By JESS PEREGOY

jep024@latech.edu

 

Rest assured rock ’n’ roll is still alive.

Real, timeless rock ’n’ roll has shown its face to me, and I have faith in it once more.

Saturday, 12 year-old rock band Wilco played a two-hour set at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Ark., featuring songs spanning their eight-record catalogue.

The show began with “At Least That’s What You Said,” greeted by a roaring audience.

The song’s soft introduction transformed into a crunching, sexy, classic rock ’n’ roll moment, setting the tone for the rest of the night.

The band stood on a stage as lights danced around them, choreographed to the sounds they created.

Front man Jeff Tweedy looked a little worn standing in the spotlight

As the set continued, I realized this man just wears his experience on his face, and it suits him perfectly as his words slide out of his mouth.

Tweedy, along with Pat Sansone on keys, guitar and vocals; Nels Cline on lead guitar; Glen Kotche on drums and percussion; John Stirrat on bass; and Mikeal Jorgenson on keys, held the energy of the sold-out crowd in the palms of their musical hands during “Spiders (Kidsmoke).”

There the band alternated between an enchanting sequence of keys and percussion to screeching guitars.

The crowd stood mesmerized and prepared to do whatever it took to let the band know its appreciation.

Tweedy encouraged crowd interaction on songs like “Kingpin” and showed off his comic wit as he joked with the audience members.

The set included gems from the band’s discography like “California Stars,” “Hummingbird” and “Shot in the Arm.”

Wilco’s set seemed effortless.

Despite a few minor technical difficulties, the band played its heart out and created a beautiful, live sound unmatched on recordings.

Tweedy later admitted the technical glitches were probably karma from the night before,

At the conclusion of the band’s second encore, the audience hesitated, hoping the night wasn’t over, but didn’t want to ask for more.

The band had given the audience everything it had and then some.

Wilco is a timeless band, yet they capture life today so accurately.

At the end of the concert, I couldn’t help but feel that I had just seen a legendary band. Wilco feels to me like the Eagles feel to my parents, like rock ’n’ roll.