bböp

Once again, I must apologize to my by-now surely dwindling readership for not being able to immediately provide a report with the level of detail I would ordinarily like. But such is the curse of independent travel and the necessities of getting at least a few hours of shuteye and also making it to the next gig... For now, I'll just report that it was beautiful night in ol' Alabam, and Jeff copped to feeling like doing a little pandering to the audience by the end of the evening. If Stars Fell Over Alabama at one time, then surely Woody Guthrie could also be imagined to have laid h

I wasn't able to make it to this one, having to abandon my brief tour of F-L-A to get back to Chicago for Record Store Day and a brief off day. So just a little housekeeping on my part to kick things off, with setlist borrowed from Wilcoworld. Seems like it was a classic "Night 3" situation, borrowing from the three-night runs in Chicago, Port Chester and Iceland. Feel free to chime in, anyone who was in attendance (or just wants to make a cheeky comment)... Here was the complete setlist, as played: At Least That's What You Said Spiders (Kidsmoke) The Universe

Super early flight, so just stopping by to set things up for myself when I do get a chance to fill in more details. A brief preview: I guess there is such a thing as a nice shed; apparently when you double the guitar power on Impossible Germany — and with no less a player than the legendary Derek Trucks — things can get pretty epic; and hey, it's probably a good thing if the singer of the band can hear himself sing in his monitor on a fairly regular basis. Here was the complete setlist, as played (didn't see a printed list, so can't say if there were any changes/omissions):

Picture, if you will, your faithful correspondent traipsing across black-sand beaches on the southern coast of Iceland, trying not to be overtaken and swept into the frigid North Atlantic by a powerful "sneaker wave" on Sunday morning, then making a mad drive across half the island back to the airport to catch a flight back to Chicago, arriving home just long enough to catch a bit of shuteye and throw some clothes into the wash before waking up and dashing to another airport on Tuesday morning and, after a few minor issues, finally making it to the parking garage of an utterly American landsca

Thanks for the report! Knew I could count on you as I was midair, returning from the land of ice and wind. Glad you were able to make it down there — I trust you also found plenty of good stuff to eat (that's one of the festivals, along with Outside Lands, that I sort of secretly just wanted to attend for the food — and got to see a solid festival set! When I saw the picture of Jess and Holly singing with Jeff, I figured it had to be Jesus, etc., and while that song is obviously a well-, well-, well-, well-, well-, well-worn concert staple, it's nice to see the ladies sharing a stage with the

Again, I will have to circle back to this — all of those waterfalls and other sights of natural beauty won't see themselves, after all — but suffice it to say that if there was one overarching theme of tonight's third and final Wilco show at the Harpa Center this week (and fourth overall in Iceland), it was gratitude. Jeff once again took time out to specifically thank the small portion of the Icelandic audience that was actually from Iceland for "sharing your beautiful country with us" and generally just seemed to convey his and his bandmates' pleasure at the opportunity to come to a place th

Again, I don't really have time to get into a full recap right now but will circle back around. I will say that the sound — at least to these ears — was much improved over Night 1. Whether it was just a matter of my getting used to the room's acoustics or if indeed the dynamics of Wilco's performance were adjusted or something happened with the sound mix, it just sounded overall much more like normal Wilco show to me. And that was a good thing. Setlist-wise, again, nothing too surprising if you have been following along of late, although the full Many Worlds, for perhaps just the s

I think this "bonus show" performance earlier in the day for a relatively small group of ticket purchasers and lucky lottery winners (and apparently even a rogue straggler or two who managed to sneak in) of the Wilco In Iceland extravaganza deserves its own thread, so I'm doing that. Even though I don't really have time right now to get into a full recap, I will circle back around. For any Chicagoans or others lucky enough to attend one or more of the band's sets at the intimate Carol's Pub last October, if you take that sort of vibe and atmosphere and transfer it into a barnlike V

Well, Wilco finally made its much-anticipated Icelandic debut tonight in the main hall (Eldborg) at the stunning Harpa complex here in Reykjavík and it was a) an entertaining set that capitalized on the stellar acoustic elements in the ultra-modern room, b ) a show that was fine, but to me lacked some of the energy of the club shows in Chicago and Port Chester the last couple of weeks, c) an evening's worth of music performed overwhelmingly for folks who had traveled from the U.S. and Europe and not so many locals, d) a collection of tunes that may have triggered a sense of déja vu for anyone

Thanks for chiming in, Rob! Hopefully more folks will do so, both here and in the future, since this is hardly meant to be an exclusive domain for my dumb ramblings. (And extra bonus points for adhering to the titling convention. Maybe I should start awarding a trophy for that!)

