Oweihops

I think it has potential, but it's not all that genius. It's just like Amazon recommends, with lots of redundancy, especially since it doesn't pick up on a lot of more obscure music. It's ultra-repetitive.

I hate seeing shows at Pearl St., although that was the venue where I first saw Wilco back in 1999. Built to Spill was initially slated to play at the Calvin Theater, and I was excited because my wife and I purchased tickets in the center of the first row balcony. But the show was moved just a few days ago (not enough tickets sold?), so Pearl St. it was. The room isn't all that bad, I'm just generally allergic to giant herds of standing people. And for that, the Built to Spill show did not disappoint; Pearl St. smelled like 1000 beer farts.

But the show was amazing. The first openers, the Drones, were pretty dreadful. I thought they put everything they had into the performance, and appreciated that, but the songs were just boring, for all of their brute force. The Meat Puppets were everything the Drones were not: fun, lively, and with a sense of regionalism and music history guiding their sound in every song, regardless of how fast or psychedelic or goofy it got. I didn't know what to expect from them, never having heard one of their albums, but I was seriously impressed.

Built to Spill--well shit. They're on tour right now specifically to play the album Perfect From Now On in its entirety, in order. I've never seen a band do this, and it was remarkable. The crowd was more into this show than any concert I've been to in recent memory, and I think it's because they played that album, and faithfully. People's enthusiasm was not just for the band, but for their creation, the epic record that most everyone in the room has some presumably special connection with. The basic trio was abetted by two extra guitarists and a cellist/keyboardist. If this tour stops near you, I highly recommend. The setlist:

Randy Described Eternity

I Would Hurt a Fly

Stop the Show

Made-Up Dreams

Velvet Waltz

Out Of Sight

Kicked It In the Sun

Untrustable Part 2

Goin' Against Your Mind

Big Dipper

Car

Some of this is in order, as in first few and last, but not all:

Trains Across the Sea

San Francisco, B.C.

Aloysius Bluegrass Drummer

Dallas

Black and Brown Blues

Horseleg Swastikas

Smith & Jones Forever

I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You

My Pillow Is the Threshold

K-Hole

Random Rules

We Could Be Looking for the Same Thing

Strange Victory, Strange Defeat

Slow Education

Tennessee

Pretty Eyes

The Wild Kindness

Suffering Jukebox

Punks In the Beerlight

I don't think I'm missing anything....

 

Instrumental Improv (Solo)

Why? (Solo)

Nervous Tic Motion

Opposite Day

??

Plasticities

Imitosis

New Song

Tables and Chairs

??

 

 

Hey Michael B: The first ?? was "Lull" and the final song of the set was "Some of These Days I'll Be Gone" by Charlie Patton.

 

My wife and I had a great time on the lawn, but it wasn't as intimate as the Pines. We felt kinda left out since we couldn't see the band at all. Still, it was great to hear some songs I've heard them perform after 7 or so shows, like "Pieholden" and "Mountain Bed."

Poor Places is relatively rare these days, no?

I was surprised by how many people hadn't heard of Low, and how poorly they seemed to be received. Although I don't think Low really played a good setlist for an outdoor show. Apart from "Canada" they didn't really pull out too many of their more sonically aggressive numbers.

In no particular order at all:

Either Way

You Are My Face

Impossible Germany

Side With the Seeds

Sky Blue Sky

Hate It Here

Walken

On & On & On

Handshake Drugs

I'm a Wheel

I'm the Man Who Loves You

I am trying to break your heart

Kamera

Poor Places

Jesus Etc.

War on War

Outtasite Outtamind

Shot in the Arm

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Via Chicago

Hummingbird

Heavy Metal Drummer

Soundchecked but not played: Say You Miss Me, Pot Kettle Black, At My Window Sad & Lonely

Am I missing anything?