indy81

If you look at the setlists from 2012-2013, there's actually more variety than it seems.  It's just that the 3-4 rarities that get played every night get drowned out by all of the standards.  The AmericanaramA setlists are so exciting because they keep the rarities and have cut back on the number of standards.  Plus the guest spots have been thrilling and unpredictable.

The Dylan set is already posted on Dime, and the taper said he will post the other sets soon.

I agree - I was disappointed that the golden ticket winners did not get to pick a song - that was part of the publicized deal, with free SS passes as well. Especially disappointed that it was a good chance to hear a not-often-played song, like Pieholden Suite. I think the band missed a good opportunity, and it could have brought some focus to Hodgman's "hosting".

I thought they brought the winner onstage and she had requested some overplayed YHF song, so they told her to request "Candyfloss" instead.  What's the real story?  Just listening to the tape, the whole exchange was very awkward.

Wow, an unexpected and seemingly acrimonious parting-of-the-ways between Dylan and Duke Robillard.  Didn't see that coming!

Another wonderful setlist from Wilco.  It's nice to get a concentrated mix of unusual stuff, without the need to play every single obligatory song.  Usually these festival shows are a chance to knock out your "hits," pick up a check, and introduce your music to some new people.  But AmericanaramA is shaping up to be one of their most memorable and unique tours in a long time.

Seems weird that relatively rockin' songs like "Wilco (the song)", "You Never Know", "Sonny Feeling", etc. are considered so subpar by the band that they have completely vanished from their live show.  These songs are really that much worse than "Walken" or "Born Alone", the latter of which they play every single night?

I get the feeling these AmericanaramA threads will all be discussions of whether or not Bob Dylan is any good!

I've seen Dylan many times over the last 20 years.  He's deliberately dialed down the rock over the last ten years; the late '90s/early '00s shows with Charlie Sexton and Larry Campbell were really barnstorming and probably would have gone over better with the mixed festival crowd.

When I've seen Dylan at outdoor festivals, there tend to be a lot of baby boomer counterculture types who haven't heard a thing he's done since Blonde on Blonde, and are frustrated by the newer songs and different arrangements.  They want him to come out alone with his guitar, like 1964, when he hasn't done that in almost 25 years!  

Whereas for me, an album like Love & Theft is one of the 10 best things he's ever done.  And Tempest is pretty brilliant in its own right.  It's amazing that the guy has been able to produce new material that's this good, this late in his career.  And I don't blame him at all for showcasing the last 15 years of his music.  If you don't have Time Out of Mind, that's your problem, not Dylan's.

Really enjoying the recordings -- thanks so much to the tapers.

This is such a fun show, I'm so glad we all get to hear it.  I sort of laughed to myself as I listened, though -- and I don't mean this as a serious criticism...well, maybe half-serious.  But I always think of Wilco as a nearly perfect all-around band who can play anything.  But if they lack anything it's that they rock out in a very tasteful fashion; it's never out of control or excessive.  The closest they get is "Monday" and "Outtasite", but those songs are almost 20 years old.

And that's too bad!  I just listened to a live version of "Surrender" from a Cheap Trick show two days ago and it's so much heavier and more rockin' than Wilco's version.  Ditto for all the heavier numbers like "The Boys Are Back in Town", "Cinnamon Girl", etc.  I'm glad they didn't attempt a Live-at-Leeds-era Who song!  I know it's not fair to compare Wilco to Crazy Horse, but I wish there was a little more wild abandon like we saw with Uncle Tupelo or the early days of Wilco.  But I know those days are over.  And hey, maybe that's what happens when you transition from alt-country to indie rock.

Don't mean to be negative, just an observation.  Brilliant show overall, and I enjoyed last night's broadcast too.

Have they been doing it that way live for awhile?  They definitely did not play it that way the last time I saw the band.

That synth sound has always been there, including on the studio version.  It was just a lot louder on this radio broadcast.  Maybe it's louder over the PA at the show, maybe not.

