DiamondClaw

Thanks as always for the recaps @bböp.  They're always a pleasure to read. Are you surprised that "A Lifetime to Find" seems to have fallen out of the set entirely?

8 hours ago, Brian F. said:

Acoustic Art of Almost? That must have been wild.

Yeah, I bet that was a treat. I remember they played it acoustic once or twice at the end of shows back almost 10 years ago. I wonder how this version sounded.

Love seeing Mystery Binds in there again. I was bummed I missed that one at the last Riv show, as it's one of my favorites off the new album and it seems destined to be a rarity. While almost every other song from these runs have popped up on YouTube in some form, there is still stubbornly no live footage of Mystery Binds out there!

4 hours ago, Brian F. said:

I know this is only the first of three nights where we anticipate no repeated songs, but it is odd to me that there is only one song in this 23-song set that post-dates the establishment of the current lineup of the band and pre-dates Cruel Country. "Love Is Everywhere (Beware)" is the only song from the six-album span of Sky Blue Sky, Wilco (The Album), The Whole Love, Star Wars, Schmilco and Ode to Joy and 15-year period from 2007 through 2021. With the four Cruel Country songs, that makes five songs out of 23 from the last fifteen years. Nels and Pat are almost in a cover band with the frequency that they get to perform songs they originally played on. The band hasn't exactly been wearing out Cruel Country either, at least after the premiere at Solid Sound.

 

Do you think these albums are so underrepresented-- two additional nights to come notwithstanding, these albums have typically been underrepresented in sets the last few years-- because Jeff has soured on the songs or because he thinks the audience doesn't want to hear them? Or maybe both?

I was at the show last night. Just wait for @bböp’s recap write up. I’m sure it will be filled with some goodies (and one specific fan accomplishment in particular 😄). 

Anyway, in the meantime, suffice to say the show was extraordinary. Recency bias or no, I’d say it was the best hometown show I’ve personally  seen since the 2014 residency. A large part of that, I suspect, is being back at the Riv, which is basically their home field advantage. It just feels like they can really cut loose there. The lack of structure to the set list is a factor as well.

As the show was winding down, I definitely did note the “missing decade” of no material from SBS through Schmilco. No reason to rush to any judgements until the weekend is over though. In addition to the more obvious rotation songs  like “Bull Black Nova,” “Dawned on Me,” “Random Name Generator” and “If I Ever Was a Child,” I’m sure they’ll sprinkle a few other cuts in. It was weird not to see anything from SBS, but I think that was just an anomaly. Let’s see what tomorrow and Sunday bring. 

The first song is great. I played it once this morning and it's been stuck in my head all day.

Hi all, somehow I didn't end up getting tickets for the second night of the upcoming stand in Chicago, and now the show is sold out. I'm interested in two tickets, anywhere from GA to mezzanine to first balcony would be great. Let me know if you have any you'd like to offload. Thanks!

18 hours ago, uncool2pillow said:

Nels Cline showing off his Verlaine influence.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cn-7JfPvI6Q/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Wow, I love everything about this clip. Nels just rips it up.

24 minutes ago, calvino said:

It was great show yesterday -- guess it will be streaming for while on their website. 

 

I can't see Wilco not giving Brehmer a shout out at some point during the Riv run. Mary Dixon was out town this week, so she missed out on radio tribute and others. Part of her written words stated:

 

"I'm on my first real vacation in four years and will miss a [Sunday] gathering ... to share some drinks, memories and songs in Lin's honor. My request in absentia is Wilco's 'Box Full of Letters.'"

 

Perhaps they can dedicate "Box Full of Letters" to him.

 

I think/hope they'll give him a shout out at the Riv. Lin was a pretty big champion of the band. XRT played a live version of "Impossible Germany" as part of the tribute yesterday.

21 hours ago, Boss_Tweedy said:

I'm listening to the tribute on XRT now. Great content. Currently they're playing a recording from Lin's childhood band (the Roundabouts). As a huge fan of all things Chicago, I was sad to learn about his passing. Stupid cancer.  

What a great tribute yesterday. 4+ hours without a single commercial. Hard not to get choked up a time or two between the stories and the Lin's Bins, and some great music. I'm really going to miss him. It'll be strange for Wilco to take the stage at the Riv in March without Lin in the building.

I'm in for the Thursday show as of now. Going to try for Saturday as well. Wife has a family spring break trip planned for us starting on Sunday, so unless I find a way to magically rearrange that, I'll be happy with two shows!

I think my list is done, or at least as done as it's going to get! 2022 was a really good year I'd say. I can go 30 deep with good albums, but here's a top 20:

1 hour ago, Boss_Tweedy said:

 

It was the best run of shows I've ever experienced. The downside is that by Friday night I was so tired I actually have no recollection of Spoon covering John Lennon's "Isolation" during the encore. And I was totally sober. It was an epic week of live music the memories of which I'll always treasure.

