Tweedy on setlists

[nodep5]

You still haven't described what this "emotional intensity" is supposed to be.

 

I'm not smart enough nor patient enough to sit here and define a feeling or emotion or a perception. I thought my posts described my reaction to past Wilco shows relatively clearly. I'm open to the idea that someone can go to a Wilco show tomorrow and have their mind blown. Actually I believe that is probably happening. For me however, I haven't had that reaction the last 3 or 4 times I've seen them live. And I'm open to the fact that this may not be a Wilco thing but a me thing, because I'm sitting here thinking when the last time I was blown away with a live show. The Avett Brothers were close and I definetly had a great experience with a Ryan Adams show back in 2001. Anyway.

[Guest Jules]

I'm clear now.

[choo-choo-charlie]

Go back and listen to the free 930 show that came w/the Ashes DVD. There's some stage banter in there about "looking back at old setlists and working in some songs we haven't played in DC." Then they launch into "Someday Soon." Look at THAT setlist - six from Summerteeth? three from A.M.?

 

I know a lot of people here are tired of Walken (and Hate it Here) - but the version from that show kills.

[nodep5]

I hope this discussion about setlists or quality of live show doesn't ever get to the point of questioning how giving of a band this is. They do switch up the setlists and work to mix up different cities on every tour, different venues, etc. If Tweedy and CO sometimes feel like the fans can't be pleased I would understand that sentiment. My issue is more of do I love this as much vs. are Wilco doing there best to entertain and keep it fresh. The more I think out loud I believe that this is 80% me and 20% what Wilco is or isn't doing.

[Vacant Horizon]

well, unfortunately, bands (as well as anyone who puts themselves out there) really become lightening rods for 'our' psychological projections. this is true in all of our relationships, but some of the deeper stuff (not the deepest) comes out on those not so close to us. it's fascinating. i remember seeing two wilco shows back to back in '04 i believe. one i went by myself and it was excellent. actually, i was excellent. the next show, i was with my pregnant wife and was tired from travel. i was not feeling it. it wasn't the band at all. it was all me. (as i write this, i'm coming back to one of my big questions about life, 'do we ever have any genuine interactions with people, or is it all projection?).

 

the other point is that bands can only play the songs they can play. myself and other musicians know that some songs just don't ever work out, some work for a while, some work all the time, and some come back. my musical partner and i worked up about 3 new songs a month ago, only to never speak of them again. the impetus is just not there.

 

just some thoughts.

[jc4prez]

You still haven't described what this "emotional intensity" is supposed to be.

 

 

You may not be able to define "emotional intensity" but I think there is something to bad said about playing shot in the arm 300 times in five years and it then loosing something. Right after Ghost is born wilco featured a fairly fresh lineup, which is what I think brought more energy to those show (04-05), which in my mind were the best sets I've seen wilco play.

 

From a personal perspective I just don't see how you can "bring it" every night if your playing the same songs the same way. I know Nels has the talent, so would it be too hard for the band to stretch impossible Germany out? Or maybe do "Shot in the Arm" differently.

 

I think there is something to be said for the fact that many people will only see one show every few tours. But like I said they can still play a song and bring something new or do it a bit differently for those who have seen these songs (handshake, IATBYH, Walkin, Shot) 30x.

[Sir Stewart]

"OK, let me get this on the record for all you tapers, all you people that sit at home and complain about the setlists being the same every fuckin' night. You're not at the shows!"

 

Nail on the gotdang head, Tweedy.

I've never been at Wilco show and thought 'man I wish I was hearing a different song right now'.

[fatheadfred]

well, unfortunately, bands (as well as anyone who puts themselves out there) really become lightening rods for 'our' psychological projections. this is true in all of our relationships, but some of the deeper stuff (not the deepest) comes out on those not so close to us. it's fascinating. i remember seeing two wilco shows back to back in '04 i believe. one i went by myself and it was excellent. actually, i was excellent. the next show, i was with my pregnant wife and was tired from travel. i was not feeling it. it wasn't the band at all. it was all me. (as i write this, i'm coming back to one of my big questions about life, 'do we ever have any genuine interactions with people, or is it all projection?).

