Oh, The People You'll See At The Wilco Show

Wilco played close to the same set I saw them perform almost exactly one year ago in the same venue, so I spent a lot more time observing the crowd, which was one of the weirdest I've witnessed in ages. So here are some of the types of people you might encounter during future nights you spend with the band.

John Tory Acolytes: Apparently, young conservatives are big into Wilco. You can spot John Tory acolytes by their tucked-in shirts, Dockers (the khaki pants that repel liquid), and haircuts and glasses that emulate the leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative party. Watch any Tory press conference, he's surrounded by these guys.

Thirty-something Married Women Who Want To Sleep With Jeff Tweedy: Bad news, ladies, he's married. But that didn't stop an abnormally high number of women who dressed like they did in their early twenties (see: cleavage) while their dutiful husbands stood by their side. I imagine these people play Wilco on their drive to the cottage and then again on the patio before they go Sea-Dooing. If you've been watching HBO's new series, Flight Of The Conchords, they are all like Mel, the super-fan who stalks the duo with her husband in tow.

High Kids From The Suburbs: Their parents just dropped them off and they've smoked their joint in a nearby alley, worried the cops might walk by at any second (and who could blame them, they're smoking drugs at Shuter and Victoria). Trust me, there's little on this Earth that's funnier than listening to conversations of privileged late-teens who think A Ghost Is Born and Sky Blue Sky are the best records they've ever heard.

Ron MacLean: The host of CBC's Hockey Night In Canada is a fan, according to our News Editor. He also enjoys The Tragically Hip and Blue Rodeo, if you can believe it. Anyway, MacLean gamely posed for cell phone pictures and stood for the duration of the show. Thankfully, he didn't dance, because if he had I could never have watched HNIC with a straight face ever again. I think he must be aware of these things.

Thirty-five-Year-Old Men With Goatees Who Get Lost In The Music: These guys, on the other hand, could have cared less. I saw one dude spinning in a circle, shedding the mental shackles of his oppressive job in Mazda sales to the sweet sounds of Nels Cline's many, many guitar solos. Weirdly, these goateed men were the only ones in the entire building who were outright dancing. Clearly their girlfriends were either high or wanted to sleep with Tweedy, because I can see no way that any member of the opposite sex could have willfully condoned this otherwise.

The Hippie Who Crowdsurfed: Who crowdsurfs at a Massey Hall concert, much less one performed by Wilco? Tweedy had this douchebag kicked out before the second encore. "You hurt some people down here," the frontman said shortly before the guy was escorted out of the building.

For a more detailed review of what Wilco sound like live — because they really haven't changed very much — click here. Also, Low opened and they were great.

Here's the set list from Saturday night's show:

"Sunken Treasure"
"You Are My Face"
"Side With The Seeds"
"A Shot In The Arm"
"I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"
"Either Way"
"Handshake Drugs"
"Impossible Germany"
"Sky Blue Sky"
"Kamera"
"Hummingbird"
"Via Chicago"
"War On War"
"Jesus, Etc."
"Walken"
"I'm The Man Who Loves You"

Encore 1:
"Ashes Of American Flags"
"Spiders (Kidsmoke)"

Encore 2:
"Hate It Here"
"The Late Greats"
"Hoodoo Voodoo"