Your first Wilco show

[lamradio]

This topic has probably already been posted in the past, but if anyone wants to share their first Wilco concert, post it here.

 

My first Wilco concert was in 1996 shortly after the release of Being There. I was sixteen years old and had never heard of Wilco until this show. They were one of the headlining acts at music festival at the Greenville Braves stadium in Greenville SC (can't remember the name of the fest). There were a bunch of random bands like Corey Stevens, Government Mule, and some other band that had "Cheese" in their name (It wasn't String Cheese Incident). Wilco was by far the best band there... They blew everyone else off of the stage. I remember thinking Jay Bennett was the coolest because he switched from guitar to keyboard the entire show, and the cigarette never left his mouth. I also remember getting a kick out of there long, un-organized endings of blaring guitars, keyboards, just musical chaos that seemed never-ending... And here I am, more than 10 years later and I'm going to be seeing them in Charlotte in June.

[cryptique]

Despite being a big Wilco fan practically from the moment that A.M. was released (and an Uncle Tupelo fan for years before that), I never got to a show until October 25, 2002, when I saw them play at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.

 

Califone opened and were amazing. Then Wilco came on and were even more amazing. I have an audience recording of the show and still love to listen to it once in a while.

 

Prior to that, they had played near me several times but for various reasons I couldn't go.

[MrRain422]

Despite being a big Wilco fan practically from the moment that A.M. was released (and an Uncle Tupelo fan for years before that), I never got to a show until October 25, 2002, when I saw them play at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.

 

Califone opened and were amazing. Then Wilco came on and were even more amazing. I have an audience recording of the show and still love to listen to it once in a while.

 

Prior to that, they had played near me several times but for various reasons I couldn't go.

 

That was my first Wilco show too, although I was much newer to them at that point than you were. I bought tickets, but Ticketmaster sent them to my old address and I wasn't able to recover them. Ended up having to buy another set of tickets, because at that point I was in deep and could not miss the show. The tickets that were sent to my old house were much better seats than the ones I ended up with, so that was a bummer, but that was one hell of a show. I've seen them several times since then, and I think that's still the best Wilco show that I saw.

[SarahC]

My first Wilco show was October 14th, 2005 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. It was the 3rd farthest away from home show I have seen, and I remember being so excited that day that it was super hard to concentrate on my classwork. For whatever reason, mostly being too young (got into wilco when i was 13) i was never allowed to see them live (dad's not a fan), and finally, he agreed to take me to see them. Mostly because I had been doing so well in school, and we had a hard time finding tickets, but Brianne helped us out. When we got there we met up with the wonderful JHamm and his buddies Nate and Julie, and Jesse had a suprise for me. A backstage pass! I flipped out. Almost started crying.

Once the show started we missed the opener band completely. Mostly because they were too loud, and dad didn't want to sit there for that long. We sat next to some really nice people from Wisconsin (don't know if they still read the board or not, but hi Jodi and Rob!!) When Wilco went onstage, I think I freaked out to the equivelent of some of those girls that you see in footage of the Beatles playing live. I just couldn't believe I was in the room seeing my favorite band making music!! They opened with "Misunderstood" and I screamed those "nothing's" like crazy. The highlight for me was right after "Walken" when Jeff said something like: "We'd also like to say hello to SarahC, where's Sarah?" and they couldn't find me because I was behind uber-tall people and finally people around me started making noise, and my dad did his whistle thing, but I was in so much shock I fell over. Jeff kept trying to find me for like a minute, and I don't think he did, but said something like "We're glad you finally made it to a wilco show!" Then, after the show I got to go back and talk to Jeff and Nels and Glenn and John. Jeff talked to us for a really long time, and I'm never ever going to forget how nice he and everybody were. He even gave me a copy of his poetry book. Here are some pictures, just because.

 

after i got that pass...

me and jeff

me and glenn

 

 

Mostly, the whole experiance made me love this place even more, because if it weren't for the friends I made here I probably would have never made it to the show to begin with.

