unifiedtheory

Thanks, everyone! On the jazz side of things I also love An Oscar Peterson Christmas and Kenny Burrell's Have Yourself a Soulful Christmas. And another recent favorite to add: Khruangbin's dreamy, funk-inflected cover of Guaraldi's Christmas Time is Here.

Happy holidays, VCers!

I'm on the hunt for some fresh holiday music, looking specifically for things that are slightly off the snow-tromped path. What are some of your favorites?

To stoke the fire I'll offer a few favorites of my own: the album Quality Street by Nick Lowe and the song The Week Between by Jonathan Coulton and John Roderick. Recordings of past Aimee Mann Christmas shows are also a staple in our house this time of year -- they are funny and freewheeling and loopy. Her cover of the Snow Miser/Heat Miser song is great fun, and Calling on Mary has a kind of mournful, searching beauty that ventures beyond the often narrow emotional terrain of the holiday music genre.

Thanks, and here's wishing you all a healthy and festive holiday season.

Thanks for the reports! One of my favorite bits of Wilco lore concerns the recording of Casino Queen (as told by Greg Kot in Learning to Die). If I remember correctly, Brian Henneman was meant to play guitar on the song, but he was in the throes of a mighty hangover. Instead he sat in the corner of the studio clinking a gin bottle or two -- perhaps the ones that led to said hangover -- a clinking you can can hear on the recording.

Thousand Dollar Car was a staple of college singalongs, and hearing that song always brings me back. Must've been great to see Jeff and Brian back in the old neighborhood last night.

That explains the promo I saw the other day. "Vampire Weekend: Now with 12.6% more cowbell." Thanks, Paul!

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, but I just saw an Instagram comment that raised a question I've been wondering about: What happened to Josh, the Wilco guitar tech perhaps best known for his shirtless cowbell performances? He wasn't at Solid Sound (not that I saw, anyway), and hasn't been on the road with the band this fall, either. Anyone know?

Thanks for the reassuring news about Mr Sansone. He did look out of sorts when I saw them last month.

He looked engaged and upbeat at the Brooklyn Steel show, too. I was about ten people back on Pat's side and we got several appreciative nods and bows throughout the show. A few windmills and raised guitar neck salutes, too. Was very happy to see that.

Thanks for the reminder about the extra bit of banter regarding the mop incident. I added it to my post. Had it scrawled down in my notes, but couldn’t decipher my own handwriting tbh.

 

And yeah, I think anyone who was at those shows in 2004 and is still around interested in Wilco 2019 probably felt a little twinge of nostalgia going back there last night. Good to hear your story about it.

I'm amazed that you can take verbatim notes in packed, dimly lit venues in real time. One of your superpowers, for sure. The few times I've posted reports it's been quite a lot of detective work to figure out my scribbling after the show. I'm curious if you have a go-to notebook for Wilco shows?

Another small banter moment I remembered in the days following Radio City: After Nels's solo on Impossible Germany, Jeff said "You know, he lives around here," which I thought was a fun riff on Jeff's occasional "he walks among us" Nels Cline tribute line.

While RCMH is one of the prettiest venues I’ve been in (& most comfortable, for whatever that’s worth), I found myself pretty grumpy last night due to all of the talkers around me. Perhaps due to the size of the venue or the new material, but fans nearby were especially chatty. We had to ask two sets of neighbors to stop talking. (One, during BBN, actually turned to her partner and said “I have a funny story to tell you,” which was the final straw). Still glad to have been in the building, but very much looking forward to a GA show tonight.

I'm sorry you had to contend with so many talkers! Sustained talking at concerts boggles my mind. Last night there was a group behind us whose enthusiastic screech singing devolved into belligerent yell/singing/name shouting as the concert went on (and presumably as more drinks were consumed). It's a tough situation: On the one hand you never want to dampen anyone's genuine enthusiasm. On the other hand it seems like such a simple rule of thumb: Enjoy the show, and within reason don't do anything to interfere with anyone else's enjoyment of the show. But sadly some people seem to think that the show is background music for whatever conversation they're having or solo performance they're giving. (And if seeing the band at Radio City had some of the time travel moments I mentioned, where you briefly feel like you're walking around in your mid-twenties shoes, then debating whether to ask someone to quiet down definitely has the opposite effect!) So yes, the GA setup for tonight will be a nice change.

