eckythump

Bear in mind I live in Melbourne, Australia...

Current longest: Auckland, NZ in 2013 - 1,640 miles

Soon to be longest: Solid Sound Festival in a few weeks time, 10473 miles

What do I win?

I'm from Australia and yes, that was me who did the Aus/NZ tour in 2013 I didn't go specifically for the Autumn Defense, it was a bonus they were on the bill. I'm hoping next year Wilco will make an appearance

Here's video I took of the Big Star cover. I got a couple of other videos too that will appear on my youtube page eventually too, including Sentimental Lady and (most of) It's Just That Simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDoYc_GKJc 

Also Pat stayed for all 3 days of the first week of the festival despite Autumn Defense only playing the first night. On the third night he played guitar for The Jayhawks for almost their entire set. 

I'm currently in attendance at the Peter Buck curated Todos Santos Music Festival, and had the pleasure of seeing The Autumn Defense for my first time on Thursday. The setlist was:

Calling Your Name

Written In The Snow

This Thing That I've Found

The Sun In California

Huntington Fair

The Swallows Of London Town

None Of This Will Matter

Feel You Now

It's Just That Simple (Wilco)

Every Day

We Would Never Die

Sentimental Lady (Bob Welch cover)

You Can't Have Me (Big Star cover, with Scott McCaughey on keys)

In addition Pat joined the Jayhawks on stage for their song 'Blue', playing guitar, and last night (the 16th), while there was no Autumn Defense (no sign of John), Pat played guitar with Joseph Arthur during his set, and joined the Jayhawks again on 'Blue'.

It's a really fantastic, laid back festival in a really cool small Mexican town. Some great bands always play (all connected to Peter Buck in some way), highly recommended coming over for it!

There's a whole bunch of photos from the festival, including a bunch from The Autumn Defense's set up on a facebook page I co-run called 'The R.E.M. Timeline' at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.827517310646466.1073741913.180210328710504&type=1

Yep all good, thanks heaps

Are The Killers really more popular than Wilco? What a sad world we live in

Did anyone else notice an audio drop out during Spiders?

Awesome stuff, thanks for pointing this out! Though your recording is quite fine

Yeah I don't see tracks 31-34 either. Listened to the show, great recording, thanks as always for your great recordings

This is awesome! Hope I manage to get the full thing downloaded before it gets taken down. Someone give this man a job at the Opera House

I think so. Let's hope we don't have to wait until 2016!

True to Jeff's word, I got an email to download audio of both Sydney shows. That's pretty damn good, another reason why I love this band so much.The email reads:

Greetings,

Since we had a few minor issues/intrusions in Sydney (slightly reduced set time on night one, many cameras on stage for night two) we've decided to make it up to you fine and loyal ticket buyers the only way we know how: with free music. For the next two weeks, we're giving you the audio downloads of BOTH nights' shows. Have fun & we'll see you next time around with a LONGER set and no cameras. We promise.

lol yep that's me hiding behind Pat! Sure that'd be cool, thanks

We did the Wilco weekend and had an awesome time: got to say hi to Pat Sansone in Wellington and to Mavis in Auckland; met Eckythump in the front row at the Wellington show; and witnessed Wilco and Mavis give a tremendous rendition of The Weight in Auckland. We had wondered if the Auckland show could possibly be better than the Wellington show and that closing number provided the answer.

 

This show was the first we have watched from upstairs. It gives a great view of Glenn and how hard he works on that drum kit. I thought Via Chicago was a highlight of the show.

 

Fingers crossed for a Wilco return very soon. Pretty sure we'll be following them through Australasia next tour.

 

(Maybe i need a Wilco tour piggybank).

 

 

PS - Does anyone else think Pat should be given more guitar solos?

It was great to meet you and your wife too! (I had no idea you guys were on this forum, I should have known though because you were both super nice and awesome!). Yes I loved Via Chicago too. I would love to see Pat get more solos, but it's hard to take them away from Nels. Too many talented guys!

Haha, that's so funny and good to know,

I'm a bit guilty and have to admit he may have remembered me because there was a scuffle behind me near the front when I stepped into a gap closer to the stage and when Jeff said "I saw the whole thing, she started it" he may have been referring and pointing to me

Yes he mentioned that incident, but I don't think he was implicating you, just that he remembered your face around where that was taking place

I saw that discussion going on - very nice of him! I thought I was tall, but he eclipses me by a couple of inches. I was sitting a few seats to the right with my friend.

Nice! I saw all that happen, I was sitting on the seat directly behind where Pat is standing Jeff remembered you from Wellington, because when I was chatting to him before we went into the gate he saw you and commented to their tour manager that you were there last night. Jeff sees everything apparently!

