Okkervil_

 It's weird they didn't try to time the release of this up with Solid Sound.

Might be tinfoil, but I think this was a purposeful decision to launch it right before Pitchfork Festival and build some non-hardcore buzz. Nothing wrong with that at all! Seems pretty clear to me, though.

I just want to say that I'm barely halfway through it as I type, and this is the best thing they've done since Ghost by far. I'm so overjoyed by this album.

Pretty much lost my mind when they played "Should've Been in Love". Told another Wilcohead friend of mine and he couldn't believe it--claimed they haven't played it in a long time, but I haven't checked that myself. Also loved how it had a feel as if it were a Ghost-era track or something. Was a bit disappointed that some of the other stops on this supporting tour looks like they got a few more songs than we did, but that's me just being obnoxious. Also, kind of surprised MMJ received roughly equal set time to Wilco, but again, I'm complaining for the sake of doing so.

Anyway, truly unbelievable cuts on this tour. Last night was the 16th Wilco set in my young life and the first for my girlfriend, and I'd put it up there with some of the best (all things considered).

Have to add as well that I've now seen Dylan three times in the last decade, and he really impressed me last night.

 

the 11PM curfew really has nothing to do w/ Emerson.

 

other theatres/outside venues have this too (Orpheum, Wilbur, Comcast, Bank of America, etc).

Never said it was because of Emerson, the point I was making is that the Wang Center is hardly in what one would call a "residential area"--same goes for the Orpheum, Wilbur, Comcast Center, and BoA Pavilion.

I don't think it's all that controversial to say that Boston is pretty ass-backwards when it comes to cutting certain things short due to noise (e.g. bars, public transportation). God forbid they ever extend T service another half hour to 1AM.

In my mind it would've been easy enough to start the show thirty minutes earlier and have Wilco go on around 8:45, but hey, I'm just a fan.

 

THEY DIDN'T PLAY jesus, etc.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah!!! You know, I thought that they were going to slide it in there at the end with 5 minutes left till 11. It was very nice of them to bench that song and I hope that they treat some of their other staples like that over the coming tour. Is this the 1st show since before Yankee Hotel Foxtrot to not feature the song? If so, last night was a momentous occasion for that.

 

Yes, it's a bit overplayed, but you have to be a stone-hearted monster to not feel some kind of warmth when Tweedy pulls the whole "you guys sing 75% of the song" bit. Aside from the necessity of playing most of TWL, the rest of the songs were pretty much a basic Wilco sampler; it felt like they were promoting the album, despite most of the audience having preordered it already or purchased it in the lobby. I guess I was missing the little things the "modern" Wilco does that make them more than just a band or a concert, and strangely enough now I know exactly what those are after seeing a show largely without them.

 

Ha! It was actually on the setlist. Encore was planned to be 6 songs longed -- I believe it was Jesus and Via Chicago that got cut.

So glad that there's an 11PM curfew for the Theatre District which is primarily surrounded by Emerson students in dorm apartments. I didn't pay almost $50 for a Wilco show that was cut short due to a Puritanical time limit. I'm sorry, but eff the Wang.

I also feel a bit spoiled for thinking "ugh, a Wilco show NOT longer than two hours?" but like a bunch of you fine folks think, it was a tight set and the new songs sound incredible. Also, think of it this way: the next time they come to New England, they probably won't play half of those songs from TWL. So just think of it as "An Evening with The Whole Love"--though a Wilco show without Jesus and Hummingbird seemed a bit foreign to me.

Beautiful venue, horrible ushers (what's up with the Secret Service-esque suits telling you to stop taking non-flash pictures?), and absurdly overpriced everything. I submitted to an $11 Miller to drown my sorrows after finding out the posters were sold out, which was another first at a Wilco show.

Regardless, that was my eleventh time seeing Wilco since 2005 and they make me more than happy each show. It's like seeing family.

I'm still kinda surprised that there is one lone Asia date and nothing else. Seems odd to trek over to japan for one festival date. Unlikely, even.

Stealth Loose Fur tour? According to Jeff, the "signal has been lit" for O'Rourke to get back with them.

...yeah, didn't think so either.

They had singles autographed by the band at the festival, being sold at a little record store that was set-up. The band came in and signed them earlier that day. The shop only had a handful though, so they sold in minutes...

 

However, I was lucky enough to get one (they were only $8!)

 

I remember seeing a box of them sitting on the windowsill Friday, asked the guy in charge and he said to listen to the Solid Sound radio channel for details...which was kind of annoying, because I was (of course) at the festival.

Anyway, congrats on snagging one!

My friend got a full iPhone video of "The Weight" and we were right up against the fence, so when he posts it on Youtube I'll share the link!

I could only take about 30 minutes of Nels + Thurston out of concern for my hearing (I'm only 21 too), though Nels upped the Thurston's feet by playing with his mouth--or at least screaming into a handheld voice modulator into his pickups...or something.

