Wilco 10/05/11 Overture, Madison WI

[KevinG]

Waiting Nick to get on stage. Any VCers want to hit me up I am in row K.

[flashminor]

Does anyone know if the show tonight in Madison is being streamed online? I see a link for Madison on the I-Phone app but nothing on the website. Or is that the link for last time they were in Madison?

[thinmyheart]

Hmmm,

 

Perhaps my least inspiring of five Wilco + one Tweedy-solo shows. First few songs (inc. terrific version of Poor Places) leading up to and including Art of Almost were great; thought this might be really good. But then, despite Impossible Germany, Handshake Drugs, and Via Chicago, the show just never quite took off.

 

To be fair to the band, Tweedy's first comment was whether the crowd was more interested in the Milwaukee Brewers game that was going on at the same time. He had a point, because the not everyone on the first floor was standing and it seemed like everyone in the three balconies sat through pretty much the entire concert.

 

Interested if others had the same response to the show, and whether you were underwhelmed with the band or the crowd?

[bböp]

Since no one's posted the setlist yet, as played, allow me to do the honors before I sleep for approximately a week:

 

Capitol City>

One Sunday Morning

Poor Places>

Art Of Almost

IATTBYH>

I Might

Black Moon

Bull Black Nova

Impossible Germany

Born Alone

Jesus, etc.

Handshake Drugs

War On War

Box Full Of Letters

Standing O

Via Chicago

Dawned On Me

A Shot in the Arm

-----------------------------

Whole Love

36 Inches High [Jim Ford] (w/Nick Lowe on lead vocals and electric guitar)>

I Love My Label [Nick Lowe] (w/Nick Lowe on vocals and electric guitar)

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Monday>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

 

Only one omission, I believe, from the printed list, which was Hesitating Beauty in the encore. That one seemed like it would've been an odd one to throw in there, but it turned out to be a moot point anyway since maybe there was an 11 p.m. curfew (Wilco was offstage at 10:57).

 

Jeff had some fun banter, in addition to the aforementioned Brewers talk. He mentioned how the band wasn't "looking past the show" because it was the last one of a long tour and discussing sports clichés like playing hard and one show at a time, etc. And after Jesus, to further prove the band wasn't looking past the show, Jeff read some excerpts from the actual resolution from last year granting Wilco honorary Madisonian status. It was pretty funny.

[imsjry]

Hmmm,

 

Perhaps my least inspiring of five Wilco + one Tweedy-solo shows. First few songs (inc. terrific version of Poor Places) leading up to and including Art of Almost were great; thought this might be really good. But then, despite Impossible Germany, Handshake Drugs, and Via Chicago, the show just never quite took off.

 

To be fair to the band, Tweedy's first comment was whether the crowd was more interested in the Milwaukee Brewers game that was going on at the same time. He had a point, because the not everyone on the first floor was standing and it seemed like everyone in the three balconies sat through pretty much the entire concert.

 

Interested if others had the same response to the show, and whether you were underwhelmed with the band or the crowd?

 

Standing in the first 10 rows I thought the crowd was pretty great. Very respectful and responsive. Not sure how they could have been "better". To be honest, it was the same type of croud I've noticed at Wilco shows in the past years. They seem to have gotton big enough that the crowd is a mix of die-hards, people getting taken there by a die-hard, and causual music fans who are curious what the fuss is about.

 

Musically I thought it was the best I have heard them play in the 10+ shows I've seen since about '97 or so. They are just a machine now and you can tell they love playing the new stuff. Plus, you cannot beat the acoustics of Overture Hall in Madison! The sound was stunning,

[Marty]

Overall, a great show. However, there were no surprises in the setlist for this show. At the last Overture show, they sprinkled in "When the Roses Bloom Again" and Neil Young's "Broken Arrow".

[Smokestack Joe]

Was at the show and it was indeed a spectacle. First off, i want to say how great Nick Lowe was, wow, total pro, great songwriter/performer, loved his set and his collaboration with Wilco on stage in the encore. His involvement made the show real special.

