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I would say next year is a better bet.

I don't know that one...just giving you a hard time.

My thoughts exactly! Just kidding... Seriously, though, y'all are making me blush. I appreciate the (I'm sure) very small but dedicated readership! I never really set out to do this. I just tried to help out with accurate setlist reporting from shows I went to (and FYI, we're working on a project to try and pick up somewhat from where Wilcobase left off with more detail, accuracy and ease of use than the official Wilco effort). But here we are, and while I can't promise I'll make it to every show like I was fortunate to on this Western run, I'll try to keep on keepin' on as much as possibl

Perhaps it's a bit too convenient to say that the final show of Wilco's 2015 summer tour of the Western states and Canada was a microcosm of the whole run. But I'm going to go there. There was the good (a beautiful outdoor setting and the weather to match), the bad (a sometimes too-casual crowd) and the slightly weird (stage-jumping kids, glow-stick barrages). It was the band's third time playing at the Red Butte Garden facility, though I hadn't managed to see either of the previous shows here. Jeff mentioned how much he loved Salt Lake City, thanked the crowd for inviting the band back so o

Not a stupid question. I just mean that a lot of times the better shows often happen in places or venues that might be outside the typical cities/venues where most bands tour, in other words in tertiary markets like Missoula (vis a vis, say, Seattle or Portland). It doesn't always hold true, but a lot of times the venues in tertiary markets are a little unusual or the crowds are less likely to be "too cool for school," etc. Hopefully Kalamazoo ends up being one of those places!

'Twas a relatively minor occurrence, so nothing was spoilt pour moi!

What a difference a day makes. For Wilco, it meant a show that was the polar opposite of the one it played in northern Idaho the night before. As it turned out, that Saturday night show in Sandpoint felt like one that might happen on a Sunday evening, while tonight's show in Ketchum felt like a Saturday. Whether the pendulum swinging from one extreme to the other was a positive thing, however, the jury is still out. "Thanks for inviting us to your ski slope," Jeff said near the end of a show that took place at the base of the Sun Valley Ski Area (outside the River Run Lodge). You wouldn't

Glad you mentioned the "dancing areas," which were pretty pointless unless you just wanted to sort of twirl around in your own world and basically not even see the band. I'm sure that FaS folks would point to those areas as places to go if you wanted to stand during the show (and rationale of why standing is frowned upon in front of the stage) but it's not really realistic if you're a fan of an act and want to be engaged with it at all. Yeah, I think what made things so disappointing for me was the mostly insipid and disengaged crowd. Not saying you have to be the biggest Wilco fan, but at l

We saw a T-shirt for sale in a local pub where we went for lunch that proclaimed, "Stay classy, Sandpoint," in an homage to the movie Anchorman. Well, after Wilco's first show there, I don't know if I can say that Sandpoint totally lived up to the spirit of Ron Burgundy. It was kind of a weird day all around. To put it politely, the Festival at Sandpoint has its own way of doing things and has seemingly been doing things that way for a long time (this year was the 33rd annual). It's a diverse concert series (everything from Vince Gill to Ziggy Marley to the Spokane Symphony Orchestra) held o

If it's fair to call Missoula a tertiary market, then the "Rule of Tertiary Markets" that dictates that some of the best shows often happen in such places definitely applied to tonight's performance behind the Big Sky Brewing Company... Perhaps it goes without saying that the vibe for a concert at a brewery is usually pretty casual. Wilco's second performance at Big Sky Brewing (following a 2012 show there) was no exception, which had both positive and negative aspects. On the downside, the temporary nature of the stage setup meant that some of the production values that have been present at

Never! Battle of attrition, baby...

Interesting series of posts about the conception and execution of this design... Looks like maybe it was supposed to be used for Solid Sound 3? https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Rock-Poster-Design-From-Concept-Development-to-Execution/1200750634/projects/3787

Personally, I'm with you. I sort of wish the hootenanny would develop into more of a singalong-type thing, but it definitely didn't in Vancouver. Canadians aren't much for the crowd participation, I guess (except for the occasional clapping)? Then again, I know there are people who never want to hear singing along. I saw a guy in the row in front of me put his fingers in his ears whenever a little singalong would break out. Like the standing vs. sitting debate, I don't know if there will ever be a solution that satisfies everyone... But for the love of God, people, California Stars at the v

FYI, pretty sure the two songs you were referring to were With Arms Outstretched (a Rilo Kiley song) and Acid Tongue (the title track of her second solo record). For anyone interested, this was the complete setlist for Jenny Lewis' opening set, as played: Silver Lining Head Underwater Slippery Slopes With Arms Outstretched (with Megan McCormick and Tristen Gaspadarek only) Just One Of The Guys The New You new song-Red Bull and Hennessy (live debut?) She's Not Me Acid Tongue

From this observer's perspective, tonight's gig at the Orpheum featured some of the ingredients for the dreaded "professional show." It was the eighth straight day for the band and crew with a performance, and a much-needed off day beckoned. On top of that, Wilco hadn't played in Vancouver in about three and a half years, so an eager crowd probably would have accepted just about anything — certainly less than a 31-song set with special guests and an acoustic encore. But to its credit, the band delivered a wide-ranging show and achieved what Jeff said was the goal of "trying to cram as much m

I was/am a big Rilo Kiley fan, so I'm really glad she's brought that one back. It was just a little sad yesterday because attendance, at least up front, was kinda sparse during her set and so when that big clapping part kicks in, it didn't have that oomph like when there's a bigger crowd.

Also in case anyone was interested, here was Jenny Lewis' setlist (she and her band got about 40 minutes): Silver Lining Head Underwater The Moneymaker With Arms Outstretched (with Megan McCormick and Tristen Gaspadarek only) Just One Of The Guys The New You new song-Girl On Girl She's Not Me Acid Tongue

It is what it is, you know? Jeff might be little burned out on it, given his struggles with it lyrically the last few nights...

He might tell you differently, since he was actually trying to tune his Jazzmaster *during* the solo and eventually just had to switch it out. He also had to do the same on Via Chicago one song earlier. That said, it did seem like a longer-than-usual solo on IG and I'm always amazed by Nels' ability to add something new almost every night.

"We've got a lot of friends," Jeff said at one point during tonight's Seattle-area tour stop at Marymoor Park, and a lot of them decided to come out to play. The presence of folks like Jenny Lewis, Ben Gibbard and Bill Frisell during Forget The Flowers and California Stars helped liven up what had been kind of a standard setlist. Definitely a show where it wasn't necessarily what was played but how it was played. One personal highlight was Forget The Flowers with Frisell playing lead guitar. Like Nels does on that song, he used a Tele and after a slightly tentative start (totally natural, bt

Well, the Wilco machine keeps on rolling through the Pacific Northwest. Just over 15 hours after walking off stage in Troutdale last night, the band was walking onto another stage to play an abbreviated acoustic set to benefit the Seattle radio station KEXP and its campaign to build a new home. The stage was the Columbia City Theater, a small clubbing space with a capacity of probably 250-300. It was a standing show, and Wilco played with the same stripped-down configuration it did at last week's all-acoustic show at the Independent in San Francisco with the exception of Mikael not having a

Well, as anyone who has gotten a printed setlist lately knows, it's "actually" spelt "Magnatized." [Edit: It looks like they've fixed that from the first couple performances of Star Wars. Fwiw, The Joke Explained has been changed to "Joke X" over the same time.] If you're referring to me, I'm glad that's the image generated in your mind (and I do wear tennis shoes...sometimes!) Ta.

That was an interesting read; thanks for sharing. I didn't realize AGIB hadn't been repressed since its original run...

Wow, that was a fun one. I don't know how most of the crowd reacted to the show, since Portland crowds can be a bit cool, or so I've heard, but personally it was another memorable night at the cozy little outdoor amphitheater at Edgefield. Special guests! Spiders (the return of the electric version)! Star Wars! What more could you want on a Sunday night? Don't have enough time or energy to really get too detailed right now, but of course one of the highlights of the show was the return of the electric Spiders, which had been soundchecked in Bend the day before but which still proved to be a

Do you mean the ex-Lakers coach (and Miami Heat president) Pat Riley? Or author/talking head Bill O'Reilly? Or someone else?