This technically should go in Day 2, but I recorded audio samples of the Glenn/Nels/Darin Gray improv soundfest in the Sol Lewitt gallery if anyone's interested.

The Solid Sound sticker is on the sleeve; the 45 hole is there (listening to it now after a long drive back last night).

Looking at it again, I think the Solid Sound thing with the red and yellow S is actually a sticker on the mylar sleeve that the 45 is on top of in the photo. The fact that it's perfectly centered makes it look like a 45 without a hole.

In my haste to post, didn't read this! Let's just pretend mine is a confirmation.

That was an incredible few days and I didn't even get to see half of everything that went on. I loved the diversity of the crowd, so many families completely enjoying themselves (and wouldn't say there were a lot of hipsters...college kids/young hippies, yes). Brought a couple of light Wilco fans and they're now converted for life into the cult. Can't wait for Solid Sound II next summer, and thanks in advance to the folks who post the Wilco and Tweedy shows!

Only disappointment: No Summerteeth (the song).

I got one each for Clearwater, Durham, North Bethesda, Hartford, and Richmond. With the Savannah ticket I already have and any luck in the Philly and Pittsburgh public sales this week and Scranton next week I will be set for spring shows. I can't wait!!

That's...almost $400.

You are a god among mortals.

i think the demand is high...Wilco hasn't played a proper Boston date (ie, in the city) in a while. wasn't the last one outside @ the Bank of America Pavilion in '06?

I completely forgot, good point! Still though, the Lowell show essentially had all of New England coming to it and I remember getting tickets for the BoAP easily. Oh well.

The horrible nature of the Orpheum will be evened out with the promise of an extended/varied setlist so at least I have that to look forward to (and I really shouldn't be complaining, this is going to be my eighth Wilco show).

I totally agree.. This is the worst ticketing system I have ever used hands down. Logging you out, putting you in a waiting room, event not available.. Etc.. For those that got tickets, whats the trick to this 3rd rate ticketing system so I know for next time?

The strange thing is I think this website did their ticketing last summer and I had no problems then. Unless Wilco has gotten 100x bigger in the Boston area over the last six months, I'm not sure what the problem was. I'd like to cut them some slack and say their servers were hammered, but, as everyone's favorite Bluth likes to say, "COME ON!" I wonder how bad my Ticketmaster seats are going to be...

If I had a car I'd see them in NH or RI, but alas, that's the fate of a poor college student.

Whoa! (cue surprised Neo)

 

I got one for Boston. Row M seat 206. Now I need to logon to see my seat.

Congrats! I'm periodically refreshing for the heck of it, but the website only gets my hopes up when it lists ticket quantities before telling me they're sold out so maybe I'll just give up.

Anyone see any Boston tickets as of 10:17?

I only saw an option to buy 1 then no option?

Unless they're leaked out in about half an hour, I think Boston's cooked. I'm actually kind of PO'ed right now, this has to be the worst ticketing provider in history; I was logged out at least five times merely for clicking "Choose By Section" and/or trying to buy them. Between that and some people being charged $10 for shipping, I never thought I'd say this, but at least Ticketmaster doesn't pull shennanigans this bad.

So this is new. As is my standard protocol for presale ticketing, I went to the website at 9:50 and started to refresh the page every minute. Frontgate let me in at 9:58, and upon clicking the "Buy" link for Boston I was kicked out into a virtual waiting room. No big deal, right? At 10:00 I'm let back in...only to find that nearly all Boston tickets have magically vanished leaving only singles (I need a pair). No pairs...anywhere. I know this isn't worth the time to get angry, but it is a bit frustrating.

It's the Orpheum. That place is cursed.

I love Wilco but hate seeing them anywhere in MA thanks to the junk show that is Massachusetts (if you live in New England you understand). Lowell and Tanglewood were fine examples of this junk show of joey-bag-o-donuts from RI, guido/wannabe models straight out of the North End, people who can't mind their own business while texting, pushy, egocentric cops and hipster/yupster daddies trying to show their kids they can be cool (see, I can shit-talk just like the rest of them).

...I hope you all enjoyed our pungent odors at the show...the only good thing going for mass.

I live in New England and I don't really understand. Why all the MA hate? There are jerks in every state, one of them ended up cutting my friends and I right when the gates opened (we were the folks eating pizza near the front and he and his over-tanned girlfriend slipped in; in the event he's reading this, thank you to the bearded gentleman with his son who tried to fend him off), but I don't think that's enough to condemn a whole state. At the very least, western MA is great. Here's a tip: ignore the people you don't like and enjoy the music!

