Ear Candy: Wilco in East Lansing

Wilco's sold-out show at the Wharton Center on Sunday was everything you would expect from a band that's in its element live: candid, skillful, improvisational, heart-felt. A high-chugging rock show. 

Over its 15 years as a band, the Chicago rock group has seamlessly melded a variety of genres: pop, folk, alternative rock and experimental. Wilco's latest album, 2009's Wilco (The Album), has a guitar rock edge, and that driving aesthetic was the centerpiece of Sunday's show.

Wilco played new and old favorites like “Wilco (The Song)," "Hate It Here," "Hummingbird" and "Heavy Metal Drummer." Vocalist Jeff Tweedy bantered with the audience, teased a bit, and then burst into engaging tracks "A Shot in the Arm," "Deeper Down" and the George Harrison tribute "You Never Know." Lead guitarist Nels Cline - a prolific rock and avant jazz performer - showed off amazing guitar chops with solos that got the crowd hooting and applauding.

The band played nearly two and a half hours. And that seemed just fine with the crowd, who enthusiastically sang along and cheered for mo
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