[Sweet Melinda]

April 22, 2002 in Montreal. Might post pics of fine young Jeff later but here's what we were treated to:

 

1. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

2. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

3. War On War

4. She's A Jar

5. I'm Always In Love

6. Kamera

7. Radio Cure

8. A Shot In The Arm

9. Ashes Of American Flags

10. Jesus, Etc.

11. Heavy Metal Drummer

12. Pot Kettle Black

13. Not For The Season

14. I'm The Man Who Loves You

 

Encore 1:

15. Hesitating Beauty

16. California Stars

17. Passenger Side

18. Reservations

 

Encore 2:

19. Misunderstood

20. Red-Eyed And Blue

21. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

22. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

[yankhotelfox]

It was a dark and stormy night....

 

I saw Wilco for the first time on August 6, 2004 at the State Theater in Portland, ME. I saw them 2 days later at the Newport Folk Festival, right after I saw Old Crow Medicine Show play for about 100 people. Wicked. The good old "Ghost" summer tour. I saw them twice more that fall (Burlington, VT and Radio City).

 

I am going to see them on June 29 (and 6/24 in MA) in VT. It is my 30th birthday that day. If anyone here has any pull, I would love either: a backstage pass OR for them to sing me "Happy B'day." Now that would be super wicked.

[zach5277]

I saw them for the first time on February 9, 2005 at the Mershon Auditorium in Columbus, OH. It was my 16th birthday, and was basically the best present anyone could have given me. Before the show I got to see the Autumn Defense do a small in-store at Used Kids records, which was very cool. Met John and Pat at the in-store, as well as Glenn and Mike, and bought one of my first 'modern' vinyl records; Circles by the Autumn Defense. My first ever wilco bootleg was of that show as well..... good times.

[creativetype]

OKC 11-5-1997, Will Rogers Theater: Things I remember ... Jeff asking the audience for drugs ... Audience throwing drugs at Jeff ... Jeff looking at one in particular, laughing and giving it to Ken ... Jay was a master of many instruments and rocked the house ... Casino Queen ... small venue, lots of energy ... Also, the roadie did Immigrant Song.

 

Wish I could find a tape of the show, but I don't think one exists.

[yermom]

My first (hopefully the first of many) live show was the infamous Springfield Massacre of last October. The whole incident was certainly a low point of the evening but when Jeff tore that guys leg off and handed it to Nels who proceeded to play some jazzy guitar freak out with it, I really felt like I belonged. Actually, even though there was no such bloody madness, it was a completely awesome evening. I'm considering leaving my significant other and our kid behind so I can just follow Wilco all over the world because I want more of what was going around that night. I'm super psyched to try to make it to at least one show this year and maybe I'll run into a VCer or two!

[PigSooie]

March 17, 2006 at the Ryman. I was down in the pews. Great time.

 

They need to come back to The Orpheum in Memphis.

[aricandover]

my friend Jason talked me into checking them, back in june of 1995. I thought they kinda sucked. when Being There came out a year later, I changed my mind. unfortunately, I wasn't able to see them again til 1999.

[LouieB]

Night two of the Being there tour at Lounge Ax. I have no idea anymore what the date was, but sometime in the mid-90s.

 

LouieB

[j4lackey]

1995, Kentucky Theater, Lexington, went to see the Jayhawks because Victoria Williams was gonna play with them, some band named Wilco opened up for them, and rather blew them away. A lot of fun and energy.

[WilcoFan]

11-17-1999 - Recher Theater - Towson, MD

 

I had no idea what to expect. They were awesome and so impressive to me. It was like finally finding that real rock band that you always knew existed. Like the one that they sing about in "The Late Greats." They were loud and raucous and they were wild. You could see the dirt in their fingernails because they were probably on the road for so long. Jay Bennett blew me away from his opening notes of Via Chicago. After a set break, Tweedy performed a couple of songs by himself. You could just tell that he was the driving force of the band. I was front row. That was back in the days when you didn't have to show up at 2 in the afternoon to get front row to one of their shows. Ah, the good ole days.

 

WilcoBase does not have a set list for this show but I think it used to be available somewhere. Also I have seen the "to be known to be recorded" comment about the show, but have never found a soul with the recording. Maybe it's best that way.

