unposedquestion

Thanks! 

On 10/28/2023 at 6:01 AM, bböp said:

As the appointed 8:30 p.m. hour for Wilco to take the stage approached tonight, on what was technically the final night of a grueling period of touring over the past couple of months, I couldn't help but get one more strong feeling of déja vu on this run. First of all, we were standing outdoors on a large lawn area outside of a contemporary art museum. And it was lightly raining. And then suddenly, there was Joe Thompson (the eponym of Joe's Field at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Mass.) on stage introducing — and gushing over — Jeff and his bandmates.

 

Wait, had the time/space continuum somehow bent and relocated the Solid Sound Festival from the Berkshires of Massachusetts to the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas? About the only thing missing was a train blowing its horn as it rumbled past — and, of course, a stupid rainbow.

 

The steady drip of rain from the lip of the stage overhang jolted me back into reality, but it was still an eerily similar scene at the Momentary in Bentonville, whose "Green" has hosted live music since its opening in 2020. To be sure, if Wilco ever wanted to move Solid Sound away from Mass MoCA or hold a version of it in a different part of the country, this place would certainly seem to be among the prime candidates to host. I wasn't aware before tonight, but apparently the folks who run the Momentary (including interim director Thompson), which is a satellite of the nearby Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, have had a longstanding relationship and collaboration with Mass MoCA.

 

More to come. but for now, here was the complete setlist as played at the Momentary (Meant To Be was on the printed setlist near the end of the main set, but wasn't played):

 

Infinite Surprise

Handshake Drugs

Pittsburgh

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart>

One Wing

Cousin

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Soldier Child

Whole Love

Via Chicago

Impossible Germany

Evicted

Jesus, etc.

California Stars

Box Full Of Letters

Heavy Metal Drummer

A Shot In The Arm

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

At Least That's What You Said

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

I was wondering if they were going to play ALTWYS during this tour! To see that with Spiders, wow!

I sat in Tier 2 of the balcony and from where I sat the packed show exhibited lots of energy.

Its always tougher to stand and dance when you have a venue with actual seats, but I thought the crowd energy was solid and the band acknowledged it a few times. The singalong during Spiders was definitely awesome to experience in person having attended a half dozen shows now.

I did notice Jeff's voice having some difficulty during Spiders where he was speaking the lyrics not singing them. That was the only sign of any issue that seems to have carried over to Denver's show.

MtnMama captured the banter highlights from the evening - it was pretty funny to hear Jeff allude to the MTC. He also mentioned early in the show that he was going to keep the chat to a minimum. 

I thought the new album sounded great even as I was hoping to hear how Sunlight Ends sounds live.

Nels' guitar work during Impossible Germany was very unique - I wish I could describe the style because it was very different from every time I have heard it played live. That is the beauty and glory of his playing, though.

I thought Bird Without A Tail/Base of My Skull was the most interesting song - not having heard it performed live before, the extended jams during that song were a sight to behold. Watching them perform as a group had me in awe as always.

I counted 14 or 15 Nothings during Misunderstood - the crowd definitely appreciated hearing that as well as A Shot In The Arm later on.

I was bummed that Boise was left off the tour schedule again but very happy I traveled down to SLC for the show.  A beautiful night in a beautiful venue in a beautiful city.

Wilco is an amazing band, in the studio and on stage, and I hope they will continue to perform for many years to come.

-PW

That stage looked great and that setlist was awesome. Reservations is great live. I've seen Wilco play Impossible Germany 3 times now but I've never seen Nels solo like that, jeeze. 

EDIT: Oh and the new Schmilco songs that haven't been released online (officially) by Wilco sounded great! I hope we get a few more tomorrow night.

 

In my review of the Boise I forgot to mention that Nels did an amazing job on IG and also received an extended standing ovation. I'm paraphrasing but in his trademark style, Jeff said they were lucky to have him. Indeed!

And yes on the set! The lighting can completely transform it from one song to the next.

Jealous you guys got to hear 'Pot Kettle Black' and 'Spiders' - sounds like they will be mixing it up every show

I was at the show - I'l try and post some pictures when I can.

1) the set design is Wilco's not the venues. You guys are in for a treat! Between the lighting and the set, it was absolutely awesome. Jeff made a joke or two about playing in the forest, which was cool because Boise is known as the city of trees.

2) I can confirm that the second encore was not played. Not sure why, as technicians were replacing some of the guitars and then the lights went up. Great show regardless, almost wish I didn't know about that second encore, though. They did the same thing at their Ketchum ID show last year.

3) I'm guessing they treated this as the first Schmilco tour show because of the venue. Jeff talked about trading a bunch of amplifiers and stuff from the SLC show. Pretty honored that Boise got to kickoff the tour.

4) Jeff announced "Pick up the Change" by saying it was something they hadn't played in a while. That was a real treat let me tell you. Awesome to hear a smokin' version of "Laminated Cat". I'm equally glad they kept "Impossible Germany" and "Jesus, etc." in the set. Hearing "I'm Always in Love" was also a highlight for me.

5) After Passenger Side, somebody upfront apparently told Jeff they call that song "Shotgun". I can't remember Jeff's response but it was awesome. Later the guy got up and Jeff said "See ya Shotgun!"

5a) Lots of people shouting "We love you" as in any Wilco show. It was interesting to me that Jeff made the comment that they have a song about that but it isn't very popular. How can anyone not like Wilco (the song)??

6) I wish I had a better understanding of the different amps, guitars, drums, etc. so I can't speak to how that was changed from the last tour. Mikael and Nels were definitely playing with new toys so it appeared.

We got a great banjo solo from Pat at least once. For sure during California Stars.

7) I really hope they Roadcase one of the shows or even do an online streaming of one of the SF shows. 

8) I was amazed by how much of "Shmilco" they played. I think I saw 7 were played. This was my 6th Wilco show and definitely very satisfying. They played from all over the catalog and the crowd was definitely appreciative.

9) Because of the setting/types of songs played, the crowd pretty much sat for the whole show, except for when they finished and after a couple of songs. I don't think that was a problem for the band. 

10) Hearing John do vocals was an unexpected surprise and very awesome. I love the way he adds texture to the songs with his voice so it was cool to hear him sing solo on "It's Just That Simple."

Just wanted to share my thoughts with the group since this particular forum is my favorite on Via Chicago. Really glad they chose to stop here on the way to Seattle! Thank you Wilco! I hope you are around for years to come and have lots more touring ahead of you.

Peter