums such as "Being There" and "A.M." Tweedy even dug into his Belleville roots by playing "New Madrid," a song from his former band, Uncle Tupelo.
As well as playing some of its best music, Wilco also kept the crowd entertained between songs with Tweedy's dry, sarcastic humor. He repeatedly asked the crowd if the band was playing fast enough for them, teased a security guard in front of the stage and told stories of heckling the band had heard in Memphis Friday night.
"I think the funniest heckle we've heard so far was last night," Tweedy said to the crowd. "Some guy yelled, 'Go back to Seattle!' We're not even from Seattle."
The band did not hear any heckling throughout the afternoon at SIU. However, Wilco did not escape the day without having technical difficulties. A faulty public address system was to blame as its right side briefly went out in the middle of the band's set, causing a five-minute break.
Technical difficulties aside, the crowd seemed to be thoroughly entertained with Wilco's performance. Keith Thompson, 24, said he forgave the malfunctioning P.A. system and enjoyed the afternoon.
"The technical difficulties were a little distracting," Thompson said. "But despite that, they played really well. It was everything I hoped it would be."
The fact that the event was a free concert made the afternoon even more special for those in attendance. Thompson and Tom Greenwood, 25, drove together from Chicago to see Wilco. Greenwood said the trip was worth every penny.
"It was easily worth the 20 bucks we spent on gas to get down here," Greenwood said. "We'd pay more than that to see them in concert in Chicago and they sell out up there. Today was just great. It was a really fun afternoon."
The two discovered the event from the M's, who sent emails to their mailing list confirming the band's scheduled performance at Spring Thing.
The M's, who have been together since 2001, have released one album and have another on the way by the end of this month. The band will play the Double Door in Chicago May 29.
No one should read too much into the band's name, said M's singer and bassist Joey King.
"It doesn't mean anything," King said. "That's the whole purpose of the name. Just the fact that it's very plain and simple."
The M's had also never played Carbondale before Saturday afternoon. When they heard they had a chance to play with Wilco, drummer Steve Versaw said they had to take it.
"This was a one-off thing," Versaw said. "We just happened to hear about this show with Wilco, so we all came down. Everything went great today. It's very sunny out and we had great time with this crowd. It really is a festival-like atmosphere here."
Versaw said although their show was over, the band still had business to take care of in Carbondale.
"I think we're going to go out and get drunk tonight," Versaw said. "I hear this is a good place to do it, so we're going to go out and have a riot."
By the time Wilco had played its last song at 6:10 p.m., many festival-goers were tired and hot from the sun, but were still satisfied.
"This was the first time I had ever even heard Wilco," sophomore Michael Evans said. "Even though I'm a little deaf and tired from standing in front, I had a great time. The band was awesome. The sun was hot, but they were, too."
Reporter Burke Wasson can be reached at bwasson@dailyegyptian.com.
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