indy81

Part of the problem is they tease. If it was the identical setlist every night (something that many, many bands do), you could almost deal with it. But they usually reserve 2-3 slots for different rare songs each night, which makes you wish it was more like 5-6 slots. Plus you know they're ABLE to play their entire catalog -- they just don't. They'll play "Wishful Thinking" or "At My Window Sad and Lonely" once for kicks, and then put them back on the shelf for another year or two.

How about when someone who obviously really likes the band gets called a "so called fan" just because he has a few complaints? Where do you stand on that? I don't agree with everything "pieholden" said, but he wrote a thoughtful review and deserves credit for making some interesting points beyond just "the show was awesome", etc.

I meant that you shouldn't expect Pearl Jam to release an experimental album, which is what it seemed like Pitchfork wanted. The review kind of smelled like the writer was embarrassed for his nostalgic affection for PJ, so he was trying to justify it by referring to stuff like "foxymophandlemama", i.e. "remember when they used to be an avant-garde rock act?" Except they never were -- that kind of stuff was nothing but indulgence by a band at their commercial peak. It's something they eliminated almost immediately. We're talking about a band where No Code, which is pretty conventional in th

I love Pearl Jam, but I think Vedder's singing style is probably their only real "innovation", if you can call it that. They're really just '70s rock with a touch of punk (and most of the punk is already there in the '70s rock.) But then again, I don't really consider any '90s alt-rock/grunge to be anything than a new shine on an old formula. I still love it, but I never thought it was breaking the mold.

It's kind of a cheesy, fluffy album, but very enjoyable. It's the kind of thing I could listen to 3x in a row on a long car ride without getting tired of it. The Pitchfork review just perpetuates that site's same tired heuristic of "experimental=good." It's pretty hard to agree with a reviewer that yearns for the good ol' days of classic tracks like "foxymophandlemama" and "Bugs." PJ has always been a meat and potatoes, generic sort of rock band. But they're probably the best meat and potatoes, generic rock band out there. It seems a little strange to expect anything more, especially

The different band members have been off doing their own thing during this break, so they probably haven't spent a lot of time rehearsing weird stuff. If you're expecting a residency-type thing, you will likely be disappointed. Should be good shows, though, and they usually play at least a couple rarities each night anyway.

You have good ears! I went on Saturday and didn't catch this. I thought it was a pretty brilliant show overall -- a nice mix of new material, old standards, and rarities. The final encore was one of the best things I've seen in almost 20 years of going to U2 shows. But of all the Wilco songs for Bono to (kind of) quote, I'm surprised he picked a relative obscurity like "Far, Far Away."

The Schoeps source of the Coney Island show is the best I've heard, as far as setlist plus sound quality. There's a recording of the Red Rocks show that is also excellent.

It's funny -- after reading all of the mono vs. stereo stuff here and elsewhere, I thought it would be no contest. But the stereo mixes have much to recommend as well. The mono versions have more kick, but the stereo versions are much clearer due to the separation. With the stereo versions, it sounds like the Beatles are in your living room, while the mono versions are more cluttered and thus a bit..."muddy" isn't the right word, but you know what I mean. In other words, I think it's worth it to have both versions on hand. I need to listen more, but right now I'm not sure which I prefer

I like the drone, but part of me wishes they would've left it out, because now they never play the song live. I like those short live versions from 02-03.

The original problem was the OP's implication that Nels would be booted out of the band because of "Mr. Tweedy's" big ego. You can't expect to post something that contentious on a Wilco fan board and not be met with a little hostility. No one has ever left Wilco because he was in danger of becoming "bigger" than Tweedy, and there's no evidence that Tweedy feels threatened in that way (even though the OP stated this as fact.) I'm pretty sure Jay Bennett wasn't kicked out because more people were standing on his side at live shows.

I wouldn't expect them to break out too many weird songs at these baseball field gigs.

I like "On and On and On" a lot more. With a slower song the repetition takes on more emotion and is less sing-songy (to steal from DeRogatis) and (for me) grating than it is in an up-tempo tune. I'm also not a fan of the "groovy" keyboard sound. Also, I heard "I'll Fight" live and thought it was a bit of a dud -- like "What Light", it never really goes anywhere. Having said that, I still would like to see it in the setlists, along with the other new songs they haven't yet played.

I worry that "Country Disappeared" and "Solitaire" are going to get the "Leave Me Like You Found Me" and "Please Be Patient With Me" treatment. They're too quiet for the rockin' setlists the band seems to prefer these days (due to playing larger venues, etc.)

The most recent email simply asks Wilco fans to support the band by buying their album for $9.99. No need to be rich. It's obviously directed at the folks who have already downloaded the leaked album but feel no obligation to buy it.

All right, Mader's!

"with au jus"

You can't really criticize them for playing the more rocking songs from "Sky Blue Sky" every night. They're newer songs, they're crowd pleasers, and the band obviously enjoys playing them. Wilco's fan base is big enough now that they've got certain popular songs that people expect to hear: "I Am Trying...", "Handshake Drugs", "Jesus etc", "ITMWLY", "Heavy Metal Drummer", etc. and they've got to play a selection of those or folks will be disappointed. Plus they only have so many well-known rockin' songs. You can't drop "Handshake Drugs" and replace it with "Not for the Season", as cool as t

I think there's a difference between wanting what was promised, and getting upset because it wasn't posted IMMEDIATELY AT MIDNIGHT of the day in question. I realize people are excited, but most of the record stores where you're supposed to buy the DVD aren't even open yet!

I figured they didn't play any new stuff because of the webcast, and because they haven't rehearsed the new material yet. I was a bit disappointed, because I remember attending shows months before AGIB and SBS dropped and I heard 5 or 6 new songs. And it was a bit weird that they played stuff like "Box Full of Letters" twice. But most of the repeats were songs they play every night ("Impossible Germany", "I'm the Man", etc.) And I never thought I'd ever hear "Shouldn't Be Ashamed" -- that was a real highlight. Overall the setlist was better the second night, although I think Tweedy was a

For a dissenting opinion...I thought Hawk and a Hacksaw were pretty decent. There was some serious musicianship going on there. It's definitely not for every taste, but unless you're a "meat and potatoes" rock fan only, I recommend giving them a chance. At the very least, check them out yourself rather than taking someone's word for it. But I agree that the frontman was totally clueless with his snide, antagonistic attitude toward the audience. He acted like he'd never been the opening act for anyone before. You think he would have realized that 1) his music is a pretty tough sell and 2

Last night they took the stage at about 8:35 CST.

Here's a preliminary setlist from memory in case people want to see what they played before someone posts the real thing. I believe I got all the songs, but I'm sure the order is a bit off, especially toward the middle-end of the main set. Very reminiscent of a 2004-2005 show, with tons of YHF and AGIB. Hopefully we get some more '90s material tonight (and some more new songs). Tweedy mentioned that they had not rehearsed much, because they were finishing up the new record. Wilco the Song, Hummingbird, Muzzle of Bees, At Least That's What You Said, You Are My Face, I Am Trying to Break Y

The most rockin' show I've ever seen from Wilco. Barely any slow songs at all. Kinda boring setlist overall, but I didn't mind too much, since I hadn't seen them in a while. Only two new songs ("Wilco the Song" and "I'll Fight). "One by One" and "Box Full of Letters" were nice surprises. Very energetic show all around. Oh yeah...hey Chicago folks -- stay home if you're gonna boo a guy in a Brewers hat when you're in Milwaukee. Yes, he was pandering, but we love it. The crowd wasn't bad near me, but there was some chatting going on, and lots of $3 Pabsts being passed around. The guy

No. Brewers = Uecker.