2 1/2 minutes of The Weight found on Youtube here, thanks whoever risked the wrath of security for this 

The Forum is the closest we have in Melbourne. Next tour, they have to play there or the Palace, definitely not Hamer Hall. Or they could play Northcote Social Club. Or my living room.

Thank You Ecythump, great report

 

Hope you have a good flight back to Melbourne. I'm travelling back today. I've loved Wellington, what a gorgeous place. It's been wonderful seeing Wilco this March and April.. . .  should we start saving our pennies for Solid Sound?

You're welcome, and I owe you a water next time, didn't get a chance to repay you

Solid Sound this year is impossible for me (unless I quit the job I'm about to start before then!), but I'm seriously thinking about 2014

Are you sure that wasn't Elroy Finn, Liam's younger brother? I think Liam's in New York at the moment, and Elroy was involved in the 7 Worlds Collide album and performed at the shows.

Quite possibly. I was going on a report of what the person next to me told me. I saw Neil and Tim with my own eyes though, they were definitely there.

They played for a bit under 2 hours. They came on around 9:40pm, and it was all over by 11:35pm. 

I neglected to say Jeff came out during Mavis's set again and played You Are Not Alone. Mavis varied her set quite a bit from Wellington. In Wellington they played The Weight, and when it was missing from her opening set it should have been a clue of what was to come.

Firstly, the setlist:

Art of Almost

I Might

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

One Wing

Via Chicago

Spiders

Impossible Germany

Born Alone

At Least That's What You Said

Sky Blue Sky

Handshake Drugs

Shouldn't Be Ashamed

Hummingbird

Jesus Etc.

Whole Love

Box Full Of Letters

Dawned On Me

Heavy Metal Drummer

Shot In The Arm

Encore:

California Stars (w/ guitar player from Mavis Staples band, and drummer on shakers)

The Weight (with Mavis Staples and band, including backing singers)

The written setlist also had a second encore, which would have been Airline to Heaven, Walken, and I'm The Man Who Loves You. Airline was my request! I told Jeff at the airport this morning how I requested it for Wellington, so at least he thought of me. The crew was setting up for the second encore and the lights were off for some time, but I guess they decided they couldn't top Mavis and her band and left it at that.

The crowd wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Wellington last night. Jeff commented that the singing was quite lackluster on Hummingbird. The crowd singalong for the next song Jesus was quite healthy, but it didn't have the energy or vibe that Wellington did, which still for me was the best show out of the 6 I saw.

A couple of songs that hadn't been played on the tour to date. Wilco the album finally got some love with One Wing, presumably due to the Auckland link. Neil, Tim and Liam Finn were in the audience, (Neil and Tim on one side of the balcony, Liam on the other), so maybe it was Neil's request.

The Weight was quite special I have to say. Mavis, the guitarist (sorry can't remember his name), John and Jeff all sang a verse, and it brought the house down. I can understand why they didn't follow through with another encore (maybe they should have done the second encore before that). All up though, another stellar show. Not up to the lofty Wellington heights, but brilliant nonetheless.

So that brings an end to my 6 show run! What a fantastic tour. I hope it's less than 3 years before they make the trip to the Southern Hemisphere again. Thank you Wilco.

I spoke to Jeff at Wellington airport today, and discussed this brief for Wilco standards show. It turns out the band thought there was an 11pm curfew and had to get off, no one had told them otherwise. He felt quite bad about it, and said to make up for it, everyone who bought tickets will receive an email with a link to some free downloads of Wilco songs. That's a pretty cool thing to do. So those of you were there, check your inboxes over the coming while.

Without doubt the best show of this tour so far. The crowd had an amazing energy - what a difference a standing GA audience makes compared to a fully seated theatre! 

Mavis Staples was simply awesome, and Jeff came out and played You Are Not Alone with her and her band, and seemed extremely humbled to be doing so. 

Wilco's set was amazing. High energy crowd, and Jeff commented it was the best crowd of the tour so far, and I had to agree with him. He was quite chatty throughout - no curfew here! Despite that, Red Eye / I Got You was on the setlist for the 2nd encore, but was not played.

The whole band was on my flight to Auckland today, and I got to chat to Jeff for a while, as well as get my tour poster signed. Such a humble nice man, as is the whole band! 

Can't wait for tonight's show - Jeff confirmed Neil and Tim Finn will be there, as well as Bonnie Raitt. Here's hoping for an all star jam!

Agreed! Really enjoyed meeting everyone. Saw that the Milk Carton Kids have been announced for Thornbury Theatre in June, might see you there Dave?

Ok if it there's definitely no curfew, then why the rush to get off stage and not even play the full setlist planned. The only explanation I can make is that the venue has only been paid for them to play till 11pm. If they want to play beyond that it must cost more money. Or, Wilco just didn't feel like playing longer (which I find a little hard to believe). 

We can debate this in a few hours time