Wilco -- 9/17/11, Toronto, ON

[fourfeathers]

Sounds like a great show! Opened with One Sunday Morning! California Stars, are you kidding me?!

 

One Sunday Morning

Art of Almost

I Might

IATTBYH

Kamera

Company in my Back

Born Alone

Shot in the Arm

Rising Red Lung

Impossible Germany

How to Fight Loneliness

Pot Kettle Black

Dawned on Me

Hummingbird

Misunderstood

Jesus Etc.

Hate It Here

California Stars

Monday

Outtasite

I'm A Wheel

 

http://yfrog.com/mejcjtxj

[Sun Caught Fire]

I'm A Wheel for second encore. still tight 10:30 curfew, but a great show..

[virtualreason]

Man, these shows are getting too predictable....

[fourfeathers]

I don't see what this 10:30 curfew is all about. Is this self-imposed? I've seen bands play till at least 11 at Massey. Hell, a few months ago Levon Helm played till after midnight!

 

I'm A Wheel for second encore. still tight 10:30 curfew, but a great show..

 

Oh man, talk about making a great show even greater. That's a great capper to a great set right there.

[worldrecordplayer]

Man, these shows are getting too predictable....

Hah!

[EatMorePez]

Man, these shows are getting too predictable....

 

By my count, eleven of the 21 songs played tonight were not played either of the first two nights of the tour. Plus, four songs that were played at the both the first two shows, were not played tonight. How is that predictable?

[Aaron1]

They didn't play Hate It Here.

[Cam Jones]

 

By my count, eleven of the 21 songs played tonight were not played either of the first two nights of the tour. Plus, four songs that were played at the both the first two shows, were not played tonight. How is that predictable?

Me thinks that is just a joke.

[ViaBuffalo]

Man, I really wasn't expecting One Sunday Morning coming out the gate. It was awesome though.

 

Still had the weird dynamic where the crowd sat for the first 3 songs despite you could see a lot of people wanting to stand. Halfway through IATTBYH most of us said screw it and stood up. I also had a chatty cathy behind me until Impossible Germany, but that was my only gripe.

 

Nels got a solid minute and a half long ovation after a killer Impossible Germany solo. Even Jeff and the band joined in.

 

Pot Kettle Black was cool because I requested it. Red Rising Lung was very good. I really dug that tune.

 

The crowd sang Jesus Etc. unlike night 1. Misundertood - Jesus Etc.- Monday - Outtasite - I'm A Wheel. Great encore.

[JAK2112]

If they open with OSM at one of the multiple shows i see on this tour, many parts of my life will be complete. For only being 20 songs long, this setlist is great.

[fourfeathers]

Drove by Massey on my way home from work tonight, and saw Nels chatting it up outside the bus with a few folks. Hopefully a VCer was part of that! I really shoulda just parked and shook his hand.

[bböp]

Sounds like a great show! Opened with One Sunday Morning! California Stars, are you kidding me?!

 

One Sunday Morning

Art of Almost

I Might

IATTBYH

Kamera

Company in my Back

Born Alone

Shot in the Arm

Rising Red Lung

Impossible Germany

How to Fight Loneliness

Pot Kettle Black

Dawned on Me

Hummingbird

Misunderstood

Jesus Etc.

Hate It Here

California Stars

Monday

Outtasite

I'm A Wheel

 

http://yfrog.com/mejcjtxj

 

FWIW, I've got both the Wilco and Nick Lowe setlists posted here.

 

Nick's set was identical to Night 1. He mentioned battling some sort of "throat infection," which manifested itself in an occasional croak. Mostly, though, you couldn't tell. But on "Cruel To Be Kind," he chuckled at himself when he realized he just couldn't quite hit the high note in the chorus on "baaaaaby." Later he sort of asked the crowd to help him out, which was kind of cool actually. I always thought that was just such a great singalong song.

[Loneliness Fighter]

I enjoyed Saturday night's show, it was more on the entertaining, free wheeling, relaxed side of Wilco. No doubt that starting with One Sunday Morning (and leaving out IATTBYH, Via Chicago, Poor Places, Reservations, BBNova) meant there was less tension and frenzy to the start of the show (compared to Friday)

I am not sure that my post this morning will make sense if you have not read my post about the Friday show (here you go). Kamera and Company in my Back are great songs, yet represent a move towards the lyrical and lovely, rather than the snarl songs of Friday. Later in the set both Hummingbird and then California Stars were played, so in my mind it was a concert that reflected the smile at the sky/stare at the rain Wilco rather than the journey to the darkness that is the soul of man Wilco.

My wife is forced to read all my posts and therefore she must carry the burden of knowing my WIlco theories. I forget which song Jeff started talking to the audience, but when he did she whispered to me "No Bull Black Nova tonight"

I think I saw Friday's balcony dancer out on Shuter St. post concert having a tailgate party with friends and his vehicle had Airline to Heaven playing. I should have gone over and introduced myself as his Via Chicago admirer...but sometimes great thoughts don't fight their way out of shyness until the next morning.