I think they would have played more wilco songs if more were requested, i hadn't heard of a single person requesting wilco songs though. The people spoke, and apparently, they all wanted covers.

You really think they played the most-requested songs?  "Kingpin" was the only Wilco song that made the cut?    

From this thread, it seems like a lot of people expected a mix of covers and Wilco songs.  (And unfortunately you can see some people setting themselves up for disappointment, expecting a Wilco-heavy set.)

On another note, it's great to see all the VC requests that were granted -- "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Waterloo Bridge", etc.  I can't think of another major band that would do something like this.  Really wish I could've made it -- it seemed like such a fun, relaxed atmosphere.  And I expect they'll play some deep cuts tonight.

Maybe the band should've distinguished between "all-request" and "all-covers."  I think it's entirely reasonable to think they were going to play rare Wilco songs along with the covers.

Having said that, I would've given anything to switch places with the folks who were disappointed!

From Twitter, so far it looks like:

The Boys Are Back in Town
Cut Your Hair
In the Street
New Madrid
Dead Flowers
Simple Twist of Fate
Ripple
Who Loves the Sun
And Your Bird Can Sing (twice)
Psychotic Reaction
Tom Courtenay (w/Yo La Tengo)
James Alley Blues
Waterloo Sunset
Waterloo
(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?
Marquee Moon
Don't Fear the Reaper
Cinnamon Girl
Get Lucky (Daft Punk)
Surrender (Cheap Trick)

Color Me Impressed (w/Tommy Stinson)

Kingpin

Deaf
R

Clockwork

S/T

Lullabies

Era

A little surprised to see the love for Lullabies, which is good but for me never really takes off.  Very impressed with Clockwork, though.  If I had to pick a dud track it would be "Fairweather Friends" for sure.  Everything else is top-notch, particularly the two closing songs.

Really, there's a hidden backstage guitar player and drummer for the Stones? I definitely have an issue with it, and I don't see any substantive difference between hidden backstage musicians and a singer not singing live.

For me, there's a big difference between having an onstage performer mime to someone backstage and using backstage supporting musicians to fill out the live sound.  If the guys on stage are playing their parts and their music is supplemented by a rhythm guitarist or keyboard player it's not a big deal to me.  Same with backing tapes and samples - some bands need them more than others.  And who cares if they're backstage?  You really need to see a guitar tech strumming along onstage?  It's more "honest", but it's also distracting.  Hell, even Wilco had Mike Jorgensen in the shadowy back of the stage doing samples in '02.

Great show from yesterday, shot at the former CBGB.  The 1978 Budokan set in its entirety.

http://new.livestream.com/CheapTrick/Budokan

This show is now available for sale officially, without the sound problems mentioned in the post above.

With all the Roadcase shows they're selling, I'd be surprised if they ever release another "official" live album.  Besides, Kicking Television basically covers it, in terms of a mass market release.

Saw this in the theater last night and it was truly great. Tons of wonderful little moments and interplay among the band members. Just a very intense, committed performance all around. Page and Plant were technically sharper back in the '90s when they toured together, but the powerful sense of nostalgia ("let's be Led Zeppelin one more time") made this especially memorable. Some of the performances (like "Kashmir") hold up against any of the live performances from the '70s. And the editing and camerawork, while aggressive, were well done.

I'm glad it was a one-time gig, though. One night of nostalgia is special and fun, anything more and you're just milking it. And Plant in particular would never be able to muster that same intensity again and again. I like how they went out there, destroyed the place, and then put Led Zeppelin to bed forever.

We're kinda hitting the point of diminishing returns as far as setlist variations go. Cool if you attended these recent shows, but surely they've got some older shows they could dig up. Or maybe the quality of recording isn't good enough on the older shows?

Actually, a lot of us are interested. I don't often comment, but I read just about every one of these review threads, and they are always appreciated.

Yep, bbop's reviews are my favorite thing about this board, period.

I know people don't like hearing how good they have it, but...most folks I know make between $30-60K. And these are "city folk." Paying for their kids' college or saving extra for retirement is simply not an option. And many of them are still paying off enormous student loans. The idea of making $200K a year is almost inconceivable.