As always, thanks for the excellent reportage, bböp! I will add that Jeff introduced "Everyone Hides" by announcing that the band had made a video for the song, and that "one of the stars of the video is here tonight. I won't point him out, though."

Another snippet from Banter Corner came on the heels of Jeff's mop remarks, when he asked the unidentified beer spiller if the band had startled him/her/they to cause the spill. "Was it the drum break in Via Chicago?" he asked, and did an impression of someone jumping back in surprise. That comment got a smile from Glenn. And it was a welcome moment of playful spontaneity in a show in which the band -- to their credit -- roared through a dynamic setlist to make the most of the evening.

As Paul mentioned, there was a palpable sweetness to Wilco's long-awaited return to Radio City. My wife and I caught both shows in October 2004 shortly after I moved back to NYC from Chicago, and just before she moved here to join me. After seeing the band in their first warm-up show at Otto's that spring, with Jeff easing his way back into the stage's spotlight with two new band members playing alongside him, the Radio City double-header felt like a glorious and much-deserved moment of triumph for the band. I'm grateful every time I get to see Wilco, and last night's show was tinged with that gratitude and enhanced by the memories of those two nights fifteen years ago. It was a show threaded with the kind of personal time travel moments you get when you love a band over decades, when they've work so hard and so well to keep pushing themselves as artists and humans, and when you're fortunate enough to return to a certain special venue to see them across the space of many years. We've changed, they've changed, but here we are, back at this vaunted hall.

This is my first show on the Ode to Joy tour (we are going tonight in Brooklyn, too) and for an intentionally spare record, I was impressed by the expansiveness of the songs in a big live setting. I loved that the setlist was loaded with songs from A Ghost is Born, and while I know from the excellent dispatches by Paul and others that the song choices weren't dictated by this particular venue, it felt especially appropriate given the fact that the band was returning for the first time since the AGIB tour. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the sustained energy in the orchestra, with many people standing and signing and dancing in the aisles for much of the show. A personal highlight was finally getting to see "How To Fight Loneliness" in concert. The band played a stunning arrangement of it, and Pat's solo in particular had a wistful beauty that filled the hall.

Looking forward to tonight at Brooklyn Steel, a venue that stands in dramatic contrast to Radio City. I can't wait to see how the new songs and old favorites take flight in such a different space.

I have a friend who's looking for a single ticket for Brooklyn Steel. Anyone got one? Thanks!

1. How To Fight Loneliness

2. Summer Teeth

3. Thirteen (Big Star cover) -- This was on the setlist for Solid Sound night 2 in 2015, which was cut short due to weather

4. Pick Up The Change

5. ELT

6. Dreamer In My Dreams

7. Too Far Apart

8. What Light

9. My Darling

10. Blue-eyed Soul

Just edited my original post with a full recap. Also, a question: How long has Jeff been rocking his braids? I don't recall seeing them last summer or early fall, but I do seem to remember a reference to one of the crew braiding his hair during their European tour last fall.

Another stellar night at the Beacon! Apologies if there are errors in the song order, or if I've left anything out, but here's what I have for tonight's setlist. Recap to come tomorrow.

On And On And On
Normal American Kids*
If I Ever Was A Child
Cry All Day
IATTBYH
Art Of Almost
She’s A Jar
Misunderstood (Hootenanny arrangement – Jeff on acoustic, Nels on lap steel, Pat on banjitar, John on 12-string acoustic)
Someone To Lose
Reservations
Impossible Germany
Jesus, Etc.
We Aren't The World (Safety Girl)
Laminated Cat
Via Chicago
Locator
Heavy Metal Drummer
I'm The Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird

The Late Greats

---------------------------------

I’m Always In Love
Random Name Generator
Box Full Of Letters
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)

---------------------------------
California Stars
Forget The Flowers

* Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline only

The boys were in fine form again tonight, the third show of their four-night run and the first after a day off. In addition to feeling spoiled by the long run in NYC, I like to think that these mini-residencies are a welcome variation to the touring grind for the band and crew. They get to settle into the city a bit, take a day off, take in some of the local art and architecture.

