When Was The Last Time...

[cngwms]

Don't get me wrong. Wilco sounds better and healthier than ever. The groove is tight and the show flows well together. And maybe I'm just showing my age here but, out of all of songs to play from their catalog I feel like I'm seeing the same show repeated for the last several years. Last night in Chicago was great, but it felt like I saw the same thing last year at the Auditorium or the year before that or I could have stayed home and listened to Kicking Television (It's basically the same setlist).

 

There was a time when every time I saw Wilco they did something new and different (Casino Queen - Dylan version anyone?). They sounded different or they interpreted a song differently or added something else to their repertoire (cover of Color Me Impressed, Be Not So Fearful, etc.). I know I would kill to hear Hesitating Beauty again or Hotel Arizona or Feed of Man or We're Just Friends or Poor Places.

 

I love them and am believe they're one of the best bands around; every time I see them, they don't seem to have an "off" night. But, I wonder if they've stopped being as daring/innovative as they once were and I don't leave being blown away, just pleased and impressed.

 

Always a fan.

 

(PS. Does anyone else think that Nels' contributions to the songs are exactly what Robbie Robertson added to The Band?)

[jlynch3]

That's a great attitude to take to your next show... pretty much guarantees that you will be surprised.

 

Due to a wonderful series of coincidences, I was able to catch the vancouver and berkeley shows in the same week. At vancouver, they pulled out their new version of "Too Far Apart," which seemed to raise the eyebrows of the folks around me, at least.

 

Later that week, in Berkeley, the setlist was completely different, and they pulled out "In A Future Age," not exactly burning up the lists at Wilcobase.

 

Neither set resembled KickingTV...

 

I like the Robbie Robertson analogy, but pay more attention to Nels' playing... he'll push out your surprise every night.

[countryfeedback]

The reason we are no longer surprised is because of the internet. We furiously click, click, click on "after the show" hoping to be the first ones to view last nights setlist. Its like a freaking drug. We are addicted. We cant stop ourselves. I am to blame and you are to blame. I remember the good old days before the internet when I use to go to Wilco shows and make bets with my friends on which song Wilco would open with. If they even played an Uncle Tupelo song during the set we would nearly cream our shorts. Those days are long gone. At least for you and me. I envy my Wilco friends who refuse to let themselves be tempted by this poision. You dont know how bad I want to tell them that Wilco is playing "Too Far Apart" on a regular basis. But come Friday night when the play it, my buddy will scream like a little girl and I will wish that I too could feel that rush of excitement. Dont get me wrong, I will be pumped, but not like I should be.

 

That being said, Wilco does a phenominal job of keeping it fresh. I would love for a reporter to ask Jeff about this very phenomenon, cause I know it has affected and to a certain degree watered down the fan excitement at todays shows. And if you dont think Wilco does a stellar job mixing it up, just look at the last 40 or so Son Volt setlists. You want to talk about a band that doesnt change it up. Seeing Son Volt night after night makes you feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

[SarahC]

I know it has affected and to a certain degree watered down the fan excitement at todays shows.

I disagree with this.

Most days I read after-the-show and at the Berkeley show I was floored when they did "Too Far Apart" even though I knew they'd been playing it. When they busted out "In A Future Age" oh wow, I thought I was dreaming...

 

It may effect some folks negitively by knowing what is being played, but if you go in not thinking about it I don't think it matters...

[MattZ]

I am surprised every time I hear something new in YHF or AGIB. And this happens every time I listen to YHF or AGIB carefully.

[nalafej]

I think they do a pretty good job. The internet is the big problem.

 

Side with the Seeds has a great intro right now. Spiders is really different than the last tour, and neither of those versions match the pre AGIB versions. Cars Can't Escape with feedback at the end into Spiders? That is changing it up.

 

I actually looked at last nights set compared to the previous show I saw (Indianapolis) and it was really different. And last night compared to Kicking Television isn't even close to the same set.

