Wilco, White Denim rock Gammage very differently

ASU's Gammage Theater is an interesting place for a Wilco show. It is also an interesting fit for the openers, White Denim.  Frank Lloyd Wright never could have imagined his beautiful design being as versatile as it is today.

Saturday night's show could have been in a larger, more spread out space, but instead it was captured inside a more sophisticated venue.

White Denim started right on time and sadly, did not deviate from their allotted half hour set. They started fast and loud and were unrelenting with their pace. A quartet on stage, they seemed like typical liberal arts graduate students, but looks can be deceiving.

The walls of Gammage could barely contain their sound. You could feel the bass and drums bounce back at you from all directions. It was a bit too loud, but that seemed to be their intention.

Jeff Tweedy himself even called the band a "rock machine."

They go hard but all seemed to smile throughout the set. It could be due to the fact that Phoenix is only the second show on the tour in support of Wilco. That seems like a pretty good reason to smile and merrily dance around the stage.

White Denim slowed their manic style as they cruised through their single "Street Joy" from their latest album and D. Singer James Petralli showed off his pipes casually, distancing himself from the microphone at times to belt his lyrics as loud as he pleased.

They wasted no time on stage and hardly left gaps for any applause. White Denim warmed up the crowd nicely, who, if it weren't for the venue, would probably have been dancing on their feet rather than in their seats.

At 8:33pm, Wilco hit the stage and the crowd was ready for them. Being the seasoned veterans they are, they quickly and seamlessly began their show. They opened with "One Sunday Morning," which allowed the audience to really appreciate their amazing set and light show as the song's soft melody filled the venue.

What originally looked like a bunch of wadded up tissues on hanging strings turned out to be clever pieces of fabric that reflected different lights, creating an Aurora Borealis of sorts above the dapper  band.

Wilco's sound seemed to hug the audience rather than rattle it, as White Denim had. Tweedy's soft and reassuring voice hypnotized the crowd, which both danced and swayed to the beat of the drums.

Tweedy lamented not having visited Arizona in 10 years and cracked jokes about their early work resembling the style they currently embody.

Wilco charmed the audience for just over two hours, including an encore. They played tracks from various albums, making sure to cave into fan favorites such as "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," "Hotel Arizona," "Jesus, Etc," and closed with "I'm the Man Who Loves You."

A beautiful show with plenty of audience members slow dancing, singing along and appreciating the sights and sounds of a perfectly polished band.