We were in the back row of the loge for this show, experiencing a different vantage point and energy from Saturday’s spot in the orchestra. The sound was still quite clear, but slightly muted, not quite as pristine or expansive as the front of the orchestra. When you’re not under the balcony overhang, you really do feel the music and the crowd noise fill the grand old room. Being in the back row, we were happily able to stand and dance for the entire show and not worry about blocking anyone’s view. For most of the main set we were two of only four standees in the loge. This isn’t a knock -- the energy and crowd noise was decent, it’s just a bit more low key. Or loge key? A few more standees joined the ranks later on, then most of the loge was on their feet for the rip roaring first encore. From what I could see, the orchestra looked like a party throughout, intensifying as the show went on. While the show had a slightly different vibe up above, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment, and I appreciated the bird’s eye view of the band, being able to see each of the guys and their interactions more clearly (especially Mikael and Pat’s performances), and catching details like the mini parade route of Pat’s back and forth marching during Monday.

On And On And On was a welcome opener, and not a big surprise considering its recent Winterlude appearance. It’s less of a Nels showcase than Ashes, which perhaps set the tone for the rest of the show, differentiating it a bit from Saturday. While Nels stood tall on his mountaintop and threw down his usual thunderbolts, the show and setlist as a whole seemed like less of a grand parade of his solos, with a few obvious exceptions. (Again, this could be the Loge Effect.) In particular, he again put the impossible in Impossible Germany with one of the most blazing solos I’ve seen him deliver on that song. I was a lot farther away this time, but it seemed the equal of Saturday’s night’s solo. And maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like a longer solo, too. (Or maybe that’s the extra couple milliseconds it took for the sound to travel back to us.) The applause that followed was intense – a true standing ovation that got almost everyone in our section out of their seats, even the people who’d been sitting for the solo itself. After the solo, Jeff motioned to Nels to give him his due. And Glenn gave him a salutatory drum beat.

Jeff didn’t really address the crowd until after She’s A Jar, when he quipped that “I can’t help but feel like the applause I got for the harmonica was a little charitable. Every one of you could do that by the end of the show if I gave you a harmonica.” He paused a moment, then added: “Maybe some of you couldn’t.”

The banter picked up a bit from there. As the rapturous reception of Impossible Germany subsided, Jeff spotted someone in the crowd and asked “Is that a Make Wilco Great Again hat?” There was a bit of a back and forth I couldn’t hear, and Jeff replied “That’s brave,” which made me wonder whether it was the other kind of Great Again hat. Or maybe it was something in the audience exchange that I missed. I wasn’t alone in my confusion. “I don’t know what just happened,” Jeff admitted, before emphasizing that he was having fun anyway and getting back to business. “I think you should all sing along, if you want to. That would truly make Wilco great again.” The band then launched into Jesus, Etc., Wilco’s accidental anthem for New York City. As he did on Saturday night, Jeff stepped back from the mic and let the audience take the lead for the “Our Love” portion, and the singing filled the hall to rousing effect.

Before the next song, Jeff made mention of Schmilco, "the album we released back in September.” He repeated the title a few times in a kind of instructive tone, advising us to “say it like you don’t mean it.” Then the band launched into We Aren’t The World (Safety Girl). It’s been a lot fun seeing that song live, and in a theater setting, which as others have noted seems a natural home for the Schmilco songs.

We got a nice surprise with Laminated Cat, which I’m always thrilled to hear. The evocative lyrics and their musings of passing time, Mikael’s spacey effects, Jeff’s riff, Glenn’s shake-shake percussion, the band’s propulsive blasts between verses. All beautiful stuff.