I tried! When I saw how this was all going to line up, I concocted a trip to New Orleans for the wife and me. My wife is not a music fan (Wilco or Spoon anyway) but does love New Orleans, so I actually go her on board. Oysters, Cafe Du Monde, she was even willing to go to the Spoon shows... until we found out she had an important work event she couldn't miss. Soo close!

15 hours ago, TCP said:

I thought this video was worth sharing. I always liked hearing these "unplugged" Wilco sets, like the hootenany ones at the end of the Star Wars shows. The new songs sound really good in this format, maybe they should bring it back??

Great videography in this video and the sound is great too especially for no mic. That background is pretty ok too, I guess.

 

Agree these songs are just made for this format! Sounds super crisp and perfect.

Ah! Well this sounds incredibly cool, but there is just no way I could make it to Carol's in time for what is sure to already be a long line.

Well, day of and still no word. @Chez, heads your house, tails mine? 😆 

4 hours ago, Boss_Tweedy said:

Spoon! Again! Best four-night run of shows I may ever enjoy - two nights of Wilco followed by two nights of Spoon. 

You are literally living my dream.

27 minutes ago, Chez said:

Haha.  The Hideout is small, but my back deck could likely accommodate Glenn's drum kit (but not much else), and that's only if he leaves behind the big gong.

If neither your deck nor the Hideout work out, I just redid my patio with a 10'x12' gazebo and am happy to make that available for an intimate Wilco stage. Fire pit reserved for White Sox grumblings and laments!

Still no more info on this, ay? I guess we don't know this is actually a show. It could be some kind of promotion or Cruel Country physical release party/kick off event or an announcement. But with the last show of the year tomorrow, it would be strange for Chicago to get no concerts on the CC tour.

Very intrigued to see what this is! The Riv and the Vic appear to be available that night...

On 10/3/2022 at 6:38 AM, ponch1028 said:

I purchased the super deluxe vinyl from Amazon - is there any way I can get a digital download of all the songs? Anyone know? 

I'm wondering the same thing, but for the Amazon super deluxe CD version.

8 hours ago, chisoxjtrain said:

 

It was a birthday surprise for the co-host Matt Spiegel (for those who don't know he is in a great cover band called Tributosaurus).

Ah, that makes sense. (I couldn't picture John calling in to complain about the White Sox refusal to fire Tony La Russa or something! ) I know Spiegs is a big Wilco fan — I actually met him at a Wilco concert at the Riv years ago and talked to him about it.

3 hours ago, chisoxjtrain said:

John was on 670 The Score this afternoon. 

Ha, really? You’re going to have to explain the context for that one!

25 minutes ago, lost highway said:

^ Yeah, and producers like Burnett, Lanois and Rick Rubin seem most useful at helping artists get out of their own way, to get down to the basics, and to let the songs flow. Kind of artist-whisperers, zen guru type of guys. It so happens that Jeff is one of the least needy songwriters in this regard. He's literally written books about how to achieve these frames of mind.

 

Again, I don't think the guys need a producer, and I'm pretty sure they don't want one, but as a matter of mash-up curiosity in addition to the Nigel Godrich idea, I'd be curious to see what would happen if they worked with David Fridmann.

 

Back to The Whole Love, I totally agree. I remember Jeff leaving an unfinished thought in an interview, something about how they took that album for granted or something. I'm not sure what his relationship with that album is, but I'm curious because it's one of their highlights IMHO.

I agree with all this. Jeff doesn't need or want any artistic or songwriting direction. Jeff's going to come in with the songs and a general direction, period. But the sound could be developed a bit. Dave Fridmann is a name that intrigues me because he's worked with Spoon, including on They Want My Soul, and I love the sound he gets.

As for The Whole Love, it does feel taken for granted in a way. They certainly haven't returned to the meticulousness of that album ever since.

You're right, Tom Schick is not responsible for the artistic direction like a producer or Jeff/Wilco themselves are, so he shouldn't be saddled with criticism really. It's not his task. I would definitely be interested in a bit more of a baroque direction, compared to the barebones approach they've taken recently. I can't see them bringing in a "name" outside producer like Lanois or T-Bone Burnett though. Just handing some of those duties and details back to Pat would be nice. He did such a great job on The Whole Love.

I've been thinking about this lately. On the one hand, Wilco has never really had a true outside producer. O'Rourke would be the closest thing to that. And they don't need direction or anything. On the other hand, I do think Jeff needs someone to challenge him on some of his ideas or at least play devil's advocate with him, to objectively tell him to reconsider some of his first-blush choices (lyrics, vocals, arrangements). Tom Schick is a talented guy, but Jeff would benefit from a shaking things up sound-wise a bit, even if that means a more labor-intensive project.