Scalzunfield Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but I've had time to reflect now on seeing Low open for Wilco in Cincinnati and Indianapolis last week. I was kind of enthused to see Low because I'd heard really good things and seen some people's reactions here on VC, and I've gotta say... I don't get it. They almost put me to sleep in Cincinnati and, if it weren't for my friend's offer of a free beer while chatting in the lobby, I would have remained in my seat and fallen asleep the next night in Indianapolis. There were a few bright moments, but the songwriting was very monotonous: not a lot of variance between the songs. I suppose they've got their own feel on stage, but both nights they saved their most upbeat song for the finale. And by then I just didn't care anymore... Don't get me wrong, the lead singer had a very good voice and some of the songs were okay (just lacking energy). The total package was just...not there. The first time VC has misled me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
W(TF) Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 +1Was at the Cinci show too and I thought they sucked, hard. Basic problem being that none of the trio seemed to be accomplished musicians. That and the monotony/sameness of their songs. We bailed after the 8th or 9th song for some lobby brews too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kalle Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I get that same feeling just listening to the albums. The M's were a great opener last year and I just feel apprehensive about Low. I agree they just put me to sleep, BELLARUUUUUUuuuUUUuuuUuUUuuuUUUuuuUSSSSSS. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brettac1 Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 They're horribly miscast opening for Wilco. I think they're a really good band, but it just doesn't mesh very well. I really thought that more people had heard them and liked them before the Davenport show, and I honestly was surprised when 2/3 of the theatre was empty during their set. That was kind of a bummer. The beauty of their music lies in the fact that it is subtle and sparse, and the lyrics are quite dark. I think they're really good, and I got tickets to the Duluth show today in hopes that they will open in their hometown and get an appreciative audience and longer set. To each their own, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Buried In Sound Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I didn't like them last night, but I'm willing to give them another chance. I'll give the album a shot, anybody know where I can purchase it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAngerer09 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 They almost put me to sleep in Cincinnati My thoughts exactly. Very repetitive sounding and they need a real drum set. That bass drum just rolled on and on to no end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flying Rabbit Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 They're horribly miscast opening for Wilco. Agreed. I'm a fan of the band, and quite frankly when I heard the pairing I was equal parts giddy and quetioning the choice. Their last two albums have been a drastic departure of their earlier albums. Those (earlier) albums certainly run in the crowd of atmospheric music. Alan Sparhawk (the guitarist) is very accomplished as a musician, and I would no doubt think that both Nels and Jeff respect his playing abilities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scalzunfield Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 Alan Sparhawk (the guitarist) is very accomplished as a musician, and I would no doubt think that both Nels and Jeff respect his playing abilities. I don't think that Low's set (at least not the ones I saw in Indy and Cincy) showcased that at all. I kept hoping for something more out of him on that guitar as there were a couple quick flashes where he showed that he is capable of doing something interesting and technically above the rest of the work he did during the show. But it never really materialized unfortunately. I don't doubt the accuracy of your statement. I just wish he had brought out some of his more technical songs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IndyZen Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 (copy/pasted my thoughts on Low from my notes on the 6/15 Indy show) The opening act was Low. A band I was not previously familiar with hailing out of Duluth, MN. They are a trio (guitar, bass and percussion). If I had 2 words to describe them, they would be "Aural Ambien". This is a very quiet band to the extreme. If you can imagine Kraftwerk without keyboards and at Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dbt Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Didn't the singer mention something about the bass player's birthday? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigshoulders Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I have been diggin' on "Drums & Guns" for a few weeks now, in preparation for last night's opener in Charlotte, and although I've enjoyed their music, the slow pace of the songs (even slower than on the recording) put me in a semi-trance, and several times I blinked really long blinks. "Violent Past" was easily the best song of their set, but I really missed hearing the catchiest tune: "Hatchet." The on-stage lighting was very effective at isolating the trio, as well. I think the whole set could have been improved, if only they didn't play at such a slow tempo. cheers,kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I would no doubt think that both Nels and Jeff respect his playing abilities. From Nels' website: > LOW: Things We Lost In The Fire (Kranky 046) Anyone who knows me probably knows how much I love this band. Scarnella has played shows with them, and their albums and concerts are always much-anticipated in our household. I first heardthem when working on the Geraldine Fibbers' "Butch" session because Steve Fisk had just finished working with the band on "The Curtain Hits the Cast" (which may still be my favorite of theirs), and he played it for me. Low's music is not wild, it's not avant-garde. In fact, it's almost traditional. It's very, well, white. So why do I like them so much when I pay little or no attention to so-called"slow core" bands? Because their music is voiced, orchestrated in such effective and affecting ways. Their lyrics are minimal, to-the-point, oblique, genuinely poetic. Low can move you to tears and sometimes you aren't even sure why. That said, I picked up their newest while in San Francisco a few months back, and it's certainly one of their best. Tracks like "Whitetail", "Embrace", and "Medicine Magazines" are not only classic Low, they have sonic and musical ideas that are newto the Low sound (Steve Albini did a great job). "Sunflower", "July", and "Whore" go for more grand post-Beach Boys, post-Walker Bros. ideas, largely with good results (though "Whore" kind of fallsflat for me somehow). Anyway, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker's pure and gorgeous voices, those intriguing and affecting lyrics.......And I think Alan is a GREAT guitarist in terms of this music.He and bassist Zak Sally's ability to voice harmonies and dynamically shade the simple directnessof this generally stark material cannot be understated. OK, go buy the alb. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Some of these thoughts have surfaced on other threads..... I like these guys records, but caught them at Metro a few months back by themselves and their shows are very very slow. Opening for a fairly high energy band like Wilco could be a real problem (was the thought a few weeks back) and clearly it appears to be a problem for lots of fans. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ponch1028 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I liked their opening set in Charlotte. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people were in Ovens Auditorium listening to them and how attentive they were (at least from where I was sitting). Granted, the size of the venue may not be the best environment for Low's music, but I liked it. Very epic in sound (IMO), kind of like Last of the Mohicans soundtrack played by a trio. Also, I dug the lyrics, lots about murder and redemption from what little I picked up. Definitely going to check them out more. Not everybody's cup of tea, but easily the best opener I have seen for Wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I enjoyed their opening set in Atlanta. I'm probably somewhat biased, though. I had read the blurb from Nels' website a few years ago when I became a huge fan of his. That made me want to like them. I had not listened to them since reading about them on his site, but when I saw that they were the opening act at Chastain I made a point to get there on time and prepare myself for some quiet and slow music (I had an hour to kill before the show, so I went into the Border's near the venue and tried to sample their cds, but the cd reader wouldn't play them). I don't know what I would have thought of them if I had never heard of them and/or had never heard them praised by someone I respect. I probably would have payed attention for a song or two and then gone to look for some friends I knew were somewhere in the venue. They seem to be a band that would be easy NOT to pay atention to. So, I liked them, but I can't say I'd definitely go see them when they come back to town. As for other openers I've seen at Wilco shows... Joe Arthur (Fox Theater, Atlanta) I've been ANTI-Joe Arthur since the mid-'90s (I saw him play WAY too long at a multi-band all-day gig that had been on schedule until he bogarted the stage...jerk), so he didn't stand a chance with me and I didn't bother entering the theater until he was done. Head of Femur (Savannah, GA) I only saw about 15 seconds of their last song. I couldn't tell if they were good or not, but they seemed pretty ambitious based on their instrumentation. The young guys sitting next to us told us they sucked. I'm guessing I would have liked them. Carla Bozulich (w/ Nels) (Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines, Iowa) I had seen her and Nels do the Red Headed Stranger material once prior to opening for Wilco, and again a few weeks after this show. All three times she and Nels had a different line-up. I enjoyed them, but this was probably not as good as the other two times I saw them. This group seems to go over better in 100-200 person venues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I am going to Monday's and Tuesday's show. I am not familiar with Low. I will be there early for both shows. And this thread is worrying me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I am going to Monday's and Tuesday's show. I am not familiar with Low. I will be there early for both shows. And this thread is worrying me. No need to worry. It's not like you get strapped to your seat when the opening band starts. Of all the concerts I've been to that had opening bands, I'd say the opening band was enjoyable 10%-15% of the time. Generally speaking, the more I like a band, the more likely they are to have an opening band I'd rather not see. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 No need to worry. It's not like you get strapped to your seat when the opening band starts. Well, they are both GA shows and they are both sold out. So I have a feeling I will be stuck to the 5inch x 8inch space on the floor that I have reserved for myself. I will go in with an open mind. Whatever. Worse things have happened. Maybe I will love them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 i thought they were too quiet. it was a shame people had to talk so damn loud in atlanta because i would have loved to hear them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WilcoOfTheDay Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I found them slow and boring myself. I think they are probably good musicians but just having to listen to them for 45 minutes before an energetic band like Wilco and being so excited for the show made them a downer for me. I would maybe listen to them again while I'm trying to fall asleep. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
You Can Be The Stone Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Bring back the Roots! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 My sentimental favorite....Califone....and the guy in the bunny suit. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 and the guy in the bunny suit. The great Bobb Bruno (minus the bunny costume) played with Carla Bozulich when she opened for a chunk of the recent European tour. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scalzunfield Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 Favorite Wilco opener:Deerhoof Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jcarlile1 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 My favorite opener was in Chicago the night before Thanksgiving, 2001 (I think): The Chamber Strings Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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