Those brash, interspersed bursts continued with Via, Chicago, followed by a particularly amped-up Locator. Afterward Jeff announced that the song “was an ode to paranoia. That’s what that was,” then joked that he didn’t really need to explain it. There were some shouts from the audience,  after which Jeff said “I feel like we’re having trouble communicating tonight. I feel like it’s my fault.” It seemed more bemused than edgy, though I’d say certain members of the crowd took more shouty liberties than on Saturday night. This turned into an extended banter session where Jeff then noticed someone in the front row with crutches. In a callback to Saturday, he said “I did say the other night a show is only good if there's a crutch in the air. But I didn't mean you should bring a crutch if you don't need it. Is that a legit crutch?” Another person in the orchestra then raised his or her crutch, too, which seemed to satisfy Jeff that there was at least one audience member with a pair of medically necessary, non-vanity crutches. Moving on to introduce Heavy Metal Drummer, Jeff noted that “this is a song about the good old days.” When the applause didn’t quite seem up to snuff, Jeff asked, in mock indignation, “Is that all you got for the good old days? You can’t even remember the good old days. That was seventy days ago.”

So politics was again a recurring theme, but I’d say less so than on Saturday night, even give the Make Wilco Great Again hat call out. Jeff was again wearing a black We’re All In This Together shirt under his jacket, and he did preface one song by simply saying that phrase, leaving out any references to the fine print.

I know the Sunday crowd got a Glenn stand-up to kick off I'm The Man Who Loves You, and I’m happy to report that we got one last night, too. Jeff whispered something to Glenn beforehand, and Nels turned expectantly to him as the band played the opening strains. The rest of the guys followed suit and, after a pause, Glenn climbed up on his stool. He did the extended arms move twice, which seemed like an extra flourish, and the lights dropped to make him a silhouette against the twilight blue screen-sky behind him. The crowd went wild for it, as well they should, and Glenn leaped down onto his stool and tore into the song, and all was right with the rock ‘n’ roll world.

Despite his stand-up effort, Glenn was not thanked with a shimmy or a coat flash during Hummingbird, which followed. Or maybe the lack of a shimmy flash WAS the thank you? Jeff then took a moment to note that Val, the artist who painted the fauxliage backdrop, was in the crowd, and to thank her for her beautiful work. He confessed that he couldn’t remember her last name at the moment, then joked that “she’s done all the Broadway shows, you’ve seen them.” The crowd cheered for her, and the house lights came up. I couldn’t see from my perch in the loge, but hopefully she took a bow. Jeff added that she’d “based the design on a 106-year-old Scottish Rite temple in New Mexico. I don’t know why I chose to share that tidbit with you tonight,” he said. He followed it up with a jokey yell of “Scottish Rite Temple!” like he was trying to make a rock mantra out of it, then added: “She painted it with kitten whiskers. It took her seventeen years. But we’ve been around a long time, so we planned ahead.”

These Beacon shows have been my first chance to see the fauxliage in effect. I enjoyed getting to see it from both near and semi-far. Up close you can see the netting that supports the painted fabric trees. The changing effects over the course of the show – the screen sky with its passing of days and seasons, the turning colors of the painted leaves, the white veins that come out in the blacklight, combine to create a mesmerizing effect. It reminded me a bit of an artist’s rendering of the treeline-at-sunset backdrop from last year’s Moorhead show.

The Late Greats brought the main set to a close. After a short break, the band launched into one of the most fun and high-energy encores I’ve seen in a while. They kicked it off with a chugging, hard–charging version of I’m Always In Love (hard chugging?). The arrangement seemed different than I’ve ever heard it before, and it rocked hard, a show highlight for sure. So it was a surprise when, as lkapon noted, Jeff waved the song off about 2/3 of the way through. “Are we in B?” he asked the band. He pointed to his earpiece and said “I’m sorry, I have no idea what’s going on. This is absolutely the wrong thing to do, stopping a song in the middle, I can’t remember when I’ve ever done that.” He played a riff, the band sorted things out, then they launched back into the song and brought it to an equally energetic conclusion. I admit I didn’t pick up on anything being amiss before Jeff hit pause, but it didn’t mess with the momentum of the encore, which barreled on into the good and good-for-you crunchy fun of Random Name Generator. (A couple songs later, Jeff jokingly announced “This one’s in E.”) Jut as the band was about to start Box Full Of Letters, some folks down below shouted out a request. I couldn’t make out what it was, but Jeff looked incredulous and said “Okay. We’ll take that into consideration. Next time please submit your request in writing.” To the rest of us he said “Sorry, I know we have a show to play but these guys have a request.” The band really was on the verge of starting the next song when the insistent shouting interrupted them, so it was bad timing and bad form. But it didn’t mess with the flow, and Box Full Of Letters was rollicking as usual. It’s always a treat to see Pat take a turn on lead guitar, and he seemed in great spirits and great form again last night. We even got some windmill action.

