Hodie

There are "pits" at Wilco shows now?

Wilco is playing a lot of shows in theaters/symphony halls these days, so there is sometimes actually an orchestra pit that gets used as GA space. On the other hand, I haven't seen a lot in the way of mosh pits at Wilco shows.

To answer the topic's question -- live performance for me is about the performers, and whether it's music or theater or basketball, I want to be close. When I'm in the mood for perfect sound, I stay home with my headphones. So yeah, in my opinion, assuming the pit's in front, it's better than sitting.

I think they both hit the big time in 1968, but that era for me has to include Sly and the Family Stone (Dance to the Music, Higher) and also Al Green.

What a fun musical assignment for you!

Edit: I guess you have to take Mr. Green off the list. Though he put out a couple of albums in 1967 and 1968, the first one to get any mainstream airplay wasn't until 1970. And I am now certainly going to have "Tired of Being Alone" in my head all day, for which I thank you very much.

Awwww, coffee girl, I miss you. Have a wonderful wonderful birthday.

Happy birthday to one of the best east coast rock tourists. Hope you have a great year!

I keep hoping they'll release the 4th night of stuff in its entirety. That show demonstrated exactly why Wilco is my favorite band. They had numerous technical issues throughout the show that ended with Jeff just playing an acoustic and the band doing very abnormal songs for the "usual" setlist. They responded to all the issues by playing what is the greatest concert I've personally attended in my 23 years. Check out the setlist.

Just to ramble on about that show some more:

Jeff grabbed a good friend of mine (ahem) and kissed him.

Jeff stage-dived (or stage-dove, you pick).

The bit about playing requests was a little bit off -- although he kept asking for more requests, they only played two of them. That setlist arrived through band member huddles, rather than through audience shoutings.

I was only able to make it to Chicago for one of the four nights, so I picked that one, on the well-established theory that the last night of a multi-night is always best. I wasn't sorry to have missed the more normal nights, not at all.

All that said, I bet most of it would sound pretty dorky on a cd. I think this was a defintie case of you had to be there.

It's reported elsewhere that it's chicken pox: http://forums.viachicago.org/index.php?showtopic=30336

I hope he's OK, too. Poor pup.

She's kindness and genius and funnyness all wrapped up in one wonderful package.

Respponding to two posts in one:

I love love love McEwan's Saturday,

and

That Miranda July link is the best website for a book I've ever seen.

Our closest is in Bladensburg, MD, which is only 9 miles from DC, but feels more like 900 miles to me.

> 22 going on something more like 35. "i recently turned 60 which wasnt bad.................. but more recently i turned 62 which was a real bastard"

Wow, that's PRECISELY how I felt about 40 and 42!

Also huge assholes (most of them, anyway

I was going to just ignore this, since everyone has their own ideas of what constitutes an asshole (), but decided I wanted to go on record as saying that most of the italians I met were not assholes in the least, but in fact were pretty sweet and invariably patient with my pathetic attempts to butcher their language.

The main time I saw them going all arrogant and unhelpful is when Americans waltzed up and started speaking english without so much as a little capisce l'inglese? Every urban italian I met certainly did speak english, but I saw more than one pretend he didn't in that situation.

In the countryside, pretty much everyone was nice to us, even in our stupid bike outfits and with gelato stains all over our faces.

I carry around this image of Americans as being generous, big-hearted people. But when I realized how shocked most of us would be at the idea of giving a chemo patient three months' paid recovery time (or a new mother help with the baby, or an unemployed person health care), we don't feel so big-hearted any more.

Other countries are doing it. I'm sickened (pun unintentional) that it feels impossible here.

Yeah, a government by the people and for the people, how very horrible.

I did a bike ride through Tuscany a while back, which means I became an expert on gelato. In Firenze, go to Perche No, 19/r, Via Dei Tavolini.

My goodness, I ate well there. Sigh.

Episode three ("Mugged") was brilliant. I think I must've wakened the neighbors from laughing so hard.

One of the many many things I love about Nels Cline is that he's the Wilco who's older than me.

(because I'm 49)

Thanks for finding that picture, Heids.

I was determined not to quit paginatin' in google until I found one with The Pose.

Thanks for the report, Paul, the t-shirt sounds hilarious.

And I'm delighted that Low got a warm reception finally.

he said it was in tribute to someone that I had never heard of...

I was told it's Todd Trainer of Shellac:

The crowd was amazing. Jeff looked so happy.

The number of Jeff smiles per minute was at least 257 times higher than in the previous shows. That's just an estmate since I don't have my abacus with me.

We really have to meet up one of these days, Matt. What with Jon Brion and Wilco, we sure do end up at a lot of the same shows. I believe you must have been standing directly behind us at Hammerstein.

I also love the Warsaw, and its neighborhood and its staff.

I should mention again how wonderful that nieghborhood was -- people were amazingly generous and friendly, and they were hugely kind at my attempts to say "thank you" and what not in polish (grateful nod to bbop for serving as my language teacher). The manager of the venue treated the early door folks with all kinds of sweetness, versus the snarly distrust you often get. I'll even go so far to say that the charming behavior sets the tone, making it easier for Wilco to generate a giddy dance-y crowd. I love that place.

And thank you, Brianne, for your excellent co-pogoing.

I just saw a few shows in a row, and they kept getting better every night. That was one of my most rockingest, sweatiest, danciest and singingest wilco shows ever. I think people are going to be even more amazed once the full setlist gets posted.

I should also mention how much I loved the venue, which served pirogies and blintzes, has a very charming staff, and is nicely tiny.

I just can't ever put a show at a place like Merriweather on par with a show at a smaller venue like 930 club.

I've gone on record as someone who is a fan of 930 and who really dislikes Merriweather (I'm not fond of sheds/pavillions), but last night's show did transcend the venue for me. I was great, uneven sound mix and all.

I'm 100% certain that I wouldn't have liked it as much without the GA option, though.

What a fantastic show, really really REALLY.

Here's the setlist, from my beloved trusted source...

A Shot in the Arm

Side with the Seeds

You Are My Face

IATTBYH

Kamera

Handshake Drugs

Via Chicago

Shake It Off

War on War

Sky Blue Sky

Impossible Germany

Jesus, etc.

Hate It Here

Walken

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Hummingbird

---------------------

California Stars

Poor Places>

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

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Heavy Metal Drummer

The Late Greats

I'm Always In Love

Outtamind (Outtasite)

I'm A Wheel

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What Light

It's also really common for unused comp tickets to be released a few hours before the show, so waltz up and ask at the box office before you talk to a scalper.

The Filmore is a great place to see Wilco or any other music-- intimate and excellent sound.

I saw the show that was immediately after the 2004 elections, and it was a great night and a fine venue. I definitely couldn't call it intimate, though -- isn't the capacity 4000-ish?