yadasacker Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 The same old songs being played for pretty much the past 4 years now?? I mean, come on, Wilco has such an extensive catalog and we're constantly bombarded with the same 15-20 tunes show after show after show. Wilco has put on some of the best shows I've seen in recent years and since I'm a sucker, I continue to see them every time they come around, but I'm very tired of the tunes. Don't flame me too hard for this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 http://forums.viachicago.org/index.php?showtopic=24724 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 I think this has been said before..... Actually Wilco changes up more than alot of bands who play virtually the same set every night in sometimes the same order. In fact there are veteran acts that have not only been playing the same songs for the last 4 years, some play them for 40 years (i.e. The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, most folk acts, etc.) LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ction Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 I don't go to shows much anymore, so quite frankly it doesn't bother me at all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Yeah, this is a pretty common complaint.(and a valid one, I guess, since its pretty much the reason I haven't bothered going to see the band live for the past couple years) In a way I guess I can see it as them consciously trying not to fall into a state of "resting on their laurels" and relying on old songs to anchor their sets. Plenty of bands who have been around a while fall into that "greatest hits" trap where they'll trot out new material at shows and the crowd reaction is >, so they say "Okay, back to the hits!!! " and everybody's happy again. I think Wilco is a long way off from that point, and I guess I admire the fact that they don't want to become that. Still, it feels like they're crippling themselves a bit by not drawing upon their full catalog. I dunno, I'll probably check out one of their shows on the next tour since I'm sure it will be dominated by material from the next album, but I think one show per album-release is a good pace for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 I have not seen Wilco play the same setlist twice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yadasacker Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 I have not seen Wilco play the same setlist twice. did they just switch up Muzzle of Bees and ITTBYH? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 did they just switch up Muzzle of Bees and ITTBYH? Come on, that is just plain stupid. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 [quote name='sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 I think this has been said before..... Actually Wilco changes up more than alot of bands who play virtually the same set every night in sometimes the same order. In fact there are veteran acts that have not only been playing the same songs for the last 4 years, some play them for 40 years (i.e. The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, most folk acts, etc.) LouieBNot to get too heavy here, but The Stones, and especially Dylan, may play the same tunes for years at a time but they play them differently. Catching Dylan doing a Highway 61 from a few years back and this year you may not even recognize the tune at first. The Stones constantly shake their tunes up by adding/subtracting horns, back up singers/keyboardss/etc.I realize Wilco does this too, sometimes, but it's usually the difference between a JT solo version and a Wilco version. The Muzzle of Bees from last year is pretty much the Muzzle of Bees this year, etc. I'm not bitching about it, but there's a big difference between the two examples (Stones/Dylan:Wilco). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 I'm old and misanthropic and therefore don't go to more than one show from any particular tour, as a general rule. So, I really don't care. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 This was not a wise use of my time, but at least it's got me listening to some Wilco. Songs I've Heard Wilco Play Live (in a general order of new to old): Walken At Least That's What You SaidHell Is ChromeSpidersMuzzle Of BeesHummingbirdHandshake DrugsCompany In My BackTheologiansI'm A WheelLess Than You ThinkThe Late Greats Bob Dylan's 49th Beard I Am Trying To Break Your HeartWar On WarJesus, Etc.Ashes Of American FlagsHeavy Metal DrummerI'm The Man That Loves YouPoor Places When The Roses Bloom Again A Shot In The ArmI'm Always In LoveVia ChicagoIn A Future Age California StarsOne By One MisunderstoodMondayForget The FlowersKingpin I first saw Wilco in 2004, and I've been to 3 shows, they played 31 unique songs, and 8 cover songs. Unless people are dying to hear AM material, I don't get what the complaints are about. Is there some other act out there that's playing completely different stuff each night with setlists as long or longer? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 quarter23cd said: Plenty of bands who have been around a while fall into that "greatest hits" trap where they'll trot out new material at shows and the crowd reaction is >, so they say "Okay, back to the hits!!! " and everybody's happy again. I've seen Wilco trot out some old material and the crowd reaction has been more or less . Examples in the past couple years have been (Was I) In Your Dreams, Forget the Flowers, Hesitating Beauty, Another Man's Done Gone, and even Via Chicago. It must make it hard for the band to figure out what the audience wants to hear, so that may explain why they seem to pretty much play what they want. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mastershake Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 probably a lot of what they play has to do with if they feel comfortable playing the songs live. wilco can't just play anything on a given day, they have to rehearse it and make sure they are comfortable playing it before it can even make a setlist. i'm sure they are busy just like everyone else and don't always have time to relearn songs that are 10 years old. but that said, i'd love to see red-eyed and blue and i got you (at the end of the century) make it back to setlists as well as dreamer in my dreams. well, actually, i'd pretty much like to hear anything off of being there. they played forget the flowers in san antonio, and that was a nice surprise. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 but it's not the end of the century... i wouldn't mind hearing outtasite outtamind, but i have a feeling the next album tour will have it's own rockers, if walken is any indication. