Suki

I picked one up yesterday at Barnes & Noble.

I don't have the perspective of seeing shows outside of the greater Detroit area (just once) to know about other audiences but from where I was sitting (near the front and to the right) it was fun.  Once Jeff made his remarks about sitting/standing (which had everybody around me laughing) several people, including me, stood for the whole show.  A bunch around us would sit for a while and then stand up again.  I do think it was an older audience than I'm used to seeing which might have been part of the reason for the sitting!  Also, when the band started playing Either Way there were quite a few people clapping and it made me think that there were many Wilco fans who were happy to hear some of the less played music.  My only complaint was the guy behind us who sang along with lots of gusto but totally off-key, even to the new songs.  It was somewhat annoying but he seemed so enthusiastic about being there that I didn't say anything. 

We were right near Pat, who seemed pretty quiet and didn't interact with the rest of the band for most of the time, except when he was playing guitar for the high-energy songs, like RNG, and then he was striking lots of guitar god poses and going quite crazy. 

Anyway we've been lucky to have Wilco play many times in our area and I hope we were a good enough audience to have them return often!

I returned from a Father's Day celebration on Sunday and tuned in to get about 40 seconds of I'm A Wheel, and I haven't had time to watch any online videos so I for one appreciate the review!  Thank you!

Thanks for the recap -- I'm looking forward to the rest of it!  It sounds like it might have been good that I sat a lot farther back than normal due to some Ticketmaster pre-sale problems.  I couldn't hear the female admirer; just Jeff's comments to her.  Two friends of mine who I never would have pegged as Wilco fans went to the show.  They went because one of them thought she had seen Jeff before and that it would be an alt-country show.  Turns out she was mistaken and had never seen him and knew nothing about him.  Fortunately they both enjoyed the show a lot and they decided he reminded them of Neil Young.  I guess that's a compliment??

Thanks - I always look forward to your recaps! I’m looking forward to seeing the show in Ann Arbor in a few weeks.

How is Buck Meek as the opener?

Less Than You Think in its entirety -- although I do like the first part of it. 

Jesus etc. was my favorite Wilco song for a long time although I've probably heard it enough now to last a lifetime.  The "tall buildings shake, voices escape singing sad sad songs" line was so evocative of 9/11 to me.  And even though it was written before 9/11 it meant more to me than many songs that were written about it. 

What a great show, and as always, I looked forward to the recap!

I thought Jeff's remarks about his new persona were great.  He started off by asking if people had noticed what was new -- hair, hat, and a little chubby. 

Also, he mentioned there was only one of his songs that ever was played at weddings.  He waited while people called out possibilities and said he wouldn't play until we guessed.  Then he launched into You and I.

I add my thanks for the recap!  I always enjoy reading about the shows, especially when I'm there, as I was last night.  It was a perfect evening, both for the weather and the band.  This was my 16th Wilco show since my first in 1999 (20th if I count Jeff Tweedy solo shows) and before the show started, I found myself wondering if I might be getting a bit tired of attending the shows.  My answer came about 2 minutes into the show as I found myself smiling and so happy to be there, listening to my favorite band, and bopping along with everyone.

I was still smiling as I left the show.  What a great night!

I'm a big Peter Wolf fan.  I've seen him twice at The Ark in Ann Arbor MI and he was great both times.  And I'm a somewhat indifferent J Geils fan.  He may pull out a few of the old J Geils songs but mainly he will focus on his own songs, which are excellent.  He has the same type of appearance as Mick Jagger or Steven Tyler -- longish hair, very thin, flamboyant dresser, still has the moves.  His voice is great -- hard to believe at his age he has such a wide vocal range.  And he's a great story-teller; lots of quick and witty stories of people he wrote songs with, or what influenced his songs.  He's worth seeing.

Thank you for sharing the experience.  I thought I was done with the tears but shed a few more reading your comments and the band reactions to the shocking news. 

Agree the comic was horrible -- probably the biggest and soberest group he's encountered.

I was so happy to be the first audience to hear the new material.  Like most Jeff Tweedy songs, some were immediately accessible and some will take repeated listening to, to really appreciate.  Plus it was sometimes hard to understand the lyrics.  Overall I loved the new songs and can't wait to hear more.

