Preferred B

I loved the show last night, for the reasons bbop mentioned and because it was just a good night of music. I hadn't heard any clips of the new songs going in, which really made for a unique concert experience. It's not every day I get to watch one of my favorite musicians perform fourteen completely new-to-me songs in a row. (Plus two more later on.) It's a lot to take in at once! I'm eager to have the album in hand and listen some more at my leisure, to really let things soak in.

I can't speak to the actual song selection process for the album, P, and I'm sure you're right that there were many more than twenty contenders. But I did hear that the songs were mostly written and recorded within the past year, with a few minor exceptions.

It was so cool to see Spencer up there on the Pabst stage (well, what I could see of him from my seat, anyway!) playing drums with his dad's band. Especially thinking back to the Blisters' first performance in 2003 at Second City. Gosh, kids grow up fast. (And I'm officially an old woman.) Loved "Give Back the Key to My Heart." I really enjoyed all of the solo set songs, too - something about the night, or maybe just the different context within the show, made me hear everything with fresh ears.

Incidentally, around the time I was starting to head back home last night, a tornado hit a couple of miles from my house. There's a lot of damage nearby. Yikes. I hope anyone driving back the same way fared okay.

New Moon*

 

Another moon song to pick from!

Thanks for the report. Sorry to hear that single was only available in Detroit - maybe another version will show up for sale at some point.

"Publicly" and "via FB" aren't quite the same thing, though I'm certainly not trying to be the arbiter of what's appropriate or not.

We've got about 18 days - Athens, Kalamata, a couple of small towns on the Peloponnese (Vounaria and Koroni, maybe Methoni), Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos, and Paros. We'll be in Athens about three different times, but never for a full day. Mostly arriving in the afternoon and leaving the next morning or afternoon. So we'll have time for a couple of things there - and some meals - but not much more. Kalamata is only an overnight, too. The other places, we have a few days in each. I'm excited! I should have some recs when I return.

I'm going to remphish's destinations plus a few more in May, so I'm interested in recommendations too.

The Goldfinch was one of my library races. I felt like I deserved a medal for finishing it in two weeks.

I am finally reading Gone Girl. About 2/3 of the way through, and enjoying it. Maudie, give The Goldfinch a shot! I really liked it. Maybe it didn't need to be quite as long as it was, but it was addictive. I also recently finished this:

It was fascinating. I think you probably need to have seen The Room to fully appreciate the portrait of Tommy Wiesau, though.

I'm always racing to finish library books before they're due. Waiting in the wings for me right now:

Jeff has covered Pink Moon at a Living Rooms Show or two in the past, so it wasn't totally random. (Thanks for making that request, by the way, Paul. Even if you had to endure some ribbing.) Personally, I love it when people request songs I would probably never otherwise get to hear Jeff perform. I went with the Bill Fay cover and ELT this time around, because those were the songs I wanted to hear. But hey, might as well give something unusual a try if you really want to hear it! As long as you provide a sensible alternate choice, that is.

What a fantastic weekend. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy now, despite the weather. We heard many great songs over the two nights - Jeff gets in his yearly teasing about the way these setlists are chosen, but I'm so happy they've continued with the request format. It's pretty amazing that Jeff is willing take a list of songs on a few hours' notice, and turn that list into a show like the one we saw tonight. Lots of great banter, too. (Tamala ... the green grass?) Much love to the Tweedys ... thanks again for everything!

Thanks for the commiseration, guys. I did buy my ticket knowing full well that this might happen - or that I could end up with things to do at work that wouldn't let me leave in time. A Monday night in January just isn't a great bet. Oh well; I'm glad the money was for charity. And I'm glad to be warm at home!

Same here, Wendy. I'm bummed to miss it, but what can you do? Same offer applies if someone who can get there wants to PM me about a ticket.

I just have to say I've wanted to hear "Ashes" solo for such a long time now, but it didn't even occur to me to try requesting it at Largo. I was beyond thrilled that Jeff opened with it tonight! I was also in a Candyfloss kind of mood, so that was great to hear. These shows were a privilege to attend, and I'm grateful to everyone involved in making them happen. Not to mention pnêyu, who introduced me to Largo almost ten years ago. It was wonderful to see so many friends this week.

It has been a dream come true to see Jeff play these shows at Largo. I'm excited for tonight, but sad that it's the last. (For now?) So far I'm not sick, either, which is definitely to the good! Just let me get home first.

Yay for the Vic shows! Do you know if there will be a 2-ticket minimum per buyer per night? I can't remember if there has been in the past or not.

I really appreciate the detailed reviews in this thread. Lots of great songs in these setlists - I can't wait for Largo!

If he would only do "Feels Good" someday (with maybe a little dance step), I could officially retire from showgoing. 

I would also accept "If I Had No Loot."

Damn, I saw the setlist on FB that included "Anniversary" and was hoping so hard that Jeff had covered Tony Toni Tone. But I came here to check, and no, just "Nothing Up My Sleeve." I guess that's good too.

Thanks so much for posting - I got through for Wednesday as well.

The whole Largo situation made me sad. I know certain people (I'd count myself as one) who have been dreaming of seeing Jeff play music at Largo for years and years.

It's also missing Passenger Side!

I don't have the setlist - sorry! I'm sure someone else must. But I wanted to get the topic started (and honor bböp by using the correct title format - at least I hope I did.)

The band had an hour and a half to play, and it went by way too quickly. It was great to hear "Give Back The Key To My Heart," as well as a couple of local nods - "New Madrid" and "Casino Queen." The National, who played on the same stage as Wilco an hour earlier, joined the band for "California Stars." Or, at Jeff said, 90% of The National. I don't believe vocalist Matt Berninger was on stage. The National's horn players also assisted on "I'm The Man."

Jeff mentioned that there has been a lot of loss in the area lately, and hoped that music was as helpful to the audience as it is to him. "Born Alone" was dedicated to Bob Reuter, and Jeff's brother Greg. Later, "Happy Birthday" was sung in honor of Jeff's dad, Bob, who is turning (has turned?) 80.

Random detail for people who care about such things: Jeff had a guitar in hand for the whole "Art of Almost," though he still didn't use it for the first verses. I don't think I'd personally seen that before.

So sorry to hear this terrible news. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Glenn will only be at the Radiolab shows that don't conflict with Wilco touring. Darin Gray is going to play all of them.

I disagree about the Radiolab set - I really enjoyed it. It was Radiolab with a live score by On Fillmore. It wasn't an On Fillmore show that some guys happened to crash. The story they told was fun, going into detail about one theory on how dinosaurs were wiped out.  Evaporated rock-turned-glass shards raining down all over the globe? Awesome.

That was fantastic! Whenever I listen to Revolver, I replay "And Your Bird Can Sing" at least once as a matter of course. I'm glad Wilco subscribes to that policy as well.