10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 10, 2005 ARTS A2 'SHcOT IN THE ARM WILCO FRONTMAN JEFF TWEEDY COMES TO THE MICHIGAN By Gab. Rivin Daily Arts Writer *;.. A shout broke Jeff Tweedy's silence in between the first four songs of his solo set at the Michigan Theater Tuesday night: "Fucking beautiful!" To which Tweedy replied, "Thank you. I always shoot for 'fucking beautiful."' Notoriously reserved on stage, Tweedy - the only constant behind the alt-country band Wilco - Jeff Tweedy appeared withdrawn during Michigan Theater the first few songs of his performance, offering only charming quips and smiles in response to the audience of screaming hooligans. An odd mix packed the Michigan. Tweedy, the frontman of one of the most cel- ebrated rock bands of the last decade performed an acoustic set in front of a restless crowd mixed between those who wanted to drink beer and heck- le and those who wanted to hear quieter and more intimate renditions of their favorite Wilco songs. Somehow, between the audience's ambivalent energy and Tweedy's own self-professed shyness ("I really need to take a public speaking class," he said), the night was a success. Hiding behind long, messy brown hair and a black jacket, Tweedy took to playing without uttering a word. Blackness enveloped everything outside of the spotlight; one point, Tweedy even asked audience members in the back to hold up their lit cell phones to remind him of their exis- tence. Eerie as it was to see a sea of neon-blue lights held in the air by invisible hands, the darkened atmosphere made for a much more personal performance - a feeling of direct connection to the man onstage. The night was much more about Tweedy as an individual singer and writer than his work with the band. From 1995's breakout A.M. to last year's A Ghost is Born and every side project in between, Tweedy played a stripped-down set of Wilco tunes that reminded audiences of his many well-written songs. More popular and recent pieces like "Heavy Metal Drummer" from the critically lauded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot gave fans a chance to sing along to its catchy chorus. Tweedy even improvised lyrics, repeating the line "Playing Kiss covers beautiful and stoned" The cast of Homeboys rehearses at the Arena Theater. Playwright turns out for Basement show By David R. Eicke Daily Arts Writer This weekend's performance of "Homeboys" in the Frieze's Arena Theater will not only provide audi- Homeboys ences with a unique perspective on vet- Nov. 10-12 erans of the Viet- Free nam War, but it'll At the Arena also feature a post- Theater show treat. The playwright, John Lordan, will give a talk afterward and also take ques- tions from the audience. "The author's being there pushes the value of this performance beyond theater," said director Whitney Dibo, who is also an Opinion columnist for the Daily. "Writers of all kinds, not just aspiring playwrights, can learn about marketing their work and the professional's writing process." The play follows three grown boy- hood friends. Joe, home for eight years from Vietnam, has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer from exposure to Agent Orange, a highly toxic herbicide. Gathered together in a garage, the boys talk about their different experi- ences with the war, or, for the consci- entious objector among them, around it. It's not a play about the war itself, but rather the relationships it has affected and the confrontation of, in Lordan's words, the "disinterested pillory of history." "It's a very politically charged show," Dibo said, "not artsy-fart- sy like a lot of the other Basement shows. It's not only for the average drama or English student, but also for the average biologist or the aver- age engineer." The strong voice it provides soldiers who the United States sends off to fight makes it an obvious choice for Veteran's Day weekend. Unlike many basement shows, "Homeboys" has been staged only a few times. "It hasn't gotten the criti- cal acclaim that it deserves," Dibo said, but she said she thinks the Basement will be a great venue for it. With limited space in the Arena, shows like this one that take place in just one room tend to fit very well. The play has a definite Ameri- can backbone, bringing Lordan's contemplative characters to life for those who might feel the prick of patriotism this weekend. JASON COOPER/Daily Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy performed Tuesday night at the Michigan Theater. and substituting in other band names, esoteric and humorous alike. More than improvised lyrics, what made Tweedy's set different from a Wilco show was the way he took a risk to play lesser-known songs. From Mermaid Avenue to Weird Tales - both of which lie on the periphery of his musical cat- alog - the audience might have been caught off guard by the more obscure songs. While a risky set list and a potentially slow, acoustic-only show may seem difficult to pull off, Tweedy's shaky-yet-enormous voice filled the theater with warmth and energy, which made his two hours go by more quickly than it should have. Finishing up the first segment of his set, he played "Passenger Side," an inti- mate gaze into the embarrassment of his alcohol abuse. Throughout, his lyrics roused nearly full audience participation. Other notables included Summerteeth's "Shot in the Arm," with Tweedy leaning away from the microphone, eyes closed and head cocked back, pouring his heart into the chorus ("Something in my veins / Bloodier than blood"). With three encores, one in which he was joined by his opening act and touring drum- mer Glenn Kotche, Tweedy gave a performance that exceeded expectations. Those who missed out on the show because of ticket prices or time constraints will have the opportunity to pur- chase Wilco's album Kicking Television - Live in Chicago, which was recorded in May. The new CD can't capture the intensity of seeing such a gifted songwriter perform live and solo, but it should do justice to Wilco's archive of infectious and expansive rock songs. $ F N I 0 H . P I I T R A I T S ' NOVEMBER 7 - NOVEMBER 11 NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 18 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Michigan Union To schedule an appointment, go to: http://www.carlwolfstudio.com * Click on "Schedule" * Click on "University of Michigan" * Use the Username "umich" and the Password "0049" * Then sign up for a specific date and time Sign up early because spots are limited. There is a $14 sitting fee. 2006 Michiganensian cover. ______......