Monday (on a Tuesday!) was another show highlight, and the crowd went nuts for it. There was lots of clapping in the lead up, even more when Jeff coaxed it up to "rock show" level. Nels did this sweet little gesture where he pointed both fingers in the air, alternating hands, before the band launched into the song. Pat went full windmill (if not quite at I’m A Wheel speed), and also did that move where he kind of swings the guitar back and forth on its strap. Monday led into a joyful Outtasite to close the first encore.

It was hard to see how they could top an encore like that, and it was pretty clear from a guitar switcheroo and some last minute instructions from Jeff that they were calling an audible, as confirmed by Sandy’s report of the printed setlist. California Stars was typically lovely, with solos from Nels, Mikael and Pat (banjo). And Forget the Flowers was indeed a surprising finale, with an energetic, spicy twang that had people up and dancing to close out the night.

This kind of stuff is from the "Knowing way too much about the band" dept., but I'm glad that at least some people are interested. From what I heard re: Matrix, it has to do with visa problems. Always an issue with foreign bands/crew this time of year, and probably with the Trump idiocy compounding matters. Hopefully things get sorted for him soon...

 

Thanks for the intel, Bböp. I hope his visa issues get resolved soon.

On another note, it occurred to me that, unless I'm mistaken, these shows are the band's first full concerts in Manhattan since Terminal 5 in 2012. The NYC area has been graced with a bounty of Wilco appearances during the past few years, more than I could've hoped or expected. But it's still a bit surprising that it's been nearly 5 years since they've ventured into the deep chrome canyons. The Beacon really is an ideal home for them, the one drawback perhaps being that the theater setting encourages sitting more than primarily GA venues.

I always enjoy a show heavy on the Being There and AGIB selections. Tonight's set list satisfied that need.

 

After Nels' well-deserved, prolonged ovation, one that took so long the band was already in position with their next instruments for Misunderstood, Jeff remarked "you guys are really excited to see that banjo."

Jeff was a little goofy again tonight. He flashed Glenn during Hummingbird. No shimmy. Just stood there with his jacket open. As a veteran of NYC subways in the 80s it seemed location appropriate.

At one point he promised he had been focused on performing , but that he couldn't help notice that the exit signs were in the Black Flag font.

I can't remember specifics, but at one point he jokingly berated himself by muttering "stupid Jeff." If anybody remembers the context please refresh my memory. I'm sure we all wish unifiedtheory was in attendance tonight to deliver the stellar recap he wrote of Night 1.

Thanks, Sandy. I wish I'd been there, too! Excited to get back to it tomorrow night. Are you going to the full run?

You're welcome. One feels a certain sense of responsibility when bbop is not in attendance.

My thoughts exactly! Thanks for the reports, Sandy!

A few more stray thoughts from the night:

The whole band seemed in great spirits. We were farthest from Pat, but he seemed especially aware and appreciative of the crowd's energy. No windmills, but he did the wind up move a few times. He's rocking a full beard now, which reminded me a bit of a younger man's version of Bob Weir's beard. Pat's a lot younger than Weir, but through their respective careers they've shared a kind of enduring boyishness, so it seems a halfway decent comparison. Or maybe I just like saying "Bob Weir's beard." Maybe there's a future Wilco b-side in the phrase, a nod to their previous song about another famous Bob and his beard.

The sing along portion of Jesus, Etc... really filled the theater. (Jeff did his standard invitation for the audience to chime in.) As Jeff has acknowledged in past shows, that song has a special connection to, and resonance in, New York. I always love hearing it here.

