I'm not a WILCO fanatic. I'll admit to owning all their records, trading bootlegs and even seeing them on occasion. But I had nothing on the people lined up outside the Vic Theatre on Saturday night. These folks were hardcore WILCO fans and would've loved anything the band did that evening. Thankfully the group pulled off one of the best concerts I've seen in years, fanatic or no.

Unlike everyone else at the Vic, I haven't downloaded the new record, A Ghost Is Born. So I was oblivious to the new material. But for once it was refreshing to hear virgin songs in a live setting with absolutely no expectations. What stuck out to me were the song craft and incredible lyrics, especially on "Hell Is Chrome."

Jeff Tweedy sure looked good for just getting out of rehab, too. A lot healthier than Scott Weiland does in the new VELVET REVOLVER video. That's scary. It seems I had also slacked on keeping up with the band's line-up. As the new guitarist was blowing me away the entire night, I wasn't totally surprised to find out it was Nels Cline. That explained the almost SONIC YOUTH atmosphere he gave to the music. With the exception of one annoyingly noisy jam with Tweedy, Cline performed amazingly and added a completely new element to this already established group.

WILCO walked that hard line of playing crowd favorites like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," along with almost every track from A Ghost Is Born. For the entire first set, it was easy to be mesmerized by the flawless play, the new arrangements Cline brought to the table and overall perfection of the band. The only fault came during the three encores, where the songs were oddly placed and the momentum suffered a bit. Regardless, as I walked out of the theater I understood the fanaticism much more clearly.

Pick of the Week

We all get older and for rock stars, that means searching for relevance in a music world that may disdain you. After the mega-success of the AUDIOSLAVE union, pairing SOUNDGARDEN's Chris Cornell and three members of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, no one thought this would be a trend. Because who could possibly top those names? GUNS N' ROSES with Scott Weiland certainly aims to try with VELVET REVOLVER and its new album, Contraband.

On first listen, the album comes nowhere close. At this point I'll preface the rest of this review with the fact that when I reviewed every STONE TEMPLE PILOTS record since Core, I thought they were horrible, only to find myself enjoying them thoroughly years later. VELVET REVOLVER, of course, has a lot more to live up to. There are Gunners Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and INFECTIOUS GROOVES guitarist Dave Kushner. They all back the head case that is Scott Weiland.

His voice might not have the most pleasing timbre, but it does offer a lot of range for a rock singer. And that's what this album aims for, rock. Yes, guys that still buy new METALLICA albums, and actually enjoy them, will bang their heads to this. But so will all of those bummed by the way music is going. Would you rather have some blistering Slash guitar solos or some cookie-cutter modern rock song from a movie soundtrack blaring out of your car? Check one for Slash.

The big spectacles like "Fall To Pieces" and its signature guitar riff make one wonder what Axl is doing, because it seems like his bandmates can still write epic tracks. But it's songs like "Headspace" and "Do It For The Kids" that allow Weiland to strut his own stuff. As lame as he is for all that personal strife, the guy is a terrific frontman.

Even though the thirteen songs might get a bit repetitive, it'll be fun to put on the headphones and crank this up. And you can't say that about most of the CDs that line the Best Buy shelves.

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