The backing band was solid but of course couldn't match Wilco.  The record will be interesting -- Jeff said he played all of the instruments except for Spencer on drums and a few "friends" who helped out.  I loved seeing the pride he had in Spencer ("my boy!").  He initially planned on doing the record on his own, but Spencer kept coming to the studio each day after school and it evolved. Jeff said that kind of counted as solo since Spencer shares his DNA.

One of the banter highlights -- after The Ruling Class Jeff asked if we heard how he messed up the opening line.  He sang "They resurfaced the sidewalk on my block the other day."   Apparently that WAS how he first wrote the song lyrics and he said somehow it got back into his head after all these years. 

1999 -- I had never heard of Wilco or Uncle Tupelo. I have always loved music but felt like I was in a music void -- too busy with work and home to find interesting current bands. Then I read a review of Summerteeth, thought it sounded like something I would like, listened to the 30-second snippets of the songs on Amazon and ordered it. I fell in love with the whole CD from the first note to the last. It seemed as if I had been waiting for just this sound. I started looking for more information about Wilco on the internet and saw they were coming to our area, opening for REM. I told my husband I wanted to go to see REM, but really for the opening group. I still didn't know much about Wilco so wasn't sure how they would sound live, especially as all I knew was Summerteeth where so many of the songs are layered with multiple instruments and vocals. I thought it might not translate well to the live show. Of course I was wrong. It was fantastic. I fondly remember that show as the first time I ever heard California Stars. From then on, up to this day, Wilco has been my favorite band.

I still am on a Wilco high. Great show and from where I was standing, a great audience. Jeff thanked the audience more than once -- he said he would like to take us along on to all of the shows; we would have come in handy on this tour but he wasn't naming names. I also thought the set design and light show was awesome. And I loved hearing the new songs -- 9 in total. I've never seen Mike so animated, especially during the encore. He was jumping around like crazy during Standing O and that went into I'm a Wheel as well. When Nick Lowe came out for the encore, Jeff mentioned they were sad because they had only one show left with him (and said start a Facebook petition to get him to join Wilco) and Mike pantomined tears rolling down his face.

1. I read a review of Summerteeth and it was compared to the Beatles Sergeant Pepper album. I had not heard of Wilco prior to this. I love music but was so busy with work that I didn't have much opportunity for discovering new music. Friends and co-workers were stuck in the classic rock or Top 30 modes. I bought the CD and loved it from the first note to the last.

2. Soon after buying Summerteeth I saw the band was opening for REM at the DTE Energy Music Theater (suburbs of Detroit). I believe this was August 2009. My husband was amused that I wanted to go, not to see REM, but to see the opener. We went and it cemented my love for Wilco. I remember hearing California Stars for the first time -- a nice night in an outdoor venue -- and thinking it was one of the best moments of my music life! Wilco has been my favorite group ever since.

I know there is another thread with Autumn Defense tour dates but thought it worth reminding anyone in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area that they will be playing at The Ark next Monday, November 8. The Ark is a fantastic venue for music. It's on Main Street and close to many bars and restaurants for before and after the show. The stage is very close to the audience, with seating on 3 sides, so it's an intimate atmosphere. And most artists are blown away by how quiet the audience is, even for the opening acts. People who want to talk go out to the bar area, which is separated by glass from the "listening room". There are quite a few tickets left -- if you can get there, go!!

And after the Ummmm -- Glenn's drum solo.

At the end of Hummingbird -- there's an interplay between what I always think of as sounding like a kazoo and strings. As the song ends, the kazoo fades out, leaving a totally pure and beautiful note on the strings. Wonderful.

Anyone who lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan may be interested to know that Ben and Jay will be playing at the 33rd annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival on Friday, January 29. The headliner for that night is Iron and Wine. Last year the headliner was Jeff Tweedy. General public tickets go on sale December 1st. If you are a member of The Ark (the Folk Festival is a fundraiser for The Ark) then you can get tickets now.

For anyone who missed the Frontgate pre-sale for the Ann Arbor show this morning, I got an e-mail saying that Live Nation will have a pre-sale for the Oct 16 show at Hill Auditorium tomorrow (Thursday) from 10 am to 10 pm. The password for the pre-sale is tweedy.

As others have said, this was probably the best show I've seen. The small venue, the enthusiastic crowd, the incredible setlist, the band seeming to really enjoy themselves -- it all made for a great evening.

