monster

Graham Coxon

Boy that result is so hard to take.

It sure was. I found it hard to stomach and I'm not even Welsh. Great effort playing a man short for 3/4 of the game - despite that they had the best of the play and should really have still won. 11 points went begging from kickable penalties and the conversion that was missed - and they only needed 2 of them. That's probably not making you feel any better I guess?

France were complete and utter merde (and that might be overrating them slightly) so Dusautoir had every right to look a bit sheepish in the after match interview.

I just hope you're wrong about them always having one fantastic performance in them per tournament - if so I hope the England game was it (though that would be more accurately described as a "less crap", rather than "fantastic", performance).

If the ABs front again like they did yesterday against Australia I can't see France winning - but we've been the overwheling favorites before against them in RWC and received a spanking. Either way, I just hope it's a good, close game with some exciting rugby being played and with the most deserving team on the day as the winner.

Joubert has got the refereeing gig for the final, so i hope he continues reffing in the same unobtrusive way and no-one is talking about him next Monday morning (other than to commend him on doing a good job)

Wow. Well. What a weekend!

Indeed it was. There have been some cracking games this tournament - and last weekend was no exception. The only result I didn't pick was the SA v Australia game, although I have no idea how the Bokke managed to lose that match (the way it was refereed certainly didn't help the team doing all the attacking)

Would love to see the Welsh boys make it through to the final - they have impressed plenty of us down in this part of the world with the way they have played and deserve to go further. An NZ v Wales final would be perfect.

A nervous watch coming up for NZ fans on Sunday - given that we don't exactly have a glorious record against Australia in RWC semi-finals and have a rookie flyhalf playing. Mind you, they don't have a happy record at Eden park either (26 years since they've beaten NZ there).

Who knows? The whole tournament has been wonderfully unpredictable; so we might win by plenty, or lose in an arm-wrestle.

Finally, a word on France.

I have what I've decided is a completely irrational fondness for the French rugby team. This is despite the grief they've caused us by making a habit of beating us in previous RWC tournaments, the trauma they have caused over the years to the sensitive body parts of players from various other international teams though nefarious acts committed at the bottom of rucks and mauls, the Sth Pacific nuke testing, the Rainbow Warrior bombing etc.

I think it's the fact that when the mood takes them they are capable of playing fantastic Rugby and beating anybody, but never appear to be taking things too seriously.

Last weekend was a case in point - played like an absolute rabble all tournament, the team have basically mutineed and overthrown the coach, reports of them being out on the town til 1am on the morning of their 1/4 final, yet they still go out and stuff England. Hilarious! (unless you're English of course)

Off to both semi-final games this weekend - can't wait!

I hate to be the pooper of the party - and I'd love to be wrong on this - but I think those dates listed are are just Nick Lowe gigs.

None of the European dates listed for Nick correspond to the Wilco tour dates - so I think Yeproc have just neglected to take the note that related to the shows he did in the US with Wilco off the foot of Nick's tour dates page.

Jeebus, I hope i'm wrong though!

The Chills. Last saw Martin Phillipps (and one of the many versions of the Chills that have backed him over the years) around 15 years ago and I'm pretty stoked to be seeing them again tonight.

"Someday Soon" has that chord progression....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwS_YDzxH3M

Because yesterday is always yesterday.

Apparently it's not always that straight forward.....

The Low Anthem covers Wilco

Dunno about cool, but definitely fun. Eddie Vedder and a very young Liam Finn and bandmates tear through an old Split Enz chestnut

Pop Song?

 

time to close this thread

For mine, that's more of a pop song than alot of what's been posted on this thread, but pop is in the eye/ear of the beholder I guess.....

Anyhoo, I'm quite enjoying "popping" into this thread every so often, and don't want to spoil it for the other kids, so I promise if i do post again it will only be nice, obvious pop songs from now on.

Like this one? Pop enough for everyone?

These guys don't generally make what you'd call pop music, but this a rather lively performance of what i think is a great pop song.....

Chances that a fair few people on here will think it sucks - 100%

Chances that it will in fact suck - 0% (or as near as)

It's free! It's rather good!

A nice 18 track retprospective sampler form Aucklands Arch Hill recordings. This label kind of grabbed the baton for indie pop/rock in NZ following the decline of Flying Nun. There are few former FN luminaries (The Bats, The Clean) included on here, some up and comers, and a good selection of the labels earlier releases.

Available for a listen and/or download here;

Arch Hill

And a bit of the back-story from the label founder here;

Ben Howe

 

 

That 'lone guy' was me!

