Jeff Tweedy Live Show Review: 12/22, Metro Chicago
The last time I saw a performance of Jeff Tweedyâs solo material was, too, during a time of severe uncertainty. The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was coming down to the wire, the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was announced an hour before the show, and COVID-19 was about to begin its fall and winter surge. Last night, I kept checking Tweedy and Metroâs Instagram pages to make sure the show was still going on and not postponed in light of concerns over the Omicron variant--words that even a year ago wouldnât have made sense. Much has changed, yet much has stayed the same. We continue to ask ourselves what weâre willing to risk to partake in various communal experiences, though there are those that undoubtedly show up from an entirely selfish point of view. I think of a line from Tweedyâs âHaving Been Is No Way To Beâ: âNow people say, 'What drugs did you take? And why donât you start taking them again?' / But theyâre not my friends / And if I was dead, what difference would it ever make to them / If I got high, from time to time?â Though it refers to Tweedyâs past addiction and his fansâ perceived positive effect drugs had on his music, the sentiment remains the same: You are putting on a show for me, even to the detriment of your health.
Thankfully, last night, in addiction to being all vaccinated, the crowd complied with the city of Chicagoâs mask mandate about as well as Iâve seen in a concert during the COVID era. After performing âOpalineâ, Tweedy remarked that he couldnât tell whether the crowd was smiling; as someone in the front row lowered their mask to demonstrate a smile, Tweedy said, âDonât bother taking your mask down; we have thumbs!â The âmask up, thumbs upâ gesture became a running theme throughout the show, the crowdâs sign of approval whenever James Elkington would rip a guitar solo or Ohmmeâs Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewartâs harmonies and backing vocals wowed, like on âLow Keyâ or âHalf Asleepâ. For Jeffâs son Sammyâs 22nd birthday, the crowd clapped instead of sang âHappy Birthdayâ as he walked on stage. Just like with his words, Tweedy always knows how to make the best out of a bad situation, turning the challenging of a social norm into a grand unifier.
And how about that band? Cunningham, who sang backing vocals last time around, filled in on 48 hours notice for her brother Liam Kazar on bass, while Stewartâs violin provided additional depth on âLove Is The Kingâ. As always, Elkingtonâs slide guitar was a beautifully wincing constant, while Jeffâs drummer son Spencer added a steady pulse and subtle brushwork to almost every song. As a whole, the bandâs chemistry is second-to-none, even with the limited amount of touring theyâve done in the year since Love Is The King came out. Whether bops like âGwendolynâ or waltzes like âEvergreenâ, theyâre tight and loose when they need to be, changing tempos and giving each other space to flourish with ease.
By the time the show ended, Tweedyâs emotions were mixed, like all of ours. After playing âYou Are Not Aloneâ, a song he wrote for Mavis Staples, he thanked the crowd for taking care of each other, adding, âIt doesnât seem that hard.â He followed it up with âLetâs Go Rainâ, a self-described cynical song about wishing that humanity endured a biblical flood. Especially over the past two years, such swings in faith and attitude are commonplace. If nothing else, Tweedy pens tunes that, when taken all together, encapsulate the complexities of being human.
