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ElScorcho

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    Wilco — 27 April 2023, Knoxville, TN (Tennessee Theatre)

    in After The Show

    Posted

    Setlist:

    Via Chicago

    I Am My Mother
    Cruel Country
    Handshake Drugs 
    Story to Tell
    War on War
    Hummingbird 
    Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
    Pot Kettle Black
    Bird without a Tail / Base of My Skull
    How to Fight Loneliness
    Impossible Germany
    Forget the Flowers
    Box Full of Letters
    Falling Apart (Right Now)
    Jesus, etc
    Hate It Here
    Late Greats
    I'm Always in Love
     
    (encore)
    California Stars
    Red-Eyed and Blue / I Got You (At the End of the Century)
    Outtasite (Outtamind)
     
    (With apologies if I missed anything.)
     
    I hadn't seen Wilco since "Shmilco", and in that time I moved from Chicago to Knoxville. I was a pleasure to be back. And there was a surreal feeling of hearing familiar tunes live again, some in long-running arrangements, like the opener "Via Chicago" or the ripping renditions of "Box Full of Letters," "I Got You" and "Outtasite," which took me straight back to live tapings from the early years of the current band's incarnation, now pushing twenty years ago... Included in the surreal feeling were surprises, like Nels' latest iteration on the "Impossibly Germany" solo, which was at once completely recognizable and at home in the song, while also being entirely new and innovative, and so too were the "Cruel Country" tunes I first heard Jeff play on "The Tweedy Show." They sounded great with the full band in full volume, especially "Bird without a Tail / Base of My Skull," which I suspect will be a regular jam at shows for many years to come (if it isn't already, and I've just missed it).
     
    This wasn't a show of deep cuts, but I don't think this was a crowd that only knew the band superficially either. The energy can be odd in all-seating venues, but I felt the crowd's pulse and heard it row as loud as the PA, and I think Jeff and the band felt it too at times, leading to a few moments not so much of banter as connection, a surge of energy from the crowd to the band to the lights to the mics and back to the music.
     
    I was seated in the balcony and I have to say the sound was disappointing high in the back. Nothing on the band or the FoH, I'm sure, just a matter of location, but the kick drum thumped like a metal band, the vocals were thin, and anytime more than one electric guitar was going, subtlety and definition disappeared. It's a shame, since it is so much of what Wilco does in the details that makes them stand out from any other rock band. But I have no regrets and it won't dampen my enthusiasm for catching the band the next time they're in town; I'll just be sure to get tickets on the floor.
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    Wilco — 07/11/11, Basel, Switzerland

    in After The Show

    Posted

    Thanks for posting the setlist, confirms my notes, too. I'm reposting the list here just to add song numbers and start/finish times.

     

    (the band takes the stage at 9:19)

    1. Dawned On Me

    2. I Might

    3. I am trying to break your heart>

    4. One Wing

    5. Bull Black Nova

    6. Radio Cure

    7. Born Alone

    8. Hummingbird

    9. The Whole Love

    10. Handshake Drugs

    11. Jesus, etc

    12. Capitol City>

    13. I'm the man who loves you

    14. Standing O

    15. Country Disappeared

    16. Impossible Germany

    17. One Sunday Morning

    18. Poor Places>

    19. Art of Almost

    ----------

    (encore starts at 11:00)

    20. Via Chicago

    21. Forget the Flowers

    22. Theologians

    23. War on War

    24. A Shot in the Arm

    25. Heavy Metal Drummer

    (band leaves the stage at 11:25)

     

    Despite having followed the band for more than a few years now, this was my first live show. I'd agree with Mr. Cheeztastic that the sound was slightly subpar, I thought the vocals were a bit low at times and the big, noisy endings lost a lot of clarity in the space. I also think this was probably a "safe" setlist for an unknown audience. The songs came from:

     

    The Whole Love (8)

    YHF (7)

    WTA (3)

    AGIB (3)

    Summerteeth (2)

    SBS (1)

    Being There (1)

     

    That being said, the crowd was really into it and very appreciative. Though I would've liked to have heard a few more tracks from further back in the catalogue, the crowd energy was pretty infectious and really came through on new tracks like Born Alone and big songs like Impossible Germany and A Shot in the Arm. I guess that's a bit old hat for Wilco veterans, but it was effective and hard not to enjoy. This produced some really great moments: IATTBYH was the first number that lots of the crowd sang and really built up the show's momentum. Nels' IG solo was a bit extended and strayed further from the recorded version; he did some excellent finger-picked runs that had the crowd going wild. Other sections felt a bit extended (though I may have been lost in the moment), like the end of Born Alone and of A Shot in the Arm. Via Chicago was, as usual, a rewarding encore opener, particularly when the band comes in big and loud after the second noisier bit.

     

    All in all, I thought it was a good introduction to actually being at all a live show instead of just listening to various recordings.

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