The smell of wine filled the Brisbane Powerhouse (22 May).
The sold-out crowd hushed their chatter when the lights dimmed, waiting for the curtains to reveal singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy.
Instead of a grand entrance, the Wilco frontman casually strode towards the stage’s spotlight, strumming the opening chords for ‘Via Chicago’ on his unplugged acoustic guitar.
An elder-statesman of Americana, Jeff warrants spectacle. But for the Brisbane stop of his first Australian solo tour, he let the humble charm of his songs and personality stand out.
“The Australian dream is fading,” Jen Cloher sighed. The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter’s lyrics surely reflected the feelings of some audience members after the recent Australian election. But the downbeat opening faded, and Jen’s humour picked everyone up.
Jen entertained the crowd with her stories, including one about her childhood arcade addiction. The crowd’s laughter turned to stunned silence when she sang ‘Strong Woman’, revealing the melancholy deep within her tale.
For over 30 years, Jeff Tweedy has amassed a vast collection of gorgeous songs through Wilco, his first band Uncle Tupelo, collaborations, and his recent solo albums. With such a large discography it’s difficult for him to play everyone’s favourite – a fact Jeff acknowledges.
But everyone was satisfied with Jeff’s choices as he stripped them down and revealed their big, beating hearts.
A strange tension was felt within the audience. Shushes were dispensed at reactions of any volume, from softly singing along to ‘Bombs Above’ to the whoops of recognition that greeted ‘I Am Trying To Break Your Heart’.
Jeff focused on his performance, sometimes glancing at what he could see of the audience in the dark, and fans tried their best to suppress their enjoyment.
Finally, Jeff spoke to the audience. Stories and jokes spilled out of him, and he welcomed fans’ responses; his sharp wit provided many memorable retorts. A story about a goth roommate during his Uncle Tupelo days led to Jeff being wished a Happy World Goth Day.
“Alright,” he responded. “Here’s a song about my dad’s funeral.” He chided the audience at his Sydney show for being shocked at the presence of chairs. “I believe you,” a fan called. Mishearing, Jeff replied in shock, “You have a labia?!” The entire theatre roared.
Fans hummed along to more tunes, often being shushed into silence. A puzzled Jeff acknowledged the theatre was quieter than his previous shows. “We’ve been shushed all night,” fans called back, pointing at their oppressors.
So, Jeff gave fans permission to sing as loud as they wanted to ‘California Stars’. The audience yelled the lyrics and their stomps shook the theatre’s seats. “You can sing this part and I’ll do the harmony,” Jeff announced halfway through. Their voices grew louder, and Jeff stepped back from his mic, shouting at the ceiling and strumming harder.
The theatre became lively; fans cooed the backing vocals to ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’, much to Jeff’s delight, and listened intently to ‘Passenger Side’ – a tale of working-class poverty at odds with the stuffy audience members.
The announcement of ‘I’m The Man Who Loves You’ prompted a fan to ask permission to dance. “I don’t make the rules. I don’t know how you’d dance to my songs,” he replied, followed by his own awkward dance demonstration, much to the crowd’s delight.
Fans comments were heard as they filed out of the theatre. Some aired their annoyance at noisy louts, while others were frustrated by the suppressed snobs. But they all agreed that Jeff Tweedy and his outstanding songs made their night.