[W(TF)]

Don't get me wrong. Wilco sounds better and healthier than ever. The groove is tight and the show flows well together. And maybe I'm just showing my age here but, out of all of songs to play from their catalog I feel like I'm seeing the same show repeated for the last several years. Last night in Chicago was great, but it felt like I saw the same thing last year at the Auditorium or the year before that or I could have stayed home and listened to Kicking Television (It's basically the same setlist).

 

Not sure what you'd like them to do differently, maybe you could be specific?

 

The band is obviously burdened with some level of "expectation" to play the standards. Though I would hope they're playing the ones they enjoy playing. They're even polling fans for requests.

 

I think people would be pissed if they didn't hear Spiders, or Via Chicago. Even Dylan compromises with fans and plays LARS at nearly every show.

[Groo]

Last night, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone jumped out of my closet and viciously raped me. Surprised the hell out of me.

[j4lackey]

Last night, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone jumped out of my closet and viciously raped me. Surprised the hell out of me.

Wow, they ARE keeping it fresh!

[dontknownuthin]

Livin After Midnight judas priest cover on NYE at MSG three years ago

 

surprise!

 

full band (minus nels) joining jeff onstage for a huge encore at the second solo vic show in march 05

 

surprise!

 

volkswagon

 

surprise!

 

p.s. re: the robbie robertson comparison - robbie wrote nearly all the band's tunes. nels is great but he don't got it like that.

[cngwms]

Not sure what you'd like them to do differently, maybe you could be specific?

 

The band is obviously burdened with some level of "expectation" to play the standards. Though I would hope they're playing the ones they enjoy playing. They're even polling fans for requests.

 

I think people would be pissed if they didn't hear Spiders, or Via Chicago. Even Dylan compromises with fans and plays LARS at nearly every show.

 

 

Now that I think about it, it seems like before they seemed to be restlessly searching for a new sound or direction to go (ie. Dylan). Now they've found something that works and they stick with it and stick with it. I also suppose that could be because of the recent stabilty that has been found in the band (instead of a rotating cast - Bob Egan to LeRoy, etc). Who knows, all the newspaper reviews around have said the concert were perfect or nearly perfect (DeRogatis never likes anything without a caveat of some sort). Maybe I just want to hear something else off of Summerteeth than Shot In The Arm.

[TCP]

I was pretty surprised when I heard them bust out Too Far Apart (I didn't even recognize it at first), Hesitating Beauty, and Bob Dylan's Beard during sound check at Vancouver.

[Twisted Acres]

The last time they surprised me was when I went to watch Monday Night Football at a Buffalo Wild Wings just off the interstate. I had had a tough day. I walk in, and who's there at my usual booth yelling "surprise" but Jeff, John, Pat, Nels, Mike, & Glenn... all with party hats and horns. I was shocked! We laughed, ate wild wings, and had fun.

 

 

 

 

(sorry, couldn't resist, silly mood today )

[zebra]

I was going to say 'last night in Chicago', but it wasn't a real surprise that they rocked so hard.

 

In Feb, my brother and I drove down to Tucson from Phoenix to see Glenn play. I was surprised when I was sitting there waiting for the show to start and he (Glenn) and my brother cut through the crowd and he walked up to me and gave me a hug and remembered me from so long ago. After chatting for a minute, he looks around, sees the crowd staring at him, then says to me, "Oh, I guess I should start the show...". Very cool!

[countryfeedback]

Getting back to pre-internet days (at least for me since I thought chat rooms were strictly for porn up until two years ago) I will never forget my surprise when I was glancing thru the Austin Chronicle in the summer of '99 and came across the UPCOMING MUSIC listings for Antones in Austin. It listed a band going by the name of "Summerteeth" for a show on 8/15. Could it be Wilco, we thought. Many of my friends were skeptical and thought that it was probably just a Wilco cover band or a Wilco hoot night (which is not uncommon here in Austin.) But I knew better. Having had REM tickets in hand for a show in San Antonio on 8/17, I remembered that Wilco was the opener. Putting two and two together, I knew it had to be true. However there was no pre-sale for the show. It was day of show sales only. We tried calling the club to verify if it would indeed be Wilco, but we were given the proverbial "we cant confirm anything" line.

