Well, an adventure to be sure. My son and I took the train to the subway to Forest Hills Stadium, a really lovely tennis stadium in Queens, after spending the morning battening down the hatches in preparation for CT getting walloped by another big storm.

We had good floor seats. The roads near this mini-stadium in Queens were blocked off to cars, and we walked past what looked like German castle and Swiss chalet-themed apartments on the way in. The stadium itself is a mini one, wreathed in ivy, with a nice row of funky food booths and then some dangerously expensive booze stands. 

The opener was a Chicago guy named Nnamdi and his band, some alt-rock meets hip hop. Skillful and different. The 2 guitarists did some soundscaping, with volume swells and interesting interlocking parts.They went from 6 to 6:30.

Next was Sleater Kinney, who are well known in alt rock circles, but I'd never heard their actual music. I know the guitarist / co-singer Carrie Brownstein from the show "Portlandia." I can't believe it was the same woman kicking serious ass onstage tonight. Man, what good sweaty rock'n'roll. They actually had 3 guitarists - the 3rd woman shredded, but Carrie played such great angular post-punk guitar. I am a huge guitarhead who has been listening to blues rock mainly, especially in the past few years, and it was so good to hear some different sounds executed well. Their songs are cool, but the instrumental passages in particular were striking, just great rave-ups. They went from maybe 6:55 to 7:30 when the lightning started. Ugh. 

The crowd was sent under the overhangs to wait out the rain. It was really pouring at times - we assumed it would get cancelled - but after an hour, we got called back in. Wilco started 75 minutes after Sleater Kinney had ended. 

They opened with "Shot in the Arm" with the singers from Sleater Kinney, and the crowd was so pumped and grateful. It was still raining, but at this point, Wilco draws a die-hard crowd. Everyone sings along, knows the obscure songs, etc. Great vibe. The rain let up for a few songs - I took my poncho off for 'At Least That's What You Said" - but came back during "Impossible Germany." It became very clear that we were in for it. So, Wilco played their tails off. They went light on stage banter and rapidly segued between songs, and the rain got worse - it exploded during "Jesus Etc." Overall, as compared to most Wilco shows I have seen, they went relatively light on new stuff and also on slow or somber stuff. They rocked. They played songs people could dance or sing along to. They had to call it quits after about 90 minutes, short for them, but satisfying for a crowd that was hungry for well-played live music. 

What I recall:

Shot in the Arm, Random Name Generator, At Least That's What You Said, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Impossible Germany, Love is Everywhere (Beware!),  Theologians, Art of Unknown, Jesus Etc, If I Ever Was a Child, Box Full of Letters, Hummingbird, Dawned on Me, Heavy Metal Drummer, I'm the Man Who Loves You, I'm Always in Love.

I know I'm missing a song or two - I'm trying to think of what Pat Sansone tore the guitar solo up on - was it "The Late Greats"? - but it was really powerful. This is a great live band at the top of their playing powers that was forced off the road for quite a while. They have a remarkable catalogue of songs, and on a regular tour, their setlist varies widely. They love their fans, and they create a great vibe. Despite being soaked to the skin and not getting a longer show, I had a great night.