 

the other point is that bands can only play the songs they can play. myself and other musicians know that some songs just don't ever work out, some work for a while, some work all the time, and some come back. my musical partner and i worked up about 3 new songs a month ago, only to never speak of them again. the impetus is just not there.

 

just some thoughts.

 

Some other PSY related ideas could be Tweedy's life struggles and subsequent writing allows folks with a similar struggle to relate. Now that he has moved out of that set of challenges and some of us might not be, the new stuff isn't ringing true.

[choo-choo-charlie]

Some other PSY related ideas could be Tweedy's life struggles and subsequent writing allows folks with a similar struggle to relate. Now that he has moved out of that set of challenges and some of us might not be, the new stuff isn't ringing true.

 

Good point.

 

When I first discovered Wilco, only a mere five or six years ago, the first albums I dove into were Being There and Summerteeth - albums, as Jeff Tweedy has pointed out in interviews, were written from a perspective of a guy who was unsure about his life, and perhaps a bit scared at what was to come. At the time when I heard these albums, I found myself in a similar mindset; I was almost out of college, uncertain about what I wanted to do, feeling unprepared for the next step, unable to communicate any of my feelings to well, and generally panicked about the future - a feeling that no doubt many people can relate to. I felt like those albums, + YHF + AGIB in the following months/year, were the perfect soundtracks to what I was feeling at the time.

 

Fast forward several years - I've got nothing to complain about, life is good. I have an amazing wife, a fulfilling job that I enjoy, friends, hobbies, etc and am much more confident about a lot of things. Albums like Sky Blue Sky and W(TA) are sounds, themes, feelings, etc that I can align with - a certain calm, acceptance, and comfort with life. Hooray for me, victory.

 

Don't get me wrong - I still love BT, ST + company just as much, if not more than when I first heard them - but I understand the idea that when a band moves out of a certain emotional territory, and the fans aren't ready to follow, it can be frustrating, but such is life.

[DougoBlue]

I'm headed to Hill Auditorium on Friday and I am anxious to hear how some of the material off the last couple albums translates live. The only other Wilco concert I have attended was at the State Theater in Kalamazoo (the last show on the Ghost is Born tour). I was so happy to hear Remember the Mountain Bed at that show and a little surprised they played it. There were a couple of other fairly obscure selections that night - and opening up with Via Chicago just killed. Even though I don't expect this show to have that same excitement and intensity, I know I'll get my hard-earned money's worth.

 

Can't wait.

[keeprighton2]

I wouldn't want to be at a show where they didn't play Handshake Drugs, IATTBYH, and A Shot in the Arm.

 

Ahh, well I WOULD! I'd love to see them do some quality covers as well as some of the many underperformed gems in the catalogue. Interestimng to note that thus far 'Say You Miss Me' is up front as top request for the London Nov 4th show. I'll settle for that. But seriously, I just think if you're playing the same stuff night after night it HAS to have some effect - make it becaome a bit of a job. A little reinvention of lesser played stuff would surely bring some extra spark for the band. After all, didn't Tweedy himself say how much he loved rediscovering the stuff they played at the Chicago residency and then subsequently played on the tour that followed?

[AJ673]

Alrighty then, if you had the wonderful magical chance of being the sole creator of a Wilco setlist for a night - what would you put on it? Figure 15 songs average for main set and 4-5 per encore. How would you try to seamless mesh a musical landscape spanning 15 or so years?

[Muzzle of Dan]

Read this in an interview with Jeff earlier this summer and thought it relevant -

 

from Wilco (The Interview) - Boston Globe

 

Q. You’re not the kind of band that does the same set list every night, are you?

 

A. No, we change it up every night. On a tour when a new record comes out, it’s probably a little bit more similar from night to night than it would be otherwise because there’s a handful of songs that you feel obligated to play because people are going to be really disappointed if you don’t play them. Then there’s the songs off the new record that you really want to play because you’re going to be disappointed if you don’t play them. But I think we do a pretty good job of mixing it up, and we take requests on our website every day. I think almost every show has at least one or two songs that you’re not going to hear if you go to a different city.

