LouisvilleGreg Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I'm posting this just for the sake of being an archivist and a completist, it ran in the Times Dispatch today in Richmond, and well, it isn't done very well at all, and in my opinion, does a fairly poor job of painting a picture of the show in Charlottesville. But you decide for yourself, Greg "Tweedy, listeners develop rapport" BY AARON KREMERSPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Feb 2, 2007 MUSIC REVIEWJEFF TWEEDYAT: Paramount Theater on Wednesday A black-clad Jeff Tweedy could do no wrong at a sold-out, solo show Wednesday night in Charlottesville. Start over when a guitar riff doesn't sound right? No problem, Jeff. The crowd still erupted after every tune. Falsetto sound a little haggard from so much time on the road? Fuggetaboutit. Fans were just thrilled you played "Theologians," the popular track from the 2004 release "A Ghost Is Born." Tweedy's caustic jabs at the Paramount Theater audience all killed. Although you get the idea he has mixed feelings about being a comedian in between songs. "I'm at the end of my rope on this tour with all the jokes. I've run out of bits for the yuk yuk factory," Tweedy said of this, his last concert of the tour. He'll take a few months off and then start touring Australia with Wilco in April. When an audience member yelled out, "Jeff Leopard," Tweedy shot back, "This [guy] was at the show the other night. He's ruining it. We want to develop a rapport organically. "But it's nice you allow special-needs people here." The Wilco frontman has the self-deprecating, crowd-teasing banter down pat. One woman set flowers and a Diet Coke on the stage and said Tweedy looked thirsty. "Ahh, I am kinda thirsty, now that you mention it. How did you keep it cold this whole time? Did you bring a cooler?" The crowd was in stitches. But all the laughter sort of made the show disjointed. Laughing one second and trying to get back into the music feels a lot like going from fifth to first gear. Tweedy seemed unsure when to stop responding to catcalls and song requests and to start strumming one of the five guitars in a semicircle behind him. Tweedy said he writes couch songs, meaning he mumbles lyrics and that without amplification you'd have to be sitting next to him on the couch to hear. But with the microphone on stage, they sound as sharp as on the studio albums. He whistled on one tune, and even that most proletariat of instruments worked beautifully. When he sang, his raspy, maple-sugar voice filled the theater and made the idea of a full band seem extraneous. Not that Tweedy was really alone. On "California Stars," the crowd sang along while Tweedy sang the harmony. He had the crowd singing on "Jesus" as well, and complimented one section of the audience for the purity of its pitch. "That was the most beautiful, sweet sound over there. You should take that on the road. Try out for 'American Idol.'" Tweedy finished the show like he started it, unplugging his guitar, moving to the front of the stage, and projecting his voice au naturel to the silent crowd. "This is what it's going to be like post apocalypse, when there's no electricity. I want to be prepared." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
viatroy Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 raspy, maple-sugar voice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Hope Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Fuggetaboutit....What does this word mean? Maybe it should have been spelled Forget about it... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawthorne Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 it sounds like the writer does not like tweedy; doesnt it seem like he has a sarcastic tone to him? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JeffLeopard Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 it sounds like the writer does not like tweedy; doesnt it seem like he has a sarcastic tone to him? For the record, this is a terrible write-up of the concert. Mr. Tweedy was not wearing black. He did not respond "It's nice they allow special needs people here," to that particular audience member, but another. He seems to be trying incredibly hard to be witty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Coltrane Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Classic pathetic writing regarding music in the Richmond Times Dispatch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WaronWar Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 In general, this concert review is shit just because its scattered all over the place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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