 

Loved all the new songs in the live setting, I figured they'd perform Capital City since we were in Madison, but not as the opener. Love that whimsical song though.

 

Art of Almost was super intense with the addition of a great light show behind them, wow, they really stepped it up for that song, it was dark onstage when Nels was doing his guitar freakout solo for the song, would have loved to see him going nutso!

 

The highlight for me was Impossible Germany, the song is so tight and Nels' solo has reached new heights, total improvisation and he is hitting all the right notes, i love watching Jeff watching Nels during his epic solo, he is amazed and taken over by it just like us!

 

I love the venue, truly my second favorite in Wisconsin and the sound was absolutely amazing.

 

Great outstanding show!

[KevinG]

One thought I had while at the show is there probably isn't a baby sitter available in the Madison area.

 

I thought the show was good, the band sounded fantastic, the song selection was great. I loved the fact that Capitol City was the opener. Is that the first time it was played live? Wilcobase did not have any record, but it seems not to have been updated in a long time. I would have preferred more from Summerteeth but that is me. The energy was good, the Jeff's banter was great.

 

I was sitting 2 rows in front of the sound board, and I had a bunch of talkers, especially during Nick Lowe. Most outrageous comment during, (What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding, "What does this guy only play covers?"

 

Glad I went.

[shoesgetcold3]

Wilco is supporting their new album, and playing 9 songs plus label is what a wilco concert vet would come to expect and appreciate. Before standing o, Jeff mentioned how tonight we will question why they are playing this song but in five years we will be asking why they no longer play it. A pretty accurate explanation. And if any of these songs fail to become concert staples, there will be more then one post on this board asking what happened to the last record. That is both the blessing and curse of being a long time fan. They should keep doing exactly what they are doing. Promote the most recent album and play the faves. That said, this is my third straight show needing to travel out of State to attend (pittsburgh, south bend and last night). And if not for the beauty of the overture center, and the nostalgia I personally have for my college years spent at that amazing institution, it would have been a waste. I enjoy the new songs, yet do not currently have a bond with them. And I have seen the staples so many times, they sound like caractures of themselves. Once again, wilco is doing the right thing, they should not be performing for me, I am already hooked and in the phase of my life where I am buying t shirts for the kid. (another very funny state of what wilco is today is the line of parents buying merch for their kids).

 

My personal dilemma is how important their first 6 (yes I include sbs) albums are to me, and how amazing and fortunate and many

many more superlatives scoring a 5 day residency pass was. That was the high point not just for wilco, but my entire music loving life. So it is only natural to feel a bit let down as time passes and future shows become normal. I hope this has not read as a

complaint, it is just a personal review of my experience last night. I both love it and yawn at the same time. My allegiance these days

lays with a Jeff solo show, full band shows within walking distance from home (hello Vic in December) and memories of the amazing span that 2000-2008 shows provided.

[Preferred B]

Interesting observations, shoesgetcold. It underscores just how much someone's perception of a show depends on their own personal state of mind, background, expectations, baggage, etc. Here's the Isthmus review:

 

In Overture Hall, Wilco hits a grand slam

 

(Of course, they mention that a bonus track from the new CD, "Message from Mid-Bar," mesmerized the crowd. Not sure where that came from.)

 

The crowd up front was very much into the show, and that's really all I could see (and all I cared about) from my perspective. I'd love to see Wilco at the Barrymore again, but I don't think that's going to happen. At least not for a long time. Opening with "Capitol City" was fun and fitting - I believe this was the second time the full band has played it. I think I saw a video clip of mine projected during a later song, but it was hard to tell. I enjoyed the Brew Crew banter, and the reading of last year's Proclamation from the mayor. (Jeff: "I can't wait to whip this out when we get arrested later!") And I'm loving how the new songs sound in person.

 

I'll miss Nick Lowe as an opener, too. He did an interview before the tour started, and gave a very honest response to the following:

 

And now you're going to be doing a tour with Wilco.

