This Is Important, But I Know You're Not Listening

That line from Wilco's "Impossible Germany" is what J.I. would have liked to shout at the scores of imported meatheads clogging up the middle of McCarren Park Pool last night. But even these jokers couldn't dampen a triumphant 27-song set from Jeff Tweedy and company amid a beautiful summer evening in the heart of Williamsburg.

Wilco has been touring 2007's "Sky Blue Sky" for more than a year, and the measured, mellow pace of that album's material has gradually worked its way onto the live stage. One could argue it's actually made Wilco too loose. Indeed, minus the loud freak-outs in opener "Via Chicago" and the always-rousing "A Shot in the Arm," it took the band quite awhile to really start kicking.

"Handshake Drugs," 13 songs in, was the first lift-off, with the loping "Heroes"-esque bass and drum interplay from John Stirratt and Glen Kotche underscoring Nels Cline's shower of guitar noise. From there Wilco laid waste to a wonderfully varied set, particularly "Pot Kettle Black" and an astonishing one-two punch of "Poor Places" and "Spiders (Kidsmoke)."

On the latter, Tweedy marveled at how the audience had actually changed the beat while clapping along. Earlier, he made a snarky comment about the notoriously hip neighborhood by saying, "Maybe it'd help if we threw in the drum beat to 'Love Will Tear Us Apart.'"

The Total Pros horn section augmented a number of cuts, including "Can't Stand It," which had been relegated to the dustbin prior to this tour, the why'd-you-leave-me "Hate It Here" and the riffy Southern rocker "Walken." Their contributions served to reinforce Wilco's Americana roots, which at times on the past three albums have been obscured by experimentation.

Two more largely resurrected "Being There" tracks, "Monday" and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)," highlighted the encore, which wrapped with "I'm a Wheel" and Tweedy's reminder, "I will turn on you."

Turn us on is more like it, especially when he said Wilco would be back "as soon as we finish our album." Well, hurry up then! We'll be waiting.