Wilco -- 3/30/10, North Bethesda, MD

[anysongworthsinging]

because it is always good to reward bad behavior. they flew through hoodoo voodoo and i'm a wheel to make up for the appeasement.

 

it was a very refreshing show...having been to my fair share, it was pretty awesome to see the band change it up. acoustic spiders, rare songs in the mix, the (albeit weak) Jesus, etc. I was quite happy and content with the show. From my section, the crowd was fantastic, into it, and a lot of fun...except for the constant box full of letters request and the overzealous girl two rows behind me that would either yell "Tweedy" or some other random word that made absolutely no sense (i swear she was at the Ryman show several years back, one rarely forgets that pitch of 'Tweedy' being belted out all night). ah, if she'd only been busted a bit harder for trying to take pictures . all in all, great show, ear plugs were a good call, sound was awesome, venue was beautiful, and the band was great.

 

disagree on the flying thru Hoodoo Voodoo and I'm a Wheel, first off they were smokin' versions and I saw those two songs back to back at the Wappingers Falls show last summer and they were just as good and about the same length both times.

[anysongworthsinging]

I suspect there may have been 36 songs on the printed setlist, but we can "thank" a guy in the first row of the first balcony for yelling out for Box Full of Letters all night. Jeff poked some fun at him during the show, but the band finally appeased him in the first song of the encore. And perhaps there was your 37th tune.

 

 

 

Four, actually. Don't forget Someday, Some Morning, Sometime. Just the second full-band performance ever!

 

they played it Monday night at Richmond too.

[isadorah]

disagree on the flying thru Hoodoo Voodoo and I'm a Wheel, first off they were smokin' versions and I saw those two songs back to back at the Wappingers Falls show last summer and they were just as good and about the same length both times.

 

yes they were great. they also had to speed things up, rush on to the next song, etc though to get through them because Box Full of Letters was added in by Jeff and they had to beat curfew.

[totwochords]

nah, you're overdoin' it.

 

At the YHF show in Ft. Lauderdale a few years back... the two covers were "Something in the air" by Thunderclap Newman and "Political Science" by Randy Newman. Was waiting for Tweedy to being Jerry Sienfeld on just so he could snarl "Hello, Jerry."

[colinh9]

First, I'd say I have to agree with the poster that commented on DC/MD crowds. My friends and I have often complained about their actions/being subdued as a whole. Crowd last night was into it for a good portion, but certainly not rocking out as hard as they should have with some magical stuff.

 

I was incredibly impressed with the set last night. My first (and sadly only) show on the tour, but it was one of the best shows I've seen this band put on. Had this set been with hardcore Wilco fans around me, and my health at 100% I might just be calling it top 3 shows I've ever been to. Regardless, it was one hell of a show. I hadn't been following the sets closely, as that burned me the last couple of times around. So when Not for a Season was played, I pretty much lost it. It seemed like they reworked a couple of songs to bring everyone even more into the mix. Nels on Ashes was out of control...I can't remember if that was the case last couple of times. Even songs like You and I (acoustic) had a Nels rock out. The songs that I didn't want to hear were still great, and the classics had an extra umph to them (especially Handshake). I can't wait to hear Spiders from the show again, superb stuff. Venue definitely had a great sound, but would be suited more for an all acoustic set from the band (which would be something else). Four Mermaid songs makes me extra happy, I must admit that I only expect one and I'm a bit sick of it. Was delighted to get Hoodoo, if only Candyfloss came after it would have made up for that 930 show where both were cut in the encore.

 

Oh and crotch grabbing guy was right next to me. He was hilarious, but there was also a smoking hot girl in his box that was a bit more distracting.

 

Rock on folks.

[Nobody Girl]

yes they were great. they also had to speed things up, rush on to the next song, etc though to get through them because Box Full of Letters was added in by Jeff and they had to beat curfew.

That was pretty much the exact same tempo they played I'm A Wheel at on Monday night, too.

[SarahC]

I'm A Wheel felt fast in Atlanta. If only just a little bit.

[Rusty Shackleford]

yes they were great. they also had to speed things up, rush on to the next song, etc though to get through them because Box Full of Letters was added in by Jeff and they had to beat curfew.

 

Was there a curfew? I agree the (seemingly) impromptu encore seemed rushed--at one point before Wheel, John had taken off the bass and started off stage--but they played til about 11:15 by my watch. That seems an odd time for a curfew.

 

On the other hand, they clocked in at just a hair under 3 hours of playing time, with hardly any break. Is it possible that the venue has a moving curfew of 3 hours of show time?

[El Duderino]

Jeff has an ambiguous relationship with the requesters. He's clearly annoyed by them sometimes, amused other times, and rarely plays what the annoying screamers have been screaming for. But every now and then, he plays what they are asking for, and it's enough to ensure more yelling at the next show.

 

Even their robot intro, which handles the thorny photography issue with tough-love humor, basically encourages people to yell out song titles between songs. Presumably they're resigned to the fact that people will yell song titles, so they jokingly refer to the practice in the intro ("you can make a request, but there's no guarantee we'll play it.")

 

Personally, I think yelling during the encore is fine--the band's playing sort of sloppy (in a good way), they're changing things up on the fly, etc. But during the main set, which is so carefully scripted with all the guitar changes, etc., there's no way they're going to launch into "Candyfloss" just because you yell it.

 

But I digress....

 

 

I enjoyed his quip about whether the audience did the same thing when the symphony was performing, "Play Mahler!!"

[SarahC]

I enjoyed his quip about whether the audience did the same thing when the symphony was performing, "Play Mahler!!"

wow.

i laughed very hard. I can imagine Jeff saying that.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Washington Post's take on the show:

 

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/clicktrack/2010/03/in_concert_wilco.html

 

“Our motto for this tour is ‘Leave ‘em wanting less,’” quipped Wilco executive chef Jeff Tweedy at the Music Center at Strathmore last night. “When you leave here, you’ll be very full.”