 

When the band launched into How to Fight Loneliness, I whispered to my wife "do you think they read Via Chicago? the entire concert has gone for a different vibe from last night and now the song my forum name is a nod to? Sure, this is the gateway to madness. I feel that I have a strong personal connection to this band. Their music has been so woven into the last 12 years of my life, but they are not considering me, a fan who posts some rambles in a forum, when they are honing their artistic vision. When I share with my wife some observation or fact I have read here, I always describe Via Chicago as the home of fellow Wilco obsessives... I wonder if their is a prescription drug for my state of mind?

 

Also Massey Hall can give such differing vistas. Friday night we were 2nd balcony right side, standing the whole concert, staring down at the stage and seeing the pretty patterns the lights made on the stage floor. We could see the band (except we had to lean over to see Pat) and see the reaction of the crowd in balconies and floor. Saturday night we were main floor, back of the hall- eye level with the band, but under the balcony roof so we were less aware of the hall as a whole.

So I must know hand over the baton of thinking about Wilco concerts to someone else. I am not quitting my job and following the tour (although if I win the lottery next weekend, it is the first thing I will consider). Combine the Toronto concerts with my Solid Sound trip and I have now seen Jeff solo once (and it was a hell of a March snowstorm that stopped me from seeing him both nights) and Wilco perform four times. That should be enough for a while. At least that is what my rational side says. I am counting the sleeps until a week from Tuesday when The Whole Love is released. May it inspire a new round of Via Chicago posts.

[Loneliness Fighter]

Oh, a sentence did not contain a full thought above. I am talking about the calendar year 2011- when I calculate my 4 Wilco performances and one Jeff Tweedy show...

[Loneliness Fighter]

And I realize that they did perform IATTBYH both nights, but to my mind it was less discordant and edgy Saturday than Friday.

[Guest Jules]

Cant believe they didn't play Whole Love.

[DAngerer09]

how does One Sunday Morning sound live? Is it faithful to the studio version or much different live?

[dmhphoto]

I enjoyed Saturday night's show, it was more on the entertaining, free wheeling, relaxed side of Wilco. No doubt that starting with One Sunday Morning (and leaving out IATTBYH, Via Chicago, Poor Places, Reservations, BBNova) meant there was less tension and frenzy to the start of the show (compared to Friday)

I am not sure that my post this morning will make sense if you have not read my post about the Friday show (here you go). Kamera and Company in my Back are great songs, yet represent a move towards the lyrical and lovely, rather than the snarl songs of Friday. Later in the set both Hummingbird and then California Stars were played, so in my mind it was a concert that reflected the smile at the sky/stare at the rain Wilco rather than the journey to the darkness that is the soul of man Wilco.

My wife is forced to read all my posts and therefore she must carry the burden of knowing my WIlco theories. I forget which song Jeff started talking to the audience, but when he did she whispered to me "No Bull Black Nova tonight"

I think I saw Friday's balcony dancer out on Shuter St. post concert having a tailgate party with friends and his vehicle had Airline to Heaven playing. I should have gone over and introduced myself as his Via Chicago admirer...but sometimes great thoughts don't fight their way out of shyness until the next morning.

 

When the band launched into How to Fight Loneliness, I whispered to my wife "do you think they read Via Chicago? the entire concert has gone for a different vibe from last night and now the song my forum name is a nod to? Sure, this is the gateway to madness. I feel that I have a strong personal connection to this band. Their music has been so woven into the last 12 years of my life, but they are not considering me, a fan who posts some rambles in a forum, when they are honing their artistic vision. When I share with my wife some observation or fact I have read here, I always describe Via Chicago as the home of fellow Wilco obsessives... I wonder if their is a prescription drug for my state of mind?

 

Also Massey Hall can give such differing vistas. Friday night we were 2nd balcony right side, standing the whole concert, staring down at the stage and seeing the pretty patterns the lights made on the stage floor. We could see the band (except we had to lean over to see Pat) and see the reaction of the crowd in balconies and floor. Saturday night we were main floor, back of the hall- eye level with the band, but under the balcony roof so we were less aware of the hall as a whole.

So I must know hand over the baton of thinking about Wilco concerts to someone else. I am not quitting my job and following the tour (although if I win the lottery next weekend, it is the first thing I will consider). Combine the Toronto concerts with my Solid Sound trip and I have now seen Jeff solo once (and it was a hell of a March snowstorm that stopped me from seeing him both nights) and Wilco perform four times. That should be enough for a while. At least that is what my rational side says. I am counting the sleeps until a week from Tuesday when The Whole Love is released. May it inspire a new round of Via Chicago posts.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts-please post more.

[Preferred B]

I always thought that was just such a great singalong song.

 

I agree!

[bböp]

how does One Sunday Morning sound live? Is it faithful to the studio version or much different live?