When Jeff did his "You hanging in there so far?" check in, a guy yelled out "keep your hands down," probably in reference to enthusiastic fans, or maybe people overdoing it with the cell phone videos. Jeff retorted that "I don't think you can ask people to keep their hands down at a rock show," which prompted a big cheer and many raised hands. Maybe a couple raised crutches, too.

Once again, Matrix wasn't working as Jeff's guitar tech. (Bböp noted this in his write-up about a recent show. Toronto, maybe?) I hope all is well with him. Anyone know the reason for his absence?

Thanks for the setlist, remphish1, and for the other write-ups and recordings, everyone! A few notes and thoughts to add to what others have said:

My wife and I were in the 6th row on Nels's side. As other has noted, Wilco's guitar wizard cast a particularly powerful magic last night. Because Nels always seems to emanate a kind of brilliant light in both music and spirit, I've sometimes had a hard time determining what makes a given performance especially transcendent. (As Jeff said at one NYC show: "he walks among us.") But I imagine this run of shows, being a homecoming for Nels, and a Beacon homecoming at that, is something special for him. His solos were otherworldly, and he was especially buoyant and bouncy throughout the show. Also, somehow he doesn't seem to break a sweat. How is that possible? The ovation after Impossible Germany was the longest I can remember. John had that kind of proud smile that suggests the solo was a standout for the band, too. The applause went on for such a long time that Jeff had to abandon his first couple attempts at stepping back to the mic. His "I think we're gonna be all right," comment was a nice return to the subtle (up to that point) political commentary and a sly reference to the cathartic power of the face melting solo.

Politics hovered over the show -- not only on Jeff's We're all in this together" shirt, which he wore but didn't explain. One of Jeff's first banter moments was to ask the crowd "How you doing so far? You hanging in there?" which I think many took as a standard show check-in but seemed like more of a post-election general wellness check. When he launched into the "save pessimism for better times" commentary knotgreen mentioned, and which I know from Bböp's reports that he's done at other shows, Jeff said something like: "The French say that. We've been to France, they really do say that. I can't say it in French though." As worldrecordplayer said, Jeff also invoked his father's advice. "I'll tell you what my 83-year-old father told me: Don't let that monster make you f*cking sick." The f-bomb stood out to me because they're relatively rare from Jeff these days, and it really brought the point home. This is no time for pessimism, and it's not time to mince words, either. Maybe someone should put Jeff's dad's advice on a shirt, too. Hardly missing a beat, Jeff followed up the advice anecdote with a wry "Here's a song from our first record," before the band launched into a blistering Box Full of Letters.

Elsewhere in Banter Corner:

When the band came out for the first encore, Jeff noted that "A moment of silence doesn't seem appropriate for Chuck Berry. How about a moment of jubilation? We wouldn't be here, none of us (indicating the band AND the crowd) would be here without Chuck Berry." Which led to much cheers and the quick, careful attempt at a duck walk that Sandy mentioned. The news of Berry's death broke relatively close to the show, but I wonder if we might see a cover during the Beacon run. Wishful thinking, maybe, but one can dream.

There was a guy in our row with crutches, which he raised a couple times in salute to the band. When Jeff acknowledged him, it prompted a second fan in the same section to raise his or her crutches, too. Multiple crutch salutes! When the guys came out for the second encore, Jeff summed it up this way: "You know it's a good night when there are crutches aloft."

As far as I know, I think this is the first Beacon appearance by this lineup. Wilco does a good job of changing up their NYC venues, and the Beacon is an obvious place for them in terms of size, sound quality, history and atmosphere. The crowd gave them a warm and enthusiastic welcome. After a standing reception for the Ashes opener, everyone sat back down, and stayed seated for a several of the Schmilco songs, which had me a bit worried about the crowd energy and the band's perception of it. (At last year's Kings Theatre shows, most everyone I could see stood from start to finish). But the orchestra crowd stood up again for IATTBYH and was mostly up from then on. I glanced back at the loge and balcony several times (we have loge seats for Wednesday's show) and saw that most everyone was sitting for the majority of the show except for the back couple rows of the loge and a couple of dancin' rebels in the first row of the balcony. Throughout the theater and throughout the night, the joyful noise of applause and cheering was at a constant and loud pitch. I also thought we did a decent job of the Spiders sing-a-long. Not Chile level; "They sing pretty loud in Chile," Jeff goaded. But not too shabby.