 

He wasn’t kidding. The pacing might have been haphazard, but Tweedy and his five mates served up course after tireless course, a three-dozen-song banquet of art-rock, folk-rock, country-rock, and -- once Nels Cline strapped on that double-necked guitar -- rawk-rock that ran to three hours and excavated tunes from every Wilco album, plus side projects and a gorgeous cover of Big Star’s “Thank You Friends” in memory of Alex Chilton.

 

The acoustically pristine, not-a-bad-seat-inna-house Strathmore proved an ideal environment in which to savor the group’s musicianship, never sharper than its current six-man lineup. Though Tweedy occasionally lamented (and indulged) the brayed-out song requests, audible throughout the wood-paneled room, the audience - which included White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel - was deferential enough to permit the band a dynamic range impossible in a club or an arena.

 

The Strathmore is a reverent, not a little churchy kind of place, and revealed sonic details of some performances felt otherworldly in origin: the resigned scrape of Tweedy’s voice on the stunning suite of “Poor Places” and “Reservations,” or Glen Kotche’s storm of percussion on the mournful “Via Chicago.”

 

Then there was the entire middle act, wherein the band parked itself on the lip of the stage in a ring lit by plain-old floor lamps for a lengthy acoustic set of rarities: “Laminated Cat,” “When the Roses Bloom Again,” “Some Day Some Morning Sometime,” the oldie “Passenger Side.” Wilco in your living room, in effect. The fans didn’t love it when Tweedy started writing about his newly tranquil home life a few years back, but this is one settled-down version of the band we’re lucky to have.

[ms. yvon]

"when you wake up feeling old!"

 

boy, i am sad to be missing these shows.

 

i am setting an alarm clock for that webcast next week. damn.

[double A-ron]

The "best crowd ever" was the pot drenched folks last summer on the pier in Portland Maine. Now that was a crowd.

 

 

Cheers to that, I was completely drenched even though it was beautiful day!!! Maine, the right coast California!

[Butcher'sBlind]

In the WaPo website review, third photo down, my wife and are sitting directly off of Rahm's right shoulder (she is in red flannel).

 

I agree with most reviews so far: For hardcore fans, the set and setting were a dream. Unfortunately, the vibe was dampened a bit by both DC status seekers (noticeably fidgety during acoustic set due to lack of knowledge) and the just-came-to-show-to-get-drunk-and-rowdy groups (one of whom yelled "Turn it up!" during acoustic set, to which JT replied "Seriously? I think you're missing the point of this whole set up."). To my mind, the two shows at the 930 Club in Feb. 2008 were better but not by much. I'd put this about third in my ten Wilco concerts, and it may improve with reflection. Laminated Cat and Hoodoo Voodoo were highlights.

 

And I agree on one more thing: given the setting, a recording could be amazing.

 

Hope to see some of you on Sat. in NJ!

[badu2fan]

In the WaPo website review, third photo down, my wife and are sitting directly off of Rahm's right shoulder (she is in red flannel).

 

So were your seats from the presale??? Emanuel might be posting in here soon...

[pricklygirl]

wow.

i laughed very hard. I can imagine Jeff saying that.

He also yelled out "Eroica!"

[SarahC]

He also yelled out "Eroica!"

That is so freaking fantastic.

(I'm a music major in school, so classical music + jeff tweedy = heaven)

[TheLateGreat]

Here's the word from Maryland, where the band played a 36-song set Tuesday night. The Washington Post confirms that Rahm Emmanuel was indeed on hand.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2010/03/31/wilco-the-exit-interview/

[froggie]

"when you wake up feeling old!"

 

 

5 songs from Summerteeth last time in Melbourne, and this didnt make it. fingers, toes, balls crossed for May!

[anysongworthsinging]

At the YHF show in Ft. Lauderdale a few years back... the two covers were "Something in the air" by Thunderclap Newman and "Political Science" by Randy Newman. Was waiting for Tweedy to being Jerry Sienfeld on just so he could snarl "Hello, Jerry."

My pal has those songs on his ipod and played the Thunderclap in the car on the way to Richmond, it is terrific. Gotta their version of Political Science ("we'll spare Australia, don't wanna hurt no kangaroos!").

[anysongworthsinging]

wow.

i laughed very hard. I can imagine Jeff saying that.

somehow i knew he was going to say mahler and not dvorak or beethoven or mozart or anyone else, it was very funny!

[anysongworthsinging]

 

5 songs from Summerteeth last time in Melbourne, and this didnt make it. fingers, toes, balls crossed for May!

 

speaking of Summerteeth, How to Fight Loneliness in the acoustic set at Richmond Monday night was sublime, had a great rumba or almost bossa nova groove

[Nina]

I wrote a review of the show for DC blog BYT: http://halfapersonblog.com/2010/04/01/live-wilco-strathmore/

[Ike_Arumba]

Starting to think this show wasn't recorded, or at least if it was it's not going to get released publicly. Bummer. The sound in Strathmore Hall was incredible (at least from where I was sitting) and it would have made one heck of a good audience recording.

[gepman]

Starting to think this show wasn't recorded, or at least if it was it's not going to get released publicly. Bummer. The sound in Strathmore Hall was incredible (at least from where I was sitting) and it would have made one heck of a good audience recording.

 

Agreed, I thought the show and sound were stellar.

 

I did a quick look around right before show time, didn't notice any mics mounted anywhere... I did see a sign stating that no "personal recording devices" were allowed at the entrance... maybe that was a factor...