I nabbed a spot on the hill due east of the stage on the other side of the Celebrate Brooklyn fence, which is covered so that you can’t see through it. Last night’s Wilco show was a benefit at $50 a ticket (supporting Celebrate Brooklyn’s great contribution to Prospect Park summers). There were scalpers at the entrance to the park on 9th Street selling tickets but I decided to just enjoy the show from the outside.

There was a low-key vibe under the trees. Couples, families, kids lying on bed sheets, picnicking. I missed the Lee Renaldo Band and Wilco was already in progress when I attempted to get comfortable on the rocky hill where I was sitting.

A huge fan of the band’s fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, I am unfamiliar with Wilco’s other albums. They only played a few songs from Yankee Hotel, as far as I could tell. The parts of the set I heard included I Might, Misunderstood, Side With The Seeds, Pot Kettle Black, Hummingbird, Wishful Thinking, Laminated Cat, Say You Miss Me, I Must Be High and Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again).

My blind concert was really pleasant and at times incredible. Sitting outside of the fence it was easy to lose focus because of the activity (toddlers running, people chatting, etc) around me. But some of the songs were so intense and the instrumental work so stupendous, I felt pulled into the concert as if I was sitting in the front row.

Jeff Tweedy joked that Brooklyn smells like bacon. This was a continuation of something he said at the July 23rd show as reported by Brooklyn Vegan. He commented on people walking back and forth across the aisles with food. “It’s like the Ho Chi Minh Trail.” he said. “I should have eaten.”

There was also a running gag about the “nicknames” cities have: City on the Bay, Beantown, the Windy City. “New York City is too great for a nickname. Brooklyn is even better,” he said.

Brooklyn Vegan photos of the set (see one above) reveal a really cool stage design of hanging hankies. What I could see of the light show looked blue, green pretty.

Overheard from a guy sitting behind me: “This is so cool. I love Brooklyn.”