As we were leaving, I heard one guy remark flatly that he "didn't realize they were a jam band," which I thought would amuse some of VCers. We're sitting out tonight's show but will be back on Tuesday and Wednesday. What a gift of a run ahead of Solid Sound.

Took me ~15-20 mins, but I scored rear orchestra for Sun & Weds. at Beacon Theater. I'm cool with that, especially as orchestra was less expensive than loge, go figure.  I don't know the Beacon though, only ever been once - does the loge overhang the orchestra really far?

 

 

From what I can find online, the loge overhangs the orchestra beginning at Row O. I thought it was curious that the loge was priced at the highest level whereas some orchestra seats that are closer to the stage (but maybe farther to the left or right) were cheaper. I think some people really favor the loge perspective so it's considered a premium?

Strangely I found that Safari worked a lot faster than Firefox. Firefox didn't seem to do the extra level of anti-bot measures (no picture selection screen) but took considerably longer pulling tickets.

Seemed like there were still decent pairs of seats popping up 15-20 minutes in, so hopefully everyone on the board got something. I won't be able to make all 4 shows, but a long run makes things easier for everyone. Beacon plus Solid Sound is making 2017 seem like an embarrassment of Wilco riches.

Anyone see any tapers at the show? I saw a mic rig in front of the sound board but I figure that's part of their usual setup?

Thanks for posting the list, Parisistale! That's some impressive posting speed. I had barely hit the signing line when I saw that you'd put it up.

Seeing any band in the friendly confines of Rough Trade is a treat -- I was lucky to catch Sturgill Simpson's album release show there earlier this year -- and the fact that Wilco dropped by felt like Christmas morning on a warm September night. The only time I'd ever seen Wilco in such an intimate setting was their first Otto's warm-up show in May 2004. (My wife saw them play an in-store at Tower Records in Chicago in the days when you could basically walk right up to the front.) We all know they were in town to play Colbert, but it really is a testament to the band and their crew and management that they'd take the time and considerable effort to book and set up and play and break down a free (with purchase) in-store show during their short spell in town. Not that we needed further proof of their commitment to fans and record stores, but I'm very grateful for it all the same.

The room at Rough Trade is set up like a small club, ringed with a shallow balcony, with two bars lining the left hand wall. Capacity is somewhere in the neighborhood of 300. Even with a packed house, there's still room for controlled yet enthusiastic hand clapping and head bobbing in the style of many a Wilco fan, including this one. The sound is warm and clear and bright and really brings out the flourishes and details of the music, making it an especially welcome and fitting place to hear the new Schmilco songs. The band seemed to appreciate this, too. When they finished IATTBYH, Jeff remarked that it was "so nice to hear the nuances of that song." Such are the joys of Rough Trade's miniature scale and pristine acoustics.

Nuance seemed to be the word of the night. Earlier, after finishing up Someone to Lose, Jeff stepped back to the mic and sang an a cappella snippet of the chorus, going from the falsetto "I hope you find" to the deeper "someone to lose," giving himself an impromptu vocal workout in the name of making sure "everyone was getting the nuances of the vocal performance," or something to that effect.

The band played for about 35 minutes and made the most of their time, with little banter through the first few songs. A few songs in, Jeff jokingly asked "Where are the records?" This prompted several people to hold up their copies of Schmilco. Jeff clarified that he was asking about other records, the ones for sale in the shop. "I thought this was a record store, but it feels like a club." He quickly clarified he was still joking: "I know, I've been here before. I didn't buy anything, though. I don't like music."

Jeff introduced Someone to Lose by saying "Here's another song off our new album, Wilco Schmilco. I'm assuming all of you have it. Maybe some of you haven't opened it yet. Nerds." Putting a new spin on a tried and true line, he announced that they're planning to re-release Star Wars and Schmilco as one combined album titled Cease and Desist. "It'll be the 10th anniversary edition," he teased. "You can pre-order it now."