 

So after standing in a line that stretched all the way around the block of 5th street, the huddled masses stood patiently hoping that we would get in. We were certain it was Wilco, but the possibility existed that this may have been a private gig, with only a limited number of tickets available to the general public or none whatsoever. After a two hour or so wait outside in the hot August heat, we made our way in. We paid a nominal cover charge (maybe $15 bucks?) bought our beers and headed towards the stage. When the opening band came on, I began to worry. It was local musican George Devore, whom my friends and I personally knew. George had rarely played outside the frat bars on 6th street, so never in a million years did we expect that HE COULD POSSIBLY BE OPENING FOR WILCO. "This is not a good sign," we thought. After George's set, we sat in nervous anticipation. We didnt even chance leaving our place at the front of the stage to grab a beer at the back of the bar, for fear we would never make our way back thru the anxious crowd.

 

After a quick equipment change, the house lights began to dim. Out came Ken Coomer, Leroy Bach, Jay Bennett, and John Stiratt. But no Jeff Tweedy. Instead the frontman on this night was a skinny, spectacled, baseball hat wearing dude who broke into the worst version of the Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" you ever heard. "Who the fuck are you," someone yelled from the back of the room. After equally disturbing (sorry JP) versions of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Come Together" the band immediatly left the stage. The crowd was more shocked than upset. Nobody left, but the feeling amongst many of us there, was that "we've been had." Moments later the full band returned to a rousing applause. The last person to step on stage, with a huge smile on his face, was Tweedy. The band then broke into "I'm Always In Love" and the crowd went fucking nuts. 28 songs later, I and probably a couple hundred others saw the greatest show of our lives.

 

Now that was one hell of a surprise.

[blindgonzo]

I was pretty surprised when I heard the opening drum beats of Too Far Apart in Vancouver. I think that Wilco mixes it up quite a bit compared to other bands. I mean, seeing 3 shows in one week, I think I got about 40 different songs!!! I think that's pretty amazing!

[H.Stone]

countryfeedback, that is a fucking kick ass story! I'm going to read it again....

[froggie]

18 april 2007

[yermom]

18 april 2007

Is this the show where Jeff identified you and you all were pirates?

[H.Stone]

Oooo, tell THAT story, Froggie!

[froggie]

nah, that was a few days later

 

with the first melbourne show,

 

1) listening to the current line-up, i didnt think of them as being that good based on cd's cause i missed the 2001-2003 line-up - that changed at that show, seeing them in person

2) asked jeff to play acuff-rose - he did

3) heard mountain bed during the soundcheck, assuming it wouldnt be played during the show - it was

 

so 3 years after the new line-up came into force, i fell in love with it (especially with nels on lap steel)

[nalafej]

Getting back to pre-internet days (at least for me since I thought chat rooms were strictly for porn up until two years ago) I will never forget my surprise when I was glancing thru the Austin Chronicle in the summer of '99 and came across the UPCOMING MUSIC listings for Antones in Austin. It listed a band going by the name of "Summerteeth" for a show on 8/15. Could it be Wilco, we thought. Many of my friends were skeptical and thought that it was probably just a Wilco cover band or a Wilco hoot night (which is not uncommon here in Austin.) But I knew better. Having had REM tickets in hand for a show in San Antonio on 8/17, I remembered that Wilco was the opener. Putting two and two together, I knew it had to be true. However there was no pre-sale for the show. It was day of show sales only. We tried calling the club to verify if it would indeed be Wilco, but we were given the proverbial "we cant confirm anything" line.

 

So after standing in a line that stretched all the way around the block of 5th street, the huddled masses stood patiently hoping that we would get in. We were certain it was Wilco, but the possibility existed that this may have been a private gig, with only a limited number of tickets available to the general public or none whatsoever. After a two hour or so wait outside in the hot August heat, we made our way in. We paid a nominal cover charge (maybe $15 bucks?) bought our beers and headed towards the stage. When the opening band came on, I began to worry. It was local musican George Devore, whom my friends and I personally knew. George had rarely played outside the frat bars on 6th street, so never in a million years did we expect that HE COULD POSSIBLY BE OPENING FOR WILCO. "This is not a good sign," we thought. After George's set, we sat in nervous anticipation. We didnt even chance leaving our place at the front of the stage to grab a beer at the back of the bar, for fear we would never make our way back thru the anxious crowd.