Anyway, do you guys think all of the "Wonderbread" posters were ruined or will they throw them up on the store? I swore to myself to stop buying so many concert posters, but that one was awesome.

wow-- This post is so laden with ignorant speculation (Taylor Hollingsworth being doped up on H or blow) that I feel inclined to comment. I can understand your dislike of Oberst's voice, but to site his lyrics as 'absolutely horrible' seems a bit unjust. I'm thinking you must have been either high/drunk, or I may even bet on some H or Blow because you obviously were not listening. I'd go ahead and check out some of the man's lyrics before criticizing. I’d find it a bit confusing if you confessed to love Tweedy’s lyrics while at the same time finding Oberst’s to be such rubbish… Just my .02…

For the record, I'm completely sober and I intensely dislike Oberst's voice and lyrics. I've tried to get into him, I've tried to appreciate his style, but it's just so completely soaked in pure pretentiousness that I really can't stand it. The thing I don't get is why he's thrown this vaguely alt-country band behind him in the last few years; he's still the same old stereotypical Conor Oberst, but now with new props behind him. There's a big difference between Tweedy's lyrics and Obersts', and personally it's that I actually care about what Tweedy says, whether he's talking about doing the dishes or dreaming of killing a loved one. Oberst is like nails on a chalkboard, followed by people fawning over how important those nails on that chalkboard are.

I was right next to you for that! I noticed because I have that same Okkervil River shirt, but I honestly thought you were probably a Conor fan based on the shirt and the similarity in styles between the two bands (Okkervil is clearly shit-tons better)

Well Will Sheff doesn't have nearly as much self-loathing as Oberst does and they're absolutely insane live instead of a bunch of angst-ridden drunks. And did you notice how the guitarist on the right would mouth every single note he played? Weird. But yeah, I would consider selling my soul for a Wilco/Okkervil River show.

And are you in Clatter Clatter? I think I've seen you guys before! It was at Great Scott or one of those places; I go to BC.

I was about two people-rows in, right in front of Jeff, and it was definitely one of the best shows I've seen (last night was my seventh). Really wish the rain had held off for Magazine, I effing love that song, but the weather made it unforgettable. I'm usually pretty reserved at shows, but when they came back for ITMWLY my friends and I went completely nuts. I loved when one of the roadies put a towel over Nels' equipment and he screamed at the guy because they were going to do another song and it was soaking the water into his pedals. Lots of great banter from Jeff too, especially when a girl yelled "Do you want a diet Coke?" and he replied "No, I don't want a diet Coke, thank you...I want thousands of them." Also, during their sound check they played Too Far Apart and it sounded amazing...too bad that wasn't on the setlist.

As for Conor Oberst, I detest him. I've tried many times to enjoy his music, but everything about him is unbearable. He played a surprisingly long set, but my main problem was that none of them looked like they wanted to be there or were enjoying themselves. I wore my Okkervil River shirt as a subtle protest.

With all the Radiohead deluxe editions, this would be really cool. It would mean that there could be a disk 2 with songs such as "Cars Can't Escape" and "Nothing Up My Sleeve." It could be for the ten-year anniversary of the release... just a thought.

That's a great idea, though referencing the Radiohead reissues as a model probably isn't best; Capitol just wanted to milk the albums they have the rights to as a way to get back at Thom & Co. for parting ways with them. I know it would be great to have a lot of the non-album tracks all in one place, but since the average fan can find most of them online I wonder if they wouldn't want to do the reissue for fear looking like they were just trying to cash in on YHF. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it'll happen and I kind of hope it does, but I'd rather have it be more like the Pavement reissues Matador has been pumping out over the last few years with a ton of material from all over the place.

I still can't get over Passenger Side. Most of the people around me didn't know what to do, but I can't blame them for that (though it's a bit lame that a song like Side with the Seeds had more of a response). I wish they had played Kingpin seeing as Boston is one of the few places that can work with the song, but I guess they can't fit in a few Being There tracks all the time.

Probably the third best Wilco show I've seen after last July at the Pines and this past Sunday, but still fantastic.

Oh and I'm sure this has been answered in another thread, but I'm lazy: what is that thing they had up on a pole that Jeff called their "backdrop"? It didn't draw as much attention at the Pines, but I figured it was Glenn's Tibetan prayer shawl or something.

http://music.msn.com/music/consumerguide?GT1=10095&

Though it's possible Jeff Tweedy's wife told him to stop being a pretentious tweet, it's more likely she just told him to stop ignoring her. This doesn't mean he actually was ignoring her, mind you. But too late he figured he'd better make a point of paying attention, which meant no more pretentious tweet (for the time being). On the second-best track here, he does the dishes and mows the lawn even though she's not around to appreciate it. On the best, he admits consumers have the right to think his music means whatever they want it to. Everywhere he stops soundscaping and resumes songwriting.

Grade: B PLUS

I love how he calls Jeff Tweedy, arguably THE poetic lyricist of the last decade, a "pretentious tweet" (boy is he witty, "tweet" looks like "Tweedy"!) while choosing "herewith" to begin his introduction. It comes as no surprise that the moment Wilco try to go back to their "roots" critics pour out of the woodwork with backlash against their last few albums. I'm sick of people dismissing Jeff's past work in favor of his turn to more direct songwriting.

Does Christgau's opinion even matter anymore?