 

Re: "One Sunday Morning," It seemed pretty faithful to the studio version, inasmuch as I've actually listened to it thus far (which is to say not that much).

 

I have to say that for me, one big difference with between these two Massey Hall shows was that the sound was markedly better the second night. I was sitting in virtually the same seats both nights, so it's not that I was sitting in a worse spot Friday night or anything. And it's not that the sound was bad on Friday, just that I felt it was a bit muddy, especially with respect to Nels' guitar. Thankfully whatever adjustments were made overnight resulted in being able to hear Nels' playing very clearly at Saturday's show, at least from where I was.

 

And on One Sunday Morning, that was a blessing because Nels added some beautiful guitar textures to help flesh out the song's droning rhythm. His playing on this one was very subtle and lovely, especially with the little jazzy mini-solo toward the end, and I detected some definite influences of Jim Hall (of whom I know Nels is a big admirer). Personally I think OSM is a song that I wouldn't want to hear every show because it's pretty powerful. I feel like if it got played every night, it would lose some of that. And I think it's pretty great as an opener as well, leading into Art Of Almost and I Might. Obviously it hasn't been played as a closer yet, but in that role, it would definitely leave an audience with a certain mood.

 

The better sound on Saturday also made Nels' wailing at the end of AOA that much more visceral and thrilling, so a definite highlight for me was the opening trio of songs off the new record. The debut of "Red Rising Lung" was another pleasant surprise last night, but while I enjoyed it, I think I have to reserve judgement until I hear it again.

 

Anyway, I'm sure there's plenty else to discuss about this show, so I'll leave some fodder for others. But one thing I wanted to mention before I forgot was the funny exchange that started when Jeff got a guitar that had a Wilco sticker on it and joked about how he hadn't put it on himself (and then sheepishly admitted that he actually had). That segued into a brief discussion of how The Clash used to wear their own T-shirts on stage, which Jeff said is usually a major faux pas but The Clash could (and did) get away with it because of how cool they were and how Wilco couldn't get away with that. I can't remember exactly how that went to Jeff jokingly saying that Wilco was that close to being cool, but a smirking Glenn then said something sort of under his breath about how they weren't really that close actually. To which Jeff replied, "Why don't you just start the (next) song, asshole?" It was probably one of those you-had-to-be there moments, but it was pretty damn funny in the moment.

 

Anyway, so glad to see so many familiar faces at the show. Glad a bunch of people decided to make the trip north!

[dcappe]

Jesus, Etc sung almost entirely by the audience until about 3/4 of the way through was pretty awesome I must say. Jeff said they played it last night and he didn't want to sing it but he did, and that he didn't want to sing it tonight but the audience could. It was awesome. One Sunday Morning sounded fantastic.

I don't get the 10:30 curfew - It has always been 11. I've been to a lot of shows at Massey Hall and not one has ever ended before 11PM. I've seen almost every tour they've done in Toronto since Being There came out (saw night 2 at The Horseshoe) through the YHF era Phoenix shows as a 4 piece and it always feels like a very personal intimate environment seeing a Wilco show. I was also thinking how much i wouldn't want to have to see them in a bigger venue because of that.

[rhino4evr]

i want to hear this show...anything pop up yet?

[winterland121072]

completely off topic, but Rhino4ever - you have the best avatar....my wife was leaning over my shoulder - saw it - and couldn't stop laughing for about 10 minutes...thanks for that...

[H.Stone]

Obviously it hasn't been played as a closer yet, but in that role, it would definitely leave an audience with a certain mood.

 

This sentiment makes me think of the (planned) closer for the Saturday night Residency show: The Lonely 1. As they left the stage after that song, I remember thinking, "Oh god, you can't leave us feeling like this!" I've only heard OSM once, during the stream, but I suspect the mood would be similar--and not at all like the mood when they end on my personal favorite closer, I'm A Wheel.

[Every Little Thing]

Jesus, Etc sung almost entirely by the audience until about 3/4 of the way through was pretty awesome I must say. Jeff said they played it last night and he didn't want to sing it but he did, and that he didn't want to sing it tonight but the audience could. It was awesome.

I was also thinking how much i wouldn't want to have to see them in a bigger venue because of that.

I was there both nights so it was great to have both verisons of Jesus etc. I'm usually not a sing a long person at all, but I have to say hearing everyone singing along in unison was pretty awesome. It really gives you a great feeling, and we did pretty well with keeping up and not petering out to much.

The venue was so perfect for Wilco. The actual seats were kind of strange the way they were either 90 degree angle or loungey, but Massey Hall is great. I always get a kick out of the weird "should we sit or stand?" dynamic, but after the second song everyone made the wise decision to stand.

 

Overall for my first wilco weekend experience I couldn't be more satisifed. Those were hands down the best concerts I have ever seen, although I slightly preferred Friday's concert over Saturday's, I am still in amazement.