 

After a quick equipment change, the house lights began to dim. Out came Ken Coomer, Leroy Bach, Jay Bennett, and John Stiratt. But no Jeff Tweedy. Instead the frontman on this night was a skinny, spectacled, baseball hat wearing dude who broke into the worst version of the Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" you ever heard. "Who the fuck are you," someone yelled from the back of the room. After equally disturbing (sorry JP) versions of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Come Together" the band immediatly left the stage. The crowd was more shocked than upset. Nobody left, but the feeling amongst many of us there, was that "we've been had." Moments later the full band returned to a rousing applause. The last person to step on stage, with a huge smile on his face, was Tweedy. The band then broke into "I'm Always In Love" and the crowd went fucking nuts. 28 songs later, I and probably a couple hundred others saw the greatest show of our lives.

 

Now that was one hell of a surprise.

 

That is a great story. Thank you so much for sharing. I can't imagine the night you had that night (although now I kind of can). What a cool thing.

[cooperissup3r]

on the nels comment...i think nels is a lot better guitarist than robertson. at one point, robbie was playing some good stuff, but by 72 or so, it was just straight pentatonic scales.

[Chris_H_2]

September 19 & 20, 2003

[Sir Stewart]

Getting back to pre-internet days (at least for me since I thought chat rooms were strictly for porn up until two years ago) I will never forget my surprise when I was glancing thru the Austin Chronicle in the summer of '99 and came across the UPCOMING MUSIC listings for Antones in Austin. It listed a band going by the name of "Summerteeth" for a show on 8/15. Could it be Wilco, we thought. Many of my friends were skeptical and thought that it was probably just a Wilco cover band or a Wilco hoot night (which is not uncommon here in Austin.) But I knew better. Having had REM tickets in hand for a show in San Antonio on 8/17, I remembered that Wilco was the opener. Putting two and two together, I knew it had to be true. However there was no pre-sale for the show. It was day of show sales only. We tried calling the club to verify if it would indeed be Wilco, but we were given the proverbial "we cant confirm anything" line.

 

So after standing in a line that stretched all the way around the block of 5th street, the huddled masses stood patiently hoping that we would get in. We were certain it was Wilco, but the possibility existed that this may have been a private gig, with only a limited number of tickets available to the general public or none whatsoever. After a two hour or so wait outside in the hot August heat, we made our way in. We paid a nominal cover charge (maybe $15 bucks?) bought our beers and headed towards the stage. When the opening band came on, I began to worry. It was local musican George Devore, whom my friends and I personally knew. George had rarely played outside the frat bars on 6th street, so never in a million years did we expect that HE COULD POSSIBLY BE OPENING FOR WILCO. "This is not a good sign," we thought. After George's set, we sat in nervous anticipation. We didnt even chance leaving our place at the front of the stage to grab a beer at the back of the bar, for fear we would never make our way back thru the anxious crowd.

 

After a quick equipment change, the house lights began to dim. Out came Ken Coomer, Leroy Bach, Jay Bennett, and John Stiratt. But no Jeff Tweedy. Instead the frontman on this night was a skinny, spectacled, baseball hat wearing dude who broke into the worst version of the Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" you ever heard. "Who the fuck are you," someone yelled from the back of the room. After equally disturbing (sorry JP) versions of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Come Together" the band immediatly left the stage. The crowd was more shocked than upset. Nobody left, but the feeling amongst many of us there, was that "we've been had." Moments later the full band returned to a rousing applause. The last person to step on stage, with a huge smile on his face, was Tweedy. The band then broke into "I'm Always In Love" and the crowd went fucking nuts. 28 songs later, I and probably a couple hundred others saw the greatest show of our lives.

 

Now that was one hell of a surprise.

This just calls for another quoting. Great story.