Family Gardener Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Wow, they give and give and give... So maybe the 5 night run is not entirely selfless (hello, they have families to feed), but it is so apparent that they love to please their fans as best as they can. The enthusiasm and energy they have brought to the stage FIVE NIGHTS is pretty out of control. I only have been to one of the concerts, returning this eve, but I can tell from listening last night and reading the posts here, they have strived to do as much as they possible can in an evening (knowing that some people are not so lucky to go all 5 nights). What more can you ask for? Going for one night, and getting to venue at 6:30 but waiting for them to go on at 7:30 and then dancing and screaming til end left me feeling exhausted. To be up on stage for all these nights has to be so incredibly draining, but they do it -- and with such fervor! A couple we met on Mon nite said they will be seeing them on FRI in Cleveland -- can't beleive they hit the road SO soon after all this. I'd need a month long vacation, at least... Maybe back down to MX, where perhaps Bennett is still holing up... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rock and Roll Giraffe Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Wow, they give and give and give... So maybe the 5 night run is not entirely selfless (hello, they have families to feed), but it is so apparent that they love to please their fans as best as they can. The enthusiasm and energy they have brought to the stage FIVE NIGHTS is pretty out of control. I only have been to one of the concerts, returning this eve, but I can tell from listening last night and reading the posts here, they have strived to do as much as they possible can in an evening (knowing that some people are not so lucky to go all 5 nights). What more can you ask for? Going for one night, and getting to venue at 6:30 but waiting for them to go on at 7:30 and then dancing and screaming til end left me feeling exhausted. To be up on stage for all these nights has to be so incredibly draining, but they do it -- and with such fervor! A couple we met on Mon nite said they will be seeing them on FRI in Cleveland -- can't beleive they hit the road SO soon after all this. I'd need a month long vacation, at least... Maybe back down to MX, where perhaps Bennett is still holing up... Generous, indeed. My Dad, who doesn't know much about Wilco (or music in general) asked me, "Do many bands do this sort of things where they do a bunch of shows and play all their songs?" I thought about it for a minute... Nope, couldn't think of anything like this that's happened before. At least not with a band with as many songs as Wilco, or a band of their stature. I saw all 5 nights, and they accomplished their mission of playing everything on a proper Wilco album. Before leaving the stage, Jeff said, "Let's do this again next year." Keep your fingers crossed!! (let's hope for summer too!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 It's awesome that Wilco did that. It's an amazing concept and a great gift to fans, especially considering that they would probably rather leave some of those tunes in the past. I wish I could have been there. I think a typical touring schedule is much more draining than playing five nights in a row in your hometown, though. That's no more draining than some guy working the 3-11 shift at the local airport, or something...and those guys don't receive raucous applause (or anywhere near as much money) for their efforts. Nor do they experience the spontaneous, and VERY invigorating moments of ecstacy that a great live band experiences on a good night. I think a five night stint at home sounds fairly relaxing as far as live music performance goes. Now, learning ALL the tunes and getting them up to performance standards, and writing the setlists so there are no (or very few) repeats while creating five unique and consistently entertaining shows...THAT is a Herculean and tedious effort. I don't mean to take anything away from Wilco. They obviously work very hard to show that they care about thier fans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChooChooCharlie Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Wow, they give and give and give... So maybe the 5 night run is not entirely selfless (hello, they have families to feed),I think it was mostly (though of course not completely) selfless considering they could have charged a lot more than $35 and still sold out a MUCH larger Chicago venue than the Riv for 5 nights. The intimacy of The Riv made it really special. Clearly finances were a minor consideration and I couldn't respect them more for that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChooChooCharlie Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Generous, indeed. My Dad, who doesn't know much about Wilco (or music in general) asked me, "Do many bands do this sort of things where they do a bunch of shows and play all their songs?" I thought about it for a minute... Nope, couldn't think of anything like this that's happened before. At least not with a band with as many songs as Wilco, or a band of their stature.A bunch of bands have done residencies before (Dead, Dylan, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) but I don't know if any of them have ever attempted to play their entire catalog like Wilco though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
providman Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I'm pretty sure Pearl Jam did it in Boston a few years ago - played their entire catalogue over a multi-night run, that is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouisvilleGreg Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I met Pat one night at the bar after the show. I talked to him briefly and told him they were on fire all week. He was very modest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjm71 Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 The Dead certainly did many similar runs in the Bay area. Phish hosted multi-day festivals where they would play a hell of a lot of music. To be sure, Wilco played five amazing shows last week - I was fortunate to attend all of them. There were many many repeats (which I enjoyed) - but the aforementioned bands played entire runs with very few repeats. I'm not trying to qualify this by saying any of these bands are "better" than one another - they all have their musical charms. I'm just saying the idea of playing multiple nights in one city is no more Wilco's idea than the idea that Jeff Tweedy "invented" alt-country. -flame away if you like,marty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 The Dead certainly did many similar runs in the Bay area. Phish hosted multi-day festivals where they would play a hell of a lot of music. To be sure, Wilco played five amazing shows last week - I was fortunate to attend all of them. There were many many repeats (which I enjoyed) - but the aforementioned bands played entire runs with very few repeats. I'm not trying to qualify this by saying any of these bands are "better" than one another - they all have their musical charms. I'm just saying the idea of playing multiple nights in one city is no more Wilco's idea than the idea that Jeff Tweedy "invented" alt-country. -flame away if you like,martyNo flame necessary. There have been residencies by many "smaller" bands here in Chicago over the course of the past seveal years so you are correct, they didn't invent this, but few have done it as well or so comprehensively. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouisvilleGreg Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Kiss used to do entire tours with the exact same setlist everynight with no deviation whatsoever, except for (name of city,) you rock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Kiss used to do entire tours with the exact same setlist everynight with no deviation whatsoever, except for (name of city,) you rock.So the recent Van Halen tour was actually a Kiss tribute? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjm71 Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Kiss used to do entire tours with the exact same setlist everynight with no deviation whatsoever, except for (name of city,) you rock. And that sort of show is really really boring. The band goes through their motions, the crowd cheers, but everything about it is lame. I would suspect that playing the same songs, in the same order, every night for six months would be the definition of musical tedium. It had to have shown through in the performances. Most people who are not Wilco fans didn't understand why I would attend all five shows.. "aren't they all the same?" The expectations of popular rock/country fans are pretty low. -marty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drews Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 And that sort of show is really really boring. The band goes through their motions, the crowd cheers, but everything about it is lame. I would suspect that playing the same songs, in the same order, every night for six months would be the definition of musical tedium. It had to have shown through in the performances. Most people who are not Wilco fans didn't understand why I would attend all five shows.. "aren't they all the same?" The expectations of popular rock/country fans are pretty low. -marty Just to chime in and sidle up with marty; I have seen lots of live music over the years, and I love wilco as much as the next guy, but I have been very anti-live-Wilco lately. I've seen them quite a bit, both home (Philly) and on the road and have been very disappointed with the lack of spontaneity from show to show. Yes they are slightly different, but more or less the same. Hopefully this tour will freshen things up. I'm going to the Philly show and flying down to Nashville this tour. And I have to admit, if all of my friends were not going to the Tower i'd give that ticket up in a heartbeat. If the show in Philly is the same as it is in Nashville i'm hanging up my spurs. They sound just as good on CD. I just don't get it; why would you want to play the same stuff night after night? I certainly can't stand hearing the same stuff night after night.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
laurie Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Just to chime in and sidle up with marty; I have seen lots of live music over the years, and I love wilco as much as the next guy, but I have been very anti-live-Wilco lately. I've seen them quite a bit, both home (Philly) and on the road and have been very disappointed with the lack of spontaneity from show to show. Yes they are slightly different, but more or less the same. Hopefully this tour will freshen things up. I'm going to the Philly show and flying down to Nashville this tour. And I have to admit, if all of my friends were not going to the Tower i'd give that ticket up in a heartbeat. If the show in Philly is the same as it is in Nashville i'm hanging up my spurs. They sound just as good on CD. I just don't get it; why would you want to play the same stuff night after night? I certainly can't stand hearing the same stuff night after night.... I wanted to add my thanks to Wilco et al as I feel a bit differently and will naturally feel maybe I am just not as sophisticated as other fans, I have to say i feel much more like CCC and anyhow, for what it's worth i have compiled my - Top Ten Reasons to be grateful for the Residency: 10. Where else could you hang for a week in the freezing cold waiting to see your beloved band with a slew of other fanatics, none of whom accuse you of being out of you mind?9. What other band would find Daaaaa Total Proz , so we Quote Link to post Share on other sites
auctioneer69 Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Laurie and Rick: Well said. While I think no-one should be exempt from criticism, it's truly sad that there are other fans who take the time and energy to question Wilco's concern for and generosity to their fans. It only goes to show that someone people are ungrateful wankers who are never satisfied. It would be truly great if Wilco could play an entirely different set list every night. The reality is that no band interested in growing their audience and more importantly trying to put on a well-paced performance every night could do that. So what Wilco do instead is a five-night residency where they play everything in their catalogue. And there are still moaners. Probably the sort of people who take great delight in reducing any joy in life to critical nit-picking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
laurie Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Laurie and Rick: Well said. While I think no-one should be exempt from criticism, it's truly sad that there are other fans who take the time and energy to question Wilco's concern for and generosity to their fans. It only goes to show that someone people are ungrateful wankers who are never satisfied. It would be truly great if Wilco could play an entirely different set list every night. The reality is that no band interested in growing their audience and more importantly trying to put on a well-paced performance every night could do that. So what Wilco do instead is a five-night residency where they play everything in their catalogue. And there are still moaners. Probably the sort of people who take great delight in reducing any joy in life to critical nit-picking. Hey thanks - I guess people who keep enjoying will keep going, and those who don't, won't. Looking forward to seeing them again in New Haven. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouisvilleGreg Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I totally forgot to post this and this seems like the best place. After the last night I noticed a roadie walk out on stage with a drum head in hand. He walked to the middle of the stage and threw it up right in front of me. I reached for it and it sailed to the ground, where I reached down to pick it up. When I pulled it up closer for a lookover i realized that it was autographed in sharpie by all six members. What a great farewell gift for such a memorable week. I'll try to get a picture of it up someday soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
j4lackey Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 That was signed by the whole band? I woulda jumped a little higher had I known that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Steve Brule Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 They sound just as good on CD. I just don't get it; why would you want to play the same stuff night after night? I certainly can't stand hearing the same stuff night after night.... I started to feel that way for a while. Someone pointed out to me that the majority of people DON'T go to all the shows though. As a veteran of over 100 Wilco show, I was super pleased with the Residency run and I do NOT agree that they sound just as good on CD. I find myself listening to Kicking Television (the live album) over the last two studio albums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spenny Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 They're just soooooooooooooooo fuckin generous aren't they? Give, give, give. That's all they do. As long as you live in North America. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spenny Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 What is a bloody Giving Tree anyhow? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Family Gardener Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 What is a bloody Giving Tree anyhow? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giving_Tree Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ponch1028 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 "and the tree was happy!" i read this to my five year old probably once a week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spenny Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Ohhhh!! It's a tree that gives. A children's book. Sorry, that book isn't a familiar children's story in the U.K. Humble apologies for not being up on my American kiddie's books.Still. Wilco? They like to give, don't they? Like a tree. A tree that gives. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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