Not sure if you saw last weeks Groove Guide, but there's a great photo of you showing off your mad dance stylings in the photos accompanying the Wilco show review...

That 'lone guy' was me! Yeah... I was VERY excited to be at another WILCO show (first at BDO AKL way back, then at Bluesfest at Whitianga and the Bruce Mason the next night... then the three 7 worlds shows.. sadly without Nels and Mikael of course).... and at my fav venue... possibly in the world....

 

So yeah... to those there who I pissed off.... sorry. I reckon at rock shows, one should be able to stand if the music takes them there...

 

 

When I referred to you as the “lone guy”, I didn’t mean you were the only one in the whole theatre up dancing early on, just something of a lone ranger in your area (that was a mint spot you had by the way…we were a couple of rows further back and off to the right)

I don’t think you need to apologise. As you point out, it was a rock show after all - and I think JT was (very subtly) on your side (after all, you were dancing out of respect for the bands feelings as I recall ). He didn't disagree with your "campaign", I think he just said something like "they look like comfortable seats" (which they are - perhaps that was part of the problem?)

I agree with you about the Civic, I love that old theatre. I wish they’d sort out the St James and reopen that as well.

I posted this last year when the tour was announced, but for anyone interested the link below is a virtual tour of the Civic in all it's glory (including domed ceiling of stars - which as mentioned was perfect for Cali Stars)

Civic Tour

OK, have had time to gather thoughts and actually sit down and write a bit about the show. Wasn’t going to this late in the piece but, given the lack of other reports forthcoming (with exception of excellent comments from Sonic & Kudzu), thought I should do the decent thing.

My third proper Wilco show (not including a 2002 festival) and they seem to get better every time. Fantastic show; as usual the playing was spot on from all the band and Jeff was in fine voice and humour. My only very small complaints were the lack of a “bolter” in the set-list (lucky old Welly getting “Magazine”) and, where I was sitting, Nels was way too low in the mix early in the show - though was his usual unbelieveable self.

I thought the crowd was pretty good , if a bit subdued early on. No obvious talking during the quieter songs, and once everyone had got to their feet during Spiders (toward the end of the main set) virtually everyone in the stalls (and some of the circle) was on their feet for the rest of the show. Kiwi crowds might take a bit of winning over sometimes, but at least they really do “listen” to a performance.

Inevitably there was a lower quotient of hardcore fans in the crowd compared to their shows back in the US and, as noted elsewhere, that resulted in a rather piss-poor Jesus etc crowd sing-along.

When Jeff introduced the song he said that previously the worst singing they had experienced had been somewhere in Eastern Germany (then, after reflecting on that for a moment, said “Yeah, we’ve been a band so long we were playing when there WAS an East Germany”)

After they played Jesus etc someone yelled out “So, were we worse than Germany?”

JT – “I’ll have to be honest with you – there is definitely room for improvement” which was a lovely, diplomatic understatement.

Despite the reviewers and previous posters comments about knuckleheads yelling things, the few comments called out between songs were (with one exception) at least intelligible (if not always intelligent), and seeing Jeff deal with the “shouters” is part of the fun of the Wilco experience. I thought he seemed really at ease and in great humor and seemed to enjoy the banter and to me it didn’t detract from the show at all. After one exchange he even said something like “Hey, I think this is going really well….see, we really feel like we belong here”

I don’t think the band could quite believe it when someone early on made the “Three Cheers for Wilco” call, enthusiastically answered by the crowd. Jeff almost cracked up I think at something so “quaint” happening at a rock-show, and did the old fashioned, hands clasped, fist shake over each shoulder.

Some of the other exchanges - as best as I can recall;

(Following a quite long and amiable conversation with the lone guy who had been standing and dancing from the very start and quite early in show was trying to cajole everyone else to get to their feet – the conversation including a suggestion by Jeff that, as a compromise, “maybe everyone could squat”).

JT – “You’ve run an admirable campaign sir” ….

“Good luck standing to this one though …” before launching into Deeper Down

There was really only one instance, towards the end of the show, of somebody yelling something completely unintelligible

Random in crowd: “AFFFFVSSSSMMMAAAHGGYPSY!!”

JT – “Whaaaat? I can’t understand you. Why is there always one person that yells out stupid shit? It sounded like you said 'A few of us mounted a gypsy'......This is a family show sir!”

And finally, the guitar report – an SG that looked very much like a lollipop made an appearance for Hoodoo Voodoo, JT even licked it before strapping it on (the guitar that is).

Hope everyone in Oz enjoys the shows over there. From what we saw here in Auckland on Tuesday night you’re in for a real treat.