Should we move this thread to the "After the Show" forum?

Great review! I was really pleased with the setlist last night -- I requested "Rising Red Lung" about a billion times on the website, so I was especially happy to hear that, even if Pat had to shush some folks near the front at the beginning of the song. I was glad the acoustics of the room allowed them to play some quieter songs.

The crowd was pretty dead for the first few songs, as you said, but everyone stood after "Impossible Germany" and most continued to stand for the rest of the show. Although sometimes it might seem like "Germany" could be rested, it's such a monster live that it can change the entire mood of a show. Jeff also started talking much more after the first 45 minutes or so, including chiding someone in the front row for peeking at the setlist.

Speaking of, here's the rough setlist -- all the songs are there, but the order is probably a bit off in the middle. They didn't actually play "One Sunday Morning" or "Red-Eyed and Blue" -- maybe you're confusing those songs with something else? I also noticed the roadies were crossing encore songs off with a sharpie -- I'd be curious to see what the original setlist said. I loved the encore that we got. Also, they played "Hotel Arizona" in Tempe earlier in the year, so I didn't mind its absence.

Misunderstood

Art of Almost

I Might

Sunken Treasure

One by One

Born Alone

Impossible Germany

Rising Red Lung

Handshake Drugs

Laminated Cat

Jesus etc.

War on War

Radio Cure

The Whole Love

Box Full of Letters

Always In Love

Heavy Metal Drummer

I'm the Man Who Loves You

Dawned on Me

Shot in the Arm

--

Hummingbird

Christ for President

Walken

Monday

Outtasite

Lonely 1

P.S. Jonathan Richman was terrific. Also, I hope the taper that was getting hassled by security in the 10th row managed to get a decent recording.

If I never sold my first house that I paid 50k for, and never had three kids and never had to pay the cost of raising them and sending them off to college I would be a very wealthy man today based on my income. But as you make a little more each year and as you sell your two bedroom home to upgrade to accommodate five people, and you pay college tuition and higher property taxes and utility bills and cable bills and everything else that gets more expensive as you live your life, what you make really becomes irrelevant if your life style stays the same. That's why over the last 35 years despite my combined income rising from 25K a year to just under 200k still means I am middle class. I still have loans to pay, taxes to pay and bills to pay. Yeah, my house is paid off, but hey, I've been paying a mortgage for 30 years. The fact that inflation destroys the value of your dollar means your life style is still middle class if you make 150-200k per year. It took me over thirty years to get there but my standard of living is still the same. It is all relevant. You youngsters will be more than doubling your incomes over the next10-15 years but your standard of living will be the same if not worse. Yesterdays 25k is today's 100k. Inflation since 1977 can be calculated at 280%. See for yourself...

 

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

 

By the way, happy Constitution Day...

 

http://www.fff.org/b...g2012-09-17.asp

I understand and sympathize with your argument, particularly about inflation, but the median household income in the U.S. is $50,000 -- and obviously, many of these households have three kids (or more), and all the other costs you list. So if you are middle class at just under $200K, what does that make the average household, which makes less than a third of your income?

I grew up in an environment where most families were making the equivalent of $150-$250K and everyone thought they were middle class, even if they were living a lifestyle that would be unfathomable for today's average middle class American -- owning a large home, overseas vacations, kids' college paid for, substantial retirement savings, etc. These things, which boomers take for granted, are now largely out of reach for their children, despite the younger generation being better educated.

Well...unless Plant re-records the vocals for the feedback-laden songs, I don't know what they can really do. The minute I heard the show I thought; "so much for them ever releasing it professionally" which is a real shame. Maybe the wonders of technology will surprise me!

I'm sure there will be plenty of overdubs. There was a huge screwup in the middle of "Dazed and Confused" that will have to be corrected as well.

Has anyone from the band actually said they will be posting older shows? They just say "many more to come!" etc. This might just be a program for releasing current shows, rather than some kind of archive project. I like the idea, but the setlists are too similar to collect them all.