dmait Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/music/...5286077,00.html Tweedy, Kotche give it their best at GPAC Jeff Tweedy opens his 2007 tour with a talkative performance at GPAC. By Mark JordanSpecial to The Commercial Appeal January 18, 2007Fresh off a Mexican vacation with his family, Jeff Tweedy was in a chatty mood Tuesday, the opening night of his 2007 solo tour before a sold-out audience of 824 at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre. "My wife always tells me I don't talk enough," the Wilco frontman explained before being drawn into one of the protracted exchanges with audience members that seemed to dominate the evening. If there was more talking than playing, at least Tweedy, a famously prickly personality in his pre-rehab days, kept the audience in stitches like an alt-rock Jerry Clower with stories of his son's scatological obsessions and a rowdy gig at a Missouri Shriner's mosque. Ostensibly a tour to promote a new live solo DVD, early on Tweedy seemed all business as he belted out the DVD's title track, "Sunken Treasure" from Wilco's 1996 album Being There. But as the night wore on he changed things up with a loose set list that included Wilco favorites, two previews of material from the band's next album, and a pair each from Tweedy's earlier band Uncle Tupelo and his ongoing side project Loose Fur. With Wilco best known in recent years for its sonic experimentation, it was refreshing to hear songs such as "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" stripped to the core, where you re-discover what a good (and dark) songwriter Tweedy is. Likewise for "You Were Wrong" and "The Ruling Class," the back-to-back selection of songs Tweedy performed from Loose Fur, his side project with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche and producer Jim O'Rourke. Tweedy recognized his Golden Smog bandmate (and Big Star drummer) Jody Stephens in the audience before launching into "Lost Love" from the alt-country supergroup's Memphis-recorded album Weird Tales. After a set that lasted just nine songs (with a lot of laughs in between), Tweedy returned for an encore, playing "Theologians" from Wilco's last studio album A Ghost Is Born and bringing out opening act Kotche to bang along to a pair of fan favorites from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, "I'm the Man Who Loves You" and "Heavy Metal Drummer." He rounded out the encore with a Foxtrot outtake, "Not For the Season," and a new song, the plaintive "Sky Blue Sky." Following a standing ovation, Tweedy returned once more. Weeding through songs yelled out by the audience, he played "California Stars" from 1998's Billy Bragg/Woody Guthrie collaboration Mermaid Avenue. For the finale he stepped out from behind the PA to test GPAC's vaunted acoustics with a truly unplugged rendition of Uncle Tupelo's "Acuff Rose." Kotche opened the night as a one-man percussion ensemble. Playing compositions from his third solo release, Mobile, Kotche combined a modified trap kit with a dizzying array of bells, special cymbals and gongs, glockenspiel and even cricket boxes in a performance that was as much dance as it was drumming. It was a surprising virtuoso turn for anyone who only knows Kotche's economical drumming for Wilco the past six years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
M. (hristine Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 "alt-rock Jerry Clower" Thanks for posting that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 It was a surprising virtuoso turn for anyone who only knows Kotche's economical drumming for Wilco the past six years. Nice review, although I'm not sure I would call Glenn's Wilco drumming economical. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parisisstale Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 "Ostensibly a tour to promote a new live solo DVD" I like that one. Yeah, Jeff is such a blatant self-promoter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wendy Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 Nice review, although I'm not sure I would call Glenn's Wilco drumming economical.I think the author meant it was "economical" in relation to what Glenn is obviously capable of, as evidenced in his solo performance. At least that's how I read it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmait Posted January 18, 2007 Author Share Posted January 18, 2007 Love the avatar, Parisisstale. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
suites Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 I like this line...............before a sold-out audience of 824 That is all that was there....nice..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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