You'd think that after attending a number of early rock shows over the years, one would be used to the disruption to their daily eating schedule this would cause, but eating at 4 p.m. seems a trifle too Canadian for my "European" ancestry. But after filling up on veggie Chinese, I has high spirits in anticipation for two of my favourite current bands, Chicago (via St. Louis, sort of...)-based Wilco and Texas-bred Old 97s. The Phoenix may have seemed a strange venue considering the regular dance crowd that invades here for late night weekend posing, but after seeing Ween (for their "country" album) and Lucinda Williams, The Phoenix is slowly becoming the premier alt.country rock club in the city above bar level. The highly charged "older" crowd was out in full force for the six o'clock starting. Actually, the start time was a bit of a godsend for some fans in the crowd because it allowed many to put in a doubleheader of Wilco followed by Joe Strummer later at The Warehouse. (In fact, Old 97s singer/guitarist, Rhett Miller made that suggestion to the audience during their blistering opening set.)

Old 97s took the stage just after 6 p.m. racing through highly-charged material culled for the most part from their last two albums, '97's Too Far To Care and this year's gem Fight Songs. Miller was in top form running through "Indefinitely," "Nineteen," "Murder" and "Let The Idiot Speak" from Fight Songs. His vocals were muddy at times, no doubt due the general ineptness of the soundman via the highly common trend of main act soundmen only giving opening act 3/4 of the sound board to avoid up-staging the headliner. Still, the vocal harmonies between Miller and bassist Murray Hammond were challenging even through the sonic subterfuge. Highlights of the show included Miller's reminder that the last time the band played Toronto, they were on stage that the same time fellow "Texans" Dallas Stars were winning the Stanley Cup, plus ace renditions of "Time Bomb," "Great Barrier Reef" and "Salome," with its guitar solo that parallel's the melody of The Supremes' "I Hear A Symphony."

After a short break, Jeff Tweedy and company made their third Toronto appearance in eight months (including an uninspired set at the Guvernment in March and opening for R.E.M. in at the Molson Amphitheatre in August). The quintet included long-time members John Stirratt on bass, Ken Coomer on drums and the semi-dread-locked multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett jumping around from lead guitar to an assortment of keyboards. The start of Wilco's set was hampered by technical problems with one of the old analog keyboards used on their last album, Summerteeth. But despite some fits and starts, the band started to kick in a half-an-hour into their set, playing their strongest show of the seven area performances they've made since their debut at the Horseshoe in June '95.

As they did in March, the band's live set was dominated by material from Summerteeth. The show began with "A Shot In The Arm," "I'm Always In Love," "(Nothing's Ever Gonna) Stand In My Way Again," "Can't Stand It" and "Every Little Thing" (not in that order, though) followed by a trio of songs from the band's classic Being There, "Red Eyed And Blue," "I Got You," and my favourite "Hotel Arizona." Singer/guitarist/leader Jeff Tweedy is not known for having an animated stage persona, though on this night there were a few cracks in the tough, shy exterior of Wilco's main man. During a raucous up-tempo version of "Passenger Side," Tweedy threw off his guitar grabbed his mike to venture onto the small stage in front of the band and did a semi-strip-tease, struggling to take off his jacket and showing his hairy stomach... Note to Jeff: not a pretty sight.

As the show went along, the band loosened up more as Tweedy challenged his band to keep up his hectic pace. At several times he almost caught Bennett either in-between instrument changes or lighting a cigarette when he launched into another song. The set list degenerated into a wonderful Wilco love-in as the crowd wondered if this was the last time the band would appear onstage in Toronto. Rumours of their break-up have been quietly denied despite their work on a second volume of Woody Guthrie songs is well-publicized. In an impromptu moment (during the keyboard problems), Tweedy led the temporarily disorganized band through a half-finished Guthrie song from these upcoming sessions.

Throughout the lengthy set, Wilco changed up things by mixing up-tempo tunes like "In A Future Age" with solemn ballads like "Misunderstood" and "Via Chicago." Much to the delight of old fans of Uncle Tupelo (Tweedy's legendary previous alt.country band), Wilco played Doug Sahm's "Take Back The Keys To My Heart" and "New Madrid" from Uncle Tupelo's last album Anodyne.

The band played two lengthy encores including a gargantuan extended jam out version of "Casino Queen" featuring a double drum solo and a lot of wonderfully inane guitar wanking by Tweedy and Bennett. They ended the show at the Club imposed 9 p.m. curfew with the "hit' "Outta Site (Outta Mind)." If this is Witco's last Toronto date... what a way to end it!