This past Monday, I attended my first Wilco concert in Missoula (a town filled with many admittedly-hazy college memories), and I was struck by a couple of things.

1) Jeff Tweedy really is lyrically brilliant. Okay, he's been musically brilliant, as well, having mixed several genres since his Uncle Tupelo days and exploring new directions with each Wilco album. But to me, there's probably no better, more challenging lyricist in popular music today; call Tweedy the Bob Dylan of a new generation. Compositions such as "Via Chicago" (my favorite Wilco tune ever), "Muzzle of Bees," "War on War" and others are haunting with their imagery.

2) The musicians in the current Wilco lineup are fairly brilliant themselves. It's rare to listen to a group that sounds this comfortable, this tight, in a live setting. I was impressed by the multi-instrumental wizardry of Pat Sansone, and the hypnotic presence of guitarist Nels Cline. Indeed, Cline was perhaps the highlight of the show, with his mod boots, high-water slacks, and solos (especially on steel guitar) that were an equal mix of epic and epileptic. Wow.

3) This won't be the last time I go see Wilco.

4) Although I wasn't smart enough to bring my own camera, I did find some nice images and a video of the show from Jennifer on flickr, courtesy of my good friend Franny. Thanks to both of them.