 

That's right. I'm doing [them] on my own and I'm really looking forward to it. I hope it works. [Wilco are] playing slightly bigger rooms than I play -- well, quite a bit bigger rooms than I play! They're playing fairly big theaters, probably right at the limit that my thing will [go] over, you know, with an acoustic guitar. But I've done that sort of work before. If I can get at least a proportion of their audience who might not have ever heard of me to get on my side, that would be really fantastic. The trick is to make it so that you don't bore people.

 

The more worrying thing for me is the fact that everybody tells me what a fantastic time I'm gonna have with Wilco and what great guys they are! Have you ever been in that situation where you meet someone and you say to them, "I've got this friend. You're really gonna like him"? Then when they actually meet each other, they don't really hit it off that well!

 

It's even worse when you hear that you're about to meet the girl of your dreams, and you meet her and that turns out not to be the case at all.

 

[Laughs] Goodbye, love!

 

http://www.spinner.c...lowe-old-magic/

 

It was great, then, to see the audiences in Nashville and Madison responding so enthusiastically to Nick's set, and then later to see everyone on stage together, clearly enjoying each other's company and musicianship. It sure seems like everything went well after all!

[choo-choo-charlie]

Other observations:

• Art of Almost most certainly has more than one chord in it
  

• "Dressed in brown, looking like a Russian circus bear in a homburg hat, Tweedy continued the sports-metaphor teasing all night."
  

 

Eh?

 

[Lord Byron]

Capitol City>

One Sunday Morning

Poor Places>

Art Of Almost

IATTBYH>

I Might

Black Moon

 

This was the highlight of the night for me. I absolutely was in awe and basically in a trance for these first 7 songs. It just flowed so well and the lighting was very cool. I enjoy hearing new songs because I like to see bands evolve and experiment. If I heard some of these songs over and over again, I would probably not go anymore. I've been going to concerts for almost 20 years now and I follow about a handful of bands religiously. Wilco is one of the best live bands, if not thee best band live in my handful of bands that I follow. The show last night was just so smooth and transitioned so well. I love the ups and downs. It's like being on a roller coaster ride. Sometimes my toes just dig into my shoes and then sometimes I just felt pure bliss. Yes, I was one of the people sitting in the circle section but we had front row seats and they were OUTSTANDING. The sight line was amazing. Full view of everything and the sound was crisp and clear.

 

This was my 3rd show at the Overture and I have to say this is the first time I saw the crowd on the floor standing and grooving. Seems to me there were always sitting and standing issues, but I could be wrong. We might have been sitting but I can tell you, everyone around me was bopping their heads or tapping their legs. The ovations were loud and well deserved. I love going to shows at Overture. I love going to Madison period. The whole experience of going around town and taking in the city is half of the experience. Another solid show by Wilco. Nick Lowe was very good. First time seeing him. I had to Wikipedia him actually to see what he was all about. I have heard of him but I was unaware of his bio. He's very talented and was a good opener I thought.

[smells like flowers]

Wilco is supporting their new album, and playing 9 songs plus label is what a wilco concert vet would come to expect and appreciate. Before standing o, Jeff mentioned how tonight we will question why they are playing this song but in five years we will be asking why they no longer play it. A pretty accurate explanation. And if any of these songs fail to become concert staples, there will be more then one post on this board asking what happened to the last record. That is both the blessing and curse of being a long time fan. They should keep doing exactly what they are doing. Promote the most recent album and play the faves. That said, this is my third straight show needing to travel out of State to attend (pittsburgh, south bend and last night). And if not for the beauty of the overture center, and the nostalgia I personally have for my college years spent at that amazing institution, it would have been a waste. I enjoy the new songs, yet do not currently have a bond with them. And I have seen the staples so many times, they sound like caractures of themselves. Once again, wilco is doing the right thing, they should not be performing for me, I am already hooked and in the phase of my life where I am buying t shirts for the kid. (another very funny state of what wilco is today is the line of parents buying merch for their kids).

