Jeff Tweedy at Foellinger Auditorium

This is actually by Missy Smith, Staff Writer.

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy should give lessons to professors on how to mesmerize a packed Foellinger Auditorium for an hour and a half- it would make lectures way more enjoyable.

Tweedy,  an Illinois native, rolled into Champaign on Saturday, playing to a sold-out audience and drawing both old and new fans together for a common cause: to hear the talented and vocal stylings of a talented fan who has been engaging fans since the late 80s.

Opening for Tweedy was Canadian band Great Lakes Swimmers, and while most people had never heard of them, the crowd gave them a warm reception.

Hannah Kifle, sophomore in AHS and member of Star Course, the group that brought Tweedy to campus, said she liked the opening band, and especially the instrumentation.

"They had crazy ways of playing their instruments, and I think the banjo added a lot," Kife said. "I like bluegrass music so it made me happy."

Playing a half-hour set, the audience got a taste of Canadian-style alternative country, which coincidentally is not much different than its American counterpart. Lead singer Tony Dekker humbly thanked the crowd and Tweedy repeatedly for allowing them to open the show. The melodic voice of the singer and the random guitar riffs enchanted the audience so much that the set passed in a blur.

Great Lakes Swimmers satisfied a happy medium between true alternative and true country, with a little bit of bluegrass flavor thrown into the mix. The band may only be about five years old, but they commanded the stage and crowd like seasoned veterans, setting the stage for Tweedy to dazzle the audience with his wit and folk flavor.

Tweedy did not disappoint the crowd, bringing fans of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, along with the side projects Golden Smog and Loose Fur, together for a little over an hour and a half - to enjoy a common cause: to hear great music.

It is a solid feat to hold the attention of a sold-out audience while performing slow, soothing songs, but Tweedy did just that. In between songs, Tweedy encouraged the crowd by responding to random people shouting-out things and taking requests.

Katie Whitehurst, sophomore in FAA, said the personal musings is what she was most looking forward to.

"I've been a Wilco fan since sophomore year of high school," Whitehurst said. "I have not seen him before, but I am most looking forward to hearing him talk in between because I like when singers give their personal stories."

Tweedy acknowledged his family in the crowd, after someone yelled "say hi to your family." Tweedy quipped back, saying "Who the hell are you?", before diverging into how it seemed like he was in an anxiety dream where someone is holding your family hostage.

Tweedy played Wilco favorites like "I'm Always in Love," "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You," which he dutifully dedicated to his wife.

After playing for an hour, Tweedy retired from the stage, only to play two encores, including a cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" and the Billy Bragg collaboration "Remember the Mountain Bed."

As if the bare stage and single spotlight was not personal enough for Tweedy's last encore, he played the final two songs with just him and his guitar, without any amplification, as far to the front of the stage as possible without sitting in the front row.

Rounding off the show was the haunting Uncle Tupelo song "Acuff-Rose," leaving Tweedy to walk off the stage and out of the single spot to a standing ovation.

The soothing, if not raspy voice of Tweedy is something that transcends genre and has been able to establish alternative country as a formative genre of music. Yet, nothing can replace the experience of seeing him live, in action, because only then is when the audience can see the inner workings of a true musical genius.