Don't really have time to get into a full recap now, but overall I thought this was a much better show in all aspects than Night 1. Both sound and sound mix were excellent, even from right up front, the band's energy level was improved and the setlist was fun (echoing Night 1 at the Riv in Chicago) and also featuring the Muzzle Of Bees/Company In My Back swap-in for You Are My Face/Side With The Seeds I expected to happen at some point during these no-repeat residencies. More when I get a chance, but here's hoping for one more good one in the last tune-up before Iceland... For now,

No offense taken, especially since a kindly mod restored the title convention. It’s just my own idiocy. The schedule is doors at 6 pm, Horsegirl at 7:30 and Wilco at 8:30.

And there goes the thread-titling convention I worked so hard to preseve — my own fault for being a bit under the weather and lazy — but cheers for the setlist all the same.

Has a beloved rock 'n' roll band ever been loudly booed off the stage in its hometown and possibly even kind of enjoyed it? And then come back for an encore? Well, it happened on a Sunday night in Chicago on the third and final night of Wilco's three-night residency that kicked off the sextet's touring calendar for 2023. In the end, no musicians (we think) were harmed by the loudly vocalized, false displeasure Jeff brought upon himself and his bandmates just before the end of their main set. It started when he suggested that perhaps Wilco and its audience could sing one final song

I finally finished one! *pats self on back*

I am mostly fueled by Tatlock's tas (and Diet Cokes of course), so knowing he won't be immediately settling in for tea-time reading makes me a bit lax.

Anonymity, thy name is...never mind.

Dear Uncle, Hope you're having a great holiday! Glad to know you haven't expired. Things more or less the same here. Oh, I won a prize for doing nothing and people seem to be eager to take pictures of it! Anyway, ta for your pre-emptive ta. Best regards, Bip (B)Bop Boop.

Halfway through another entertaining Wilco show in Chicago, there is a small hubbub between songs at stage left. At first it appears that someone has passed out or is in need of medical assistance, but then a couple are permitted to enter the photo pit between the front barricade and the lip of the stage. Jeff announces, a bit tentatively, that he thinks the male half of the couple, "a friend of ours...has something he would like to do." It is none other than the comedian/actor Chris Kattan — former Saturday Night Live cast member known for characters such as Mr. Peepers and one of the Roxbury

It's there now. #WorkInProgress #Sheesh

Let me just say off the top that, while I was extremely honored and humbled to receive the inaugural "Best Behaved" award for Wilco's 2023 tour, I must confess that my immediate thought in the aftermath concerned the parameters of the deal that the gurus at Wilco HQ surely must have made with a grade school products wholesaler. It seems to have started with the appearance of various pencils among the wares being hawked at the band's online store, followed by "Wilco Concert Participant" ribbons in a variety of colors (available at your local merch stand!). And now, apparently, a statuette the l

Just doing a bit of housekeeping, since I wasn't able to make it down to Miami for this one (though I am in Miami now as I'm doing this, lol). Anyway, Jeff played a solo acoustic set to headline the final day of the three-day GroundUp Music Festival, and I know that more than a few of the Florida-based, er, fanbase came out to watch. But since none have reported in here, I shall steal the setlist posted by the good folks at Wilcoworld and make the dutiful post. (Jeff also played a very short bonus set earlier in the day for folks who had apparently purchased a VIP or supplemental ticket of som

Someday Wilco will actually win a Grammy for their actual current music! Probably wishful thinking...

Hadn't seen this remembrance of Tom Verlaine posted on here yet. Typical Nels...so brilliant and insightful. Well worth a read. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nels Cline Remembers Tom Verlaine: “A Guitar Hero of Mine” Wilco’s visionary guitarist pays tribute to Television’s late frontman. February 2, 2023 by Shaun Brady The death of Tom Verlaine on Jan. 28, at age 73, has inspired eulogies from countless artists whose own work has stretched the boundaries of rock. As the frontman,

For anyone interested... Paul Suwan's Guest DJ set: -Misunderstood (1/9/03, Chicago) -Hummingbird (6/8/04, New York) -Kicking Television (9/13/03, Morrison, CO) -Be Not So Fearful [Bill Fay] (fragment of unknown Jeff acoustic performance; referring to 5/20/07 show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire when Fay played the song with Wilco) -Promising (fragment of studio version; referring to 5/7/2005 Vic show) -Peaches [Presidents of the USA] (house music from 2/16/08, Chicago) —intermission— -Black Moon (3/11/12, Zagreb, Croatia) -Love Will Keep Us Together [The Captain and