 

 

 

 

 

For the record - I saw the first two nights of the Los Angeles run and the shows were excellent. Both sets were killer - and, I even thought some of the songs that were played both nights took on different personalities each time they were played. Which makes sense, obviously - as it was two different shows, two different audiences, two different vibes. 12 of the 25 songs played on Night 2 were "new" - not played on Night 1. I saw 30 songs overall between the two nights (with repeats counted once). These two nights were my first two Wilco shows. They were both unique and stellar experiences. I was introduced to the music around 2003 and am so glad to have finally seen this band live. Like the comment above me said - (bad paraphrase) Have you ever been at a Wilco concert and thought - Man, I really wish they weren't playing this song... ?

[Guest Jesus Etc]

Good point.

 

When I first discovered Wilco, only a mere five or six years ago, the first albums I dove into were Being There and Summerteeth - albums, as Jeff Tweedy has pointed out in interviews, were written from a perspective of a guy who was unsure about his life, and perhaps a bit scared at what was to come. At the time when I heard these albums, I found myself in a similar mindset; I was almost out of college, uncertain about what I wanted to do, feeling unprepared for the next step, unable to communicate any of my feelings to well, and generally panicked about the future - a feeling that no doubt many people can relate to. I felt like those albums, + YHF + AGIB in the following months/year, were the perfect soundtracks to what I was feeling at the time.

 

Fast forward several years - I've got nothing to complain about, life is good. I have an amazing wife, a fulfilling job that I enjoy, friends, hobbies, etc and am much more confident about a lot of things. Albums like Sky Blue Sky and W(TA) are sounds, themes, feelings, etc that I can align with - a certain calm, acceptance, and comfort with life. Hooray for me, victory.

 

Don't get me wrong - I still love BT, ST + company just as much, if not more than when I first heard them - but I understand the idea that when a band moves out of a certain emotional territory, and the fans aren't ready to follow, it can be frustrating, but such is life.

 

 

So you can relate to gutting that bitch and stuffing her ass in the trunk of your Nova? C'mon, man. You're way off base here.

[Edie]

So you can relate to gutting that bitch and stuffing her ass in the trunk of your Nova? C'mon, man. You're way off base here.

 

That's uncalled for, in my opinion. Also, most of the rest of the songs on the record support his point.

[Guest Jesus Etc]

That's uncalled for, in my opinion. Also, most of the rest of the songs on the record support his point.

 

What is uncalled for? Asking a poignant question? If you quickly review the songs from the last two albums there are plenty of lyrics that speak to things in life being challenging as ever as opposed to an overall "life is good" kind of theme.

 

Either Way - Fatalism

You Are My Face - Interruption

SBS - Classic Alternative Country expose on how this country's towns and rural areas are dying.

Please Be Patient With Me - Depression

Hate it Here - Separation, inevitable divorce

Leave Me Like You Found Me - Withdrawal

The Thanks I Get - Incredulity

Deeper Down - Defeat

One Wing - Separation

Bull Black Nova - Murder (and by the way, one of the most chilling songs Tweedy has ever penned. Reminds me of the rawness of She's A Jar).

Country Disappeared - Breakdown

 

If you're upset that I used the word "bitch" I'm guessing as wrath overcame the subject in the song he was thinking "bitch" as opposed to a term of endearment like "sweet child of mine" while he was making the kill.

 

At the February 14t, 2009 Tweedy solo show at The Vic in Chicago some monkey in the audience requested the song "I'm Always In Love" and as it was announced by Tweedy the monkey proposed to his girlfriend. Tweedy chided the monkey for not understanding what "I'm Always In Love" meant. Maybe the lyrics and themes expressed by Tweedy over the years warrant us to spend more time deciphiring them rather than make sweeping generalizations about their thematic bases.

 

I know I'm being really harsh on the poster who mentioned that life is good and that the last two albums speak to that (I'm genuinely happy for you, by the way) but it would be irresponsible for any of us to refer to the latest efforts as "soft" or "predominantly happy."

 

Enough for now, I'm going to listen to "Jolly Banker" (which celebrates the magnanimity and fiduciary acts of great institutions of fine companies like AIG and Merrill Lynch).