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Wilco is not bad at all. The Flaming Lips have played virtually the same setlist since 2001 (with the exception of replacing a couple yoshimi tracks with some off of mystics) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mchchef1 Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 There was a thread a week or so ago about songs you wish wilco would not play anymore. I posted this in that thread so sorry to repeat; IATTBYH was on the top of my list and when they played it in Louisville (5th or 6th time I have heard it) I was completely blown away, it was one of my buddies first Wilco show and all he could talk about was spiders (second on my list) and I really wish they had played it for him! As has been stated here many times, we who keep track of setlist, and bootlegs and see multiple shows a year are the exception in the Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Not to get too heavy here, but The Stones, and especially Dylan, may play the same tunes for years at a time but they play them differently. Catching Dylan doing a Highway 61 from a few years back and this year you may not even recognize the tune at first. The Stones constantly shake their tunes up by adding/subtracting horns, back up singers/keyboardss/etc.I realize Wilco does this too, sometimes, but it's usually the difference between a JT solo version and a Wilco version. The Muzzle of Bees from last year is pretty much the Muzzle of Bees this year, etc. I'm not bitching about it, but there's a big difference between the two examples (Stones/Dylan:Wilco).For one, ViaChicago is arranged dramatically differently now than it was just a few months back. Dylan certainly shakes things up to the dismay of alots of old fans (including me to a certain extent) that can't even recognize the tunes. Despite the Stones playing things somewhat differently (and admittedly I have only seen them once and that was back during the 70s) it is pretty much the same old shit. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 probably a lot of what they play has to do with if they feel comfortable playing the songs live. wilco can't just play anything on a given day, they have to rehearse it and make sure they are comfortable playing it before it can even make a setlist. i'm sure they are busy just like everyone else and don't always have time to relearn songs that are 10 years old.For sure....how many of you do something completely new at your job every day of the week? Do you give different answers to the same questions you are asked on the phone, etc. I didn't think so. No performer creates an entirely new act for each performance, they just don't: not Dylan, not the Stones and not Wilco. If you are tired of the act, go see a new group you haven't checked out before. If you like Wilco expect to see a similar act each time. Or go see Jeff's old bandmate Jay Farrar sing songs that all sound the same. At least with Wilco you get distinct songs that you can identify. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 For one, ViaChicago is arranged dramatically differently now than it was just a few months back. Dylan certainly shakes things up to the dismay of alots of old fans (including me to a certain extent) that can't even recognize the tunes. Despite the Stones playing things somewhat differently (and admittedly I have only seen them once and that was back during the 70s) it is pretty much the same old shit. LouieBI acknowledge that Wilco will do this from time to time (a la arrangement on Via Chicago). My point is that the majority of their material is played the same way for extended periods of time (nothing wrong with this, it is what it is) with little variation. To compare that to how Dylan (I'll leave off the Stones for this point) does his sets is not a good comparison, IMO. Dylan switches up his live versions of the same tunes constantly (sometimes to the dismay of fans) and has been doing so from the get-go. Going to a Dylan show (moreso in the past than presently, but still....) was/is a futile experience for anyone looking for the album versions of his tunes. I think Wilco plays close to the vest with a lot of their material, is all. Please don't misinterpret my take as a slam on the band. It's just an observation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yadasacker Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 For sure....how many of you do something completely new at your job every day of the week? Do you give different answers to the same questions you are asked on the phone, etc. I didn't think so. No performer creates an entirely new act for each performance, they just don't: not Dylan, not the Stones and not Wilco. If you are tired of the act, go see a new group you haven't checked out before. If you like Wilco expect to see a similar act each time. Or go see Jeff's old bandmate Jay Farrar sing songs that all sound the same. At least with Wilco you get distinct songs that you can identify. LouieB I'm not asking them to play their songs different, I'm saying play the other 30 to 40 songs in your catalog minus the same 20. That's it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ction Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 For the most part, I prefer old Wilco to new Wilco. That being said, if I was going to pay $50 or whatever it costs to see them these days, I'd much rather they play songs that excite/interest/challenge/whatever them than having them play a handful of songs off of AM that bore them to tears. I've watched bands that seem bored before, and without fail it pretty much sucked. I'm guessing if they were really excited by the prospect of playing "Pick Up the Change" every night, they'd be playing "Pick Up the Change" every night. Or something. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Ya know, if I hear one more person scream "Casino Queen" at a show I will scream myself. CQ has become the Wilco equivalent of Free Bird..... Two more lame thoughts. One, people here seem to WANT new material played at shows and two, the material off Summerteeth and YHF (and to an extent AGIB) is going to be identified and sought by the bulk of Wilco fans forever. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scalzunfield Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Some things I've noticed/thought: 1) A fair portion of people at each show are not like us VCers. They do NOT know every album song (and many non-album songs by heart). As previously stated, when Wilco has busted out Forget the Flowers recently (and Christ For Pres. in Louisville) there were crickets. 2) I saw them 3 times in a span of 5 days and, yes, I heard IATTBYH, ITMWLY, Jesus, and probably a few others each night I went. Did it bug me? No. The band was on top of their game.Edit: I should add here that they played more songs off YHF than AGIB in Lousiville...and it was great. 3) Previous comments on I Got You/Red-Eyed. I think I could still use a couple more years without hearing those songs. I still love 'em, but they played them at virtually every show from '95 to '02. And I understand that some people feel that way about the newer material. 4) The songs on AM can be accomplished decently by 3 and perfectly by 4 people. I'm sure this lineup could add some incredible stuff to those old songs, but I think Jeff's past that point. As Louie and others stated, he doesn't want to fall back on all the old stuff (particularly, I'm sure, because he hasn't ever seemed that fond of the material he wrote for AM anyways). 5) I don't run the show. Sure, I pay for the ticket and spend the money to get there, but I'm not in charge of the show. If the band takes a turn I don't like, I'll stop going. It's just that simple (pun fully intended). It's their show and if they wanted to trot out a copycat setlist night after night, they could. But they don't and that's why I keep going. Just a few pennies from yours truly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oceanman Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 People who say they hate It's Just That Simple are the same one's who say Pet Sounds is a great album just to sound cool! Just jooking around................................. And yes,for christ's sake,Let John sing one here and there!Please. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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