A couple of other funny moments -- during Kingpin, when Jeff was working to get the audience to participate he told us if we didn't we would regret it when we get old (I think 87 was the age he picked). And then he started mimicking an old man, voice and all, saying his only regret in life was that he didn't shout out at that Wilco concert so many years ago. And I also had to laugh when he was getting on the crowd surfer's case -- he said you must be the stupidest guy ever -- nobody caught you the first time so why would you think it would work any differently a second time??

I've been wondering why they don't play Country Disappeared -- I love that song and would have really liked to hear it. Oh well -- can't complain with 7 new songs!

This is very very close now and I couldn't be more excited! Does anyone know what's good for restaurants or shopping down in Royal Oak or if the theatre is even downtown? We've never been.

 

Also, I believe doors open at 7:30 and I am going to assume Wilco at 8? The last 'Evening with Wilco' show I believe was pretty long (gonna check Wilcobase now!), but anyways since it's GA what time is everyone lining up at?

 

I'll be with my two pals (guy and girl) and my dad as some of you have met us before, odds are I'll be wearing a Wilco t-shirt, so come say hi! It's always super cool/weird when people from the board meet up. Two days!

The theatre is right downtown. There are tons of restaurants -- we usually head over to Main Street, which is just a couple of blocks away, and find something there. I can't remember the name, but there is a fun Mexican restaurant on Main Street that has pretty good food. Small Plates is another favorite (a tapas restaurant).

The theatre web site shows that they are sold out. No surprise as this is one of the smaller venues around (will be all standing) and in the past few years Wilco has played at much bigger venues. I'm going with friends and family and can't wait to hear the new songs.

This show is a fundraiser for The Ark, which is why the members get early ticket priority. For members they are going on sale on Friday the 31st. For the general public they go on sale on December 1. You can become a member for $50.

I've never been to the Folk Festival but it gets rave reviews each year. It's two nights -- Jeff headlines the first night, which they call the night for the "up and comers" and the second night is more traditional. Saturday's headliner is Kris Kristofferson and also features Pete Seeger. If you buy the 2-night ticket you supposedly get better seats.

Hill Auditorium is great -- it was built as a venue for classical music and has wonderful accoustics. I prefer sitting closer to the front but I know people who always sit in the second balcony because the sound is allegedly the best there. I think there are about 4,500 seats in total.

I just got the folk festival line-up in the mail today and Jeff is headlining on Friday January 30. It's at Hill Auditorium. Also playing are Old Crow Medicine Show. The rest of the acts (usually 6 - 8) haven't been announced yet. Should be fun!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm a writing professor, so I definitely like books and college towns! I won't have a car, but it sounds like I should be able to find plenty to do in town. In terms of restaurants, whenever I travel, I like to try the local favorites. I'm not a huge fan of steakhouses, since I don't eat a lot of beef, and I don't want to go somewhere really pricey, but other than that, I'm not too picky.

Ann Arbor has a lot of bookstores (including used/antique etc). I'm not the best for restaurant recommendations because I'm vegetarian, but there are a ton of restaurants in Ann Arbor. For Chinese I would suggest Middle Kingdom, for seafood most people like The Real Seafood Company (both on Main Street), for vegetarian go to Seva (good value, you can get drinks there as well), for Indian I'd suggest Raja Rani. Just about any of the places on and around Main Street are good -- some are kind of pricey, so look at the menus in the window before you go in.

I'm headed out to Chicago to see them June 3 and am going to hop another train to Ann Arbor the next day. I figured if I'm going all the way out to the midwest, I might as well catch them twice. I'm glad to hear it's a really small venue. It should be a good time.

 

I'd appreciate suggestions of things to do in Ann Arbor for the two days I'm there. I've never been there, so I'm sure I'll find plenty to keep me busy.

Ann Arbor is a great place -- it's basically a college town. If you like the outdoors and the weather is good, either Gallup Park (goes along the Huron River) or The Arboretum are good places to go walking or jogging. For museums, the University of Michigan Art Museum is very well regarded and there is a museum called the "Hands-on Museum" that is geared to kids but fun for everyone. For shopping there is a quirky little area called Kerrytown which has lots of nice little shops that are primarily local. And it's near Zingerman's which is an extremely popular deli that would be a good place for lunch or breakfast. Main Street (downtown Ann Arbor which is the street where The Ark is located) has a lot of art galleries. If you want to venture out a little farther, a "must-see" for out-of-towners who visit the area is Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum. That's located in Dearborn, about 30 miles from Ann Arbor. I hope you enjoy our town!!