[HighFives]

I finally saw them for the first time in 2004 here in salt lake. It was super great. first concert I had ever been to where I was familiar with every song the band played. They played every song from AGIB which is my favourite album plus New Madrid, my favourite UT song. So needless to say I had a good time.

[Kalle]

Last summer June 7th Massey Hall Toronto then London the night after.

 

[tongue-tied]

I finally saw them for the first time in 2004 here in salt lake. It was super great. first concert I had ever been to where I was familiar with every song the band played. They played every song from AGIB which is my favourite album plus New Madrid, my favourite UT song. So needless to say I had a good time.

 

That's lucky! I didn't get to hear "Hell Is Chrome" until my third Wilco show and I've never heard "Wishful Thinking" live. Though the shows I've seen have been fairly unique. My first Wilco show was at the Newport Folk Festival 8/8/04. They brought out some lesser played tunes for that one, and Garth Hudson.

[Basil II]

8-31-2001 Henry Adams Center ....Missoula ,MT opening for REM......

 

 

-Robert.

[Lammycat]

8-28-97 Red Rocks

 

They were opening for Sheryl Crow. A good pal of mine is tight with John Parker (JP) who was the stage manager at the time. We got to hang on stage for the set and in the bowels of Red Rocks. Good times.

[awatt]

Holy crap am I jealous of all you folks who've seen all those early shows!! Where the hell was I????

 

First show was Asheville, 2005. Hell is Chrome, Handshake Drugs, Muzzle of Bees, and then near the end Magazine Called Sunset, along with all the others, made this most memorable show since first time seeing Springsteen in 1978!!

[W.S. McTier]

OKC 11-5-1997, Will Rogers Theater: Things I remember ... Jeff asking the audience for drugs ... Audience throwing drugs at Jeff ... Jeff looking at one in particular, laughing and giving it to Ken ... Jay was a master of many instruments and rocked the house ... Casino Queen ... small venue, lots of energy ... Also, the roadie did Immigrant Song.

 

Wish I could find a tape of the show, but I don't think one exists.

 

 

I was also at that show. probably the most musically religious experience of my life. blue mountain opened. i've been at very few shows since then where the audience and band were so interconnected. the night also ended with me and my buddies giving jeff and ken a ride back to the hotel in my car. ken still had the weed on him and jeff asked if since i was in medical school at the time if i could give him a prescription for percocet. i laughed and brushed it off, little did i know how foreboding that request was. truly, the greatest live experience i've attended, and all others are judged against this one. seems like they also did a minutemen cover or at least passenger side as interpreted by the minutemen. the auld triangle was also a highlight, best show, period.

[Pecan_Pie]

10-30-04

 

Pot Kettle Black, Radio Cure, In a Future Age, and Another Man's Done Gone were some of the best tracks played that evening. Wilco got me hooked from the moment they banged out the first chord to Hummingbird to the final chords of Be Not So Fearful. As a 14 year old it blew my mind. Defidently the most worthwhile concert I've ever been to, life has never been the same...

[echo]

1995-05-10 Rockin Horse Saloon (RIP) Scottsdale, AZ

[SunkenKamera]

7-26-2002 Bogart's Cincinnati "Quiet" Wilco

 

Preston School of Industry opened

 

I only really knew the YHF songs, but recognized a few others.

 

Very cool Sunken Treasure-> Not for the Season

 

Unfortunately I haven't come across a recording of the show, but the sound is not usually that great at Bogart's.

[pillowy star]

July 13th, 1999 (Wilco opening for REM), Munich, Germany

 

I thought they were awful. Completely unlistenable. I even said to my exhusband during their set, almost in tears "I wish they'd go off stage!" He said "...but why don't you give this young rising poet a chance!?" And I moaned "He is horrible. I want him to go off stage."

 

 

3 years later, after some serious threats from friends whose music taste I trust, I gave "Summerteeth" a listen. I didn't even finish the 2nd song sample on Amazon, but grabbed my car keys, rushed in total ignorance of all speed limits to the next CD store and bought my first copy of it (I owned 7 at my best times ).

 

My life has never been the same ever since