Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
Enter at 72nd St. & Fifth Ave.
Thursday, September 22, and Friday, September 23, $45, 6:00
www.bowerypresents.com
Jeff Tweedy and Wilco opened a two-show stand in Central Park last night with a twenty-five-song set that included eight tracks from their latest album, The Whole Love (dBpm/ANTI, September 27, 2011), kicking things off with the record’s double shot of “Art of Almost” and “I Might” and reaching deep into their extensive, impressive catalog all night long. The great Nick Lowe opens the shows, highlighting songs from his brand-new disc, The Old Magic (Yep Roc, September 13, 2011), a poignant, brutally honest collection of songs that celebrate the influential singer-songwriter’s maturity. It’s the kind of record Buddy Holly might have made if he had reached his early sixties. Lowe, now sixty-two, no longer rocks out to such memorable tunage as “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” “Cruel to Be Kind,” “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock ‘n’ Roll),” and “Teacher, Teacher” and instead examines his life in such acoustic-based songs as “Stoplight Roses,” “Sensitive Man,” and “Til’ the Real Thing Comes Along.” Hopefully he won’t have to sing “Shame on the Rain” in the midst of a downpour at tonight’s show, which, surprisingly, still has tickets available.