 

My personal dilemma is how important their first 6 (yes I include sbs) albums are to me, and how amazing and fortunate and many

many more superlatives scoring a 5 day residency pass was. That was the high point not just for wilco, but my entire music loving life. So it is only natural to feel a bit let down as time passes and future shows become normal. I hope this has not read as a

complaint, it is just a personal review of my experience last night. I both love it and yawn at the same time. My allegiance these days

lays with a Jeff solo show, full band shows within walking distance from home (hello Vic in December) and memories of the amazing span that 2000-2008 shows provided.

I feel you. With so much material these days, a show might only have a sprinkling of what I'm dying to hear (very excited about the new songs, btw) --but enough with the IG, BBN, HMD! For me, I'm sure that I'll keep looking forward to the next show, hoping for something a little less predictable. That's what makes Solid Sound so irresistible... two sets, maybe 4 + hours of Wilco! (I say this because I can't imagine they'd possibly go back to only playing one night after last year.)

[virtualreason]

I must mention that clapper during Cruel to Be Kind. The sound in the Overture is so perfect that you could hear this one rhythmically challenged person clap as off-beat as humanly possible. If Pat could hear it on the wing of the stage, I have to believe Nick heard it too.

 

Also, seeing Pat sitting with his chin in his hands during Nick Lowe was adorable. *Swoon*

[Triple A]

I sat with my two daughters in row AA. About my tenth show and their 5th/2nd respectively. Not sure what was happening behind us in terms of interest/energy but I don't think we sat down once, and we were moving a lot even though we all lack rhythm. The people all around us were wonderful - a nice sense of community. We were in front of John and Pat. Pat impressed us especially -- he does so many subtle things that fill out and improve the songs. Even in songs where Nels has the sexy long solos, Pat's rhythm guitar holds it together. I'm with Smells Like Flowers. I like the new stuff but have so many pet songs that I hope to hear from the earlier albums that you can never hear them all. That's ok. Box Full of Letters, Via Chicago and Outtamind... scratched that itch for us. I also wouldn't mind if they dropped a couple of the songs from the every-night-set this tour: Impossible Germany (I'm pretty sure I caught some glances between the guys during the solo, like -- here we go again), BBN, and Standing O (Jeff may be right that this becomes a fixture but I'm skeptical. I guess I wouldn't have thought I'm a Wheel would have such strong legs in concert either, so I'll stay open-minded on Standing O.) Most of the new songs sounded really great.

 

Nick Lowe was a complete revelation. Played beautifully, charmed the crowd and seemed to really enjoy the love he got from the crowd.

[imsjry]

Did anyone see any tapers at this one?

[H.Stone]

I had a great time at the Overture on Wednesday night. The show landed in the middle of my busiest work week of the year (which is why it isn't until Saturday that I'm commenting on the show), but the hours in the car and Thursday exhaustion were completely worth it. I would agree that the enthusiasm up front was excellent--it was my first show at the Overture during which everyone in the first 5 (? 3? the very front, I know) rows stood the entire time. I get what people are saying about the staples when you've seen the band so many times, but we brought along two friends who were seeing Wilco for the first time, and of course they were very happy to hear those "standards," which I understand is the point shoesgetcold was trying to make. You're right B; we all bring our own baggage.

 

The new songs were fantastic! I loved hearing Dawned On Me and Capitol City, my current favorites on TWL. The banter about the immunity the declaration would provide was also great. I especially enjoyed Pat's imitation of how he would swing the document like a pendulum in the face of authority.

 

At one point during the show, and I wish I could remember during which song, I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for having this source of pleasure and enjoyment in my life. Without fail, these days my attendance at Wilco shows also involves great friends, food, and conversation, and the enjoyment comes from the entire series of events. I don't usually get sappy, but I did a bit on Wednesday night. Maybe it was the gift of the Buster soundtrack on vinyl that made me so emotional. (Thanks again, P. )

 

Great night--thanks again, Wilco & Co.

[bböp]

At one point during the show, and I wish I could remember during which song, I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for having this source of pleