Last night at Summerfest, I saw what could be the quintessential American band, Wilco. Wilco’s musical mix of rock, folk, country and even punk at times can resonate with an almost magical quality. Both the slow, quiet songs and the loud rowdy songs had this quality last night. The tunes that stood out for me were “Monday,” “War On War” and “Misunderstood.” The band also played some excellent new songs last night (which I hope will be on their next CD).

The sad thing is, Wilco’s music goes virtually unheard on commercial radio. Yet the stage where they were playing was literally jammed with people. From the cheers the audience gave after the first few chords of many of the songs and the way most of them sang along, there is no doubt Wilco’s music is indeed popular.

Over the past several years, I’ve been to three Wilco concerts. Last night’s show was definitely the best one I’ve been to. As my friend said when I made that comment near the end of the show, “That’s saying a lot.”