At one point Jeff asked the audience about the sound and got an enthusiastic response. Someone shouted "turn up the lead vocal" and Jeff retorted that he wasn't actually asking for criticism. "You're supposed to just say we sound great." Perhaps this question about sound quality was tempting fate. A few minutes later, fate responded with two terrible feedback whines that caused John to wince and stagger in pain. The band played through it, and thankfully the shrieking subsided and didn't return. After the song, when someone expressed concern for John, Jeff reassured us that "John's okay. He lost all his hearing a LONG time ago. "Hopefully that won't happen again," Jeff went on, then added with an impish grin: "It WAS pretty cool, though."

Another fun band moment came in the lead up to IATTBYH, when Jeff asked Glenn if he was going to start the song. Glenn shook his head no. This prompted Jeff to to share a joke the band has when they're recording at the Loft. If it's time for Glenn to lay down a track, they'll ask him if he's actually performing or if he's still digging around in his bag looking for stuff. Glenn smiled and said "that's a high compliment." Jeff confirmed for the audience that "it IS a high compliment. YOU try it." 

Introducing the final song, Jeff said that the Rough Trade website had posted that the band was going to play for three hours, but that wasn't the case. In fact they'd already played the contracted number of songs, he said, "so this last song is a bonus." This prompted a bunch of people to shout requests. "Get it out," Jeff said, and the shouting soon subsided. Someone from the balcony then decided to be the Freebird guy, which earned boos from the audience and a dismissive head shake from Jeff. "That's the only plank on the Wilco platform," he chided. "You shout Freebird, we're throwing you out. We're building a wall. A wall of Freebird shouters." That got a big laugh from the crowd and the band launched into a rollicking version of The Late Greats. "See you with the Sharpies," Jeff said as the house lights came on and the band left the stage.

The post-show signing line moved swiftly, with the band lined up along the table and making quick work with the Sharpies. (The only other signing we'd attended was for the Wilco book in 2004, which moved quite deliberately.) I was wearing an Ardent Records tee shirt, Big Star's studio and record label, and was happily surprised that John took notice of it. "Cool shirt," he said. "That's the old logo, you don't see that much anymore." The guys were in good spirits, several of them exchanging quick, kind words with fans. When my wife asked about the Solid Sound announcement, Jeff confirmed that the festival is on, they just haven't announced the date yet. From what I heard last night and what I've seen on this board, that announcement will be coming any day now.

So all in all, a treat of a night, short and very sweet. For a 35-minute show, I feel like I've just scratched the surface with this recap. What other band could give so much, so beautifully, in such (relatively) short order? This was our fifth show of 2016 (after both Brooklyn shows, Moorhead, and Minneapolis), and was all the better for being an unexpected encore. So thanks, gentlemen, for a great run. Good travels, and we'll see you in 2017.

Unified theory there is another pay show different band at Rough Trade that night and their doors are 8pm. Wilco in my mind will play max 45 minutes....

Thanks, Remphish1, good catch on the later show. I just called Rough Trade and they confirmed that Wilco will be playing a 40-minute set. They said the band hadn't announced / confirmed a signing afterward, but the store's Twitter feed did mention last week that they'd be doing one. I imagine they'll do one if the schedule and store logistics allow.

Rough Trade's Twitter feed did say there would be a signing, but as of yesterday it seemed like the store was still waiting to confirm certain details. They also weren't sure how long the band would play. Would it be half-hour in store show, a full set? (They can accommodate a whole show in their wonderful back room, so here's hoping for a longer show.) Anyone have any intel on that?

Rough Trade is a gem of a store. The staff are knowledgeable and kind and eager to chat about music and make new recommendations. I walked away with two copes of Schmilco and a new vinyl reissue of Kaleidoscope World by The Chills, which they'd been playing in the store. We're very lucky to have this place.

Thanks for the heads up, Pathfire! And to all of you for the additional info. Managed to race to Rough Trade, and as of 3 pm they still had wristbands left. (You get one per record, limit two.) I was lucky enough to see Sturgill Simpson there earlier this year and can't believe my wife and I will get to see the boys in such a small, special venue. And the week before our anniversary, no less. Very grateful you posted this and that I was lucky to see it in time.