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Should we all prep for a big I Shall Be Released show-ender with Bob, Jeff and Jim each taking a verse?

Or you could try "Takoyaki."

I suppose that when you've been in the business of entertaining people as long as Wilco has (and Jeff, specifically, as the ultimate decider of which songs get played), you sort of figure out how to continually take things up a notch while also leaving the audience wanting more. That's sort of the feeling I got from tonight's Australia/New Zealand/Japan tour-closing show at the Shibuya-Ax in one of Tokyo's most bustling neighborhoods. For fans who went to the previous night's Tokyo gig at Zepp Diver City (and the hard-core "sugoi" folks who also attended the Osaka date), this show offered ye

I could be wrong, but I could have sworn I read Nels was doing something with mv+ee (or maybe just ee) a while back that was supposed to come out soonish. But I guess it was probably one of a million things that have been discussed but never materialized...

Update: It looks like the Wilco Facebook setlist was modified since my initial post to cut Kicking TV but now currently doesn't list Outtasite, which closed the show. As far as food, there isn't a whole lot (or any) eating done at the show that I've seen. In Osaka, almost no one even dropped a cup on the floor. The Japanese are nothing if not neat and orderly for the most part. They do charge you a 500 yen ($5) supplement as you go in and you get a drink ticket or token for one drink, alcoholic or otherwise. Merchwise, there were a couple different T-shirts (including one that possibly is

Well, it appears that whoever manages the Wilco Facebook account jumped the gun a bit on posting the setlist for tonight's show since they listed Kicking Television as being the last song of the show. It was on the printed list ("KTV") but wasn't played. And California Stars — which wasn't on the printed list — was added at the start of the encore. Just to set the record straight. Anyway, it's late and my computer battery is dying so I won't write as much as I did after the show in Osaka. But it was another fun gig before another adoring crowd. Jeff even said at one point, after Impossible G

Thank you, O Lord of Cardiff. I was remiss not to mention the spaceship quality of the Hatch, but I didn't have photographic evidence handy so I'm glad you dug something up. At any rate, the "Hatch" was merely a small space within the grand ship so we were all properly sequestered...

All things considered, couldn't have asked for a much better first show in Japan — both for this tour and on a personal level. Songs were sung, requests were granted (friends', not mine) and a generally fine time was had by all... It's a bit difficult to fully convey what going to a show in Japan is like, especially in a few brief comments here, but it was nice to see that everyone within my sight line seemed to genuinely be into the music and there to enjoy the show. Maybe it's just the way Japanese audiences always are, but there were hardly any glowing cell phone screens aloft or obnoxiou

It was a fun night, that I definitely remember. Wasn't it this show where he played Old Maid, or is my memory just failing me? I don't see it on the setlist above or the one on Wilcobase, so apparently not, but I could've sworn it was at this show... As far as "Long Time Ago," I believe there's two different songs with a similar title — one is the "Long Time Ago" from the Golden Smog Another Fine Day record and then there's "A Long TIme Ago," which I believe was the Being There-era fragment that was played at this Martyrs' show with these lyrics: A long time ago In a place not far from her

Well I, for one, am always up for some Asiatic fare...

Yeah, I was pretty psyched when I saw this date announced. I assume by the title, The Turning Point, that they'll be doing what they did at the Empty Bottle a few years back -- that is, playing and/or paying tribute to the great Paul Bley record Turning Point (which I think was on the Improvising Artists label, or was it Inner City?). Anyway, I know both Nels and Jeff Parker have a lot of love for that record so I'm hoping that's what it is. Incidentally, I also saw that the jazz program also has some sort of Andrew Hill tribute listed. They ought to get Nels for that as well! Great lineup

Oh, I wouldn't take Sir Queenie's comments too much to heart. He just always seems to have some difficulties with the folkstresses....

Seems like Foxygen are still playing their US dates, so perhaps they were just too tired to trek through Europe at this point? I just saw them, but was looking forward to doing so again at Solid Sound, so hopefully they'll remain on the bill. Two other random Solid Sound thoughts I had recently were that a) it seems like they really made a concerted effort not to book acts that have played previous Solid Sounds. I guess maybe they'll eventually have to stop doing that, but maybe not? For instance, the Handsome Family are literally going to be in Massachusetts the first day of this year's fes

Meant to reply to this sooner, but anyway...glad you got a pair of fun shows in Melbourne and hope the rest of the Oz/NZ tour (however much of it you're doing) goes just as swimmingly! Was Vienna really three years ago already? Yeesh. I do remember what a crazy day you had getting to that gig (or was it getting back to the UK)? Anyway, I think I can safely speak for Brianne in saying that we definitely wish we could be Down Under right about now. Have a drink or three for us!

Glad you got the shoutout, sir! You are both notorious and dangerous, I'm sure. Sounds like another pair of fun gigs in "Melbun" (and quite a time to be a music fan in your part of the world).

Have fun, F! Wish I could join you this week...

Too bad they went all the way to Perth to play 11 songs, though Perth seems cool...

I mean, yeah...that single night — 3/5/05 — was just tremendous. Both because of the songs played (at the time, before he was doing the scholarship shows and really before the living room shows were much of a thing, I just remember thinking, "Wow, just about every single song that I ever wanted to hear him play, he played.") and because of the crowd (the front row at that show was made up of so many friends and we were all so...happy). If I *had* to pick just one single solo show that I ever was at, this would be it.

Those are still probably my favorite pair of solo shows he's ever done (and that I was at), especially the latter. Those two, and the January '03 three-night run.

So you’re kind of riding on their coat-tails. You’re not a particularly invasive producer as such, you just provide the impotence for them to just go for it in whatever way they see fit? Well, with Low I guess one big difference is they came in with all of their own material and with Mavis I have to pick songs to work with and write songs for her. So there’s a lot of invasive production involved with that, basically I am making the musical landscape for her to sing in. What you need to understand is, what I’m getting at is Mavis’ voice is really at the centre of what she does and Mimi and Ala

Yeah, RIP indeed. Way too young. Shocking (to me, at least) because I had thought he was getting better.

Here you go...this was the complete setlist, as played, for Night 2 of this year's scholarship benefit gigs (and I agree, tonight was a great evening): Via Chicago Hummingbird Poor Places Please Tell My Brother I Wanna Be Your Dog [The Stooges] She's A Jar Henry and the H-Bombs [Mott The Hoople] Art of Almost One By One Sky Blue Sky Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down ("...for the new pope") Nothing Up My Sleeve Listening To The Wind That Blows When The Roses Bloom Again Blasting Fonda Hotel Arizona Country Disappeared Can't Stand It Someday Soon (started and restarted three times) We've Been

I'm sure plenty of folks will eventually chime in, but I'll just say that tonight's show was probably about the "loosest" solo show I've ever seen. Some of that was good (Jeff was pretty chatty, and had some hilarious banter as he always does at these benefit gigs) and some of that was not necessarily optimal (there were definitely some rough patches in his playing due to a pretty long, by Jeff's standards, break from performing, as well as having to use his so-called "B team" of guitars because his preferred ones were in transit to Australia for Wilco's upcoming tour there). It seemed like

They played Schubas in Chicago not that long ago, last October I believe.

Band of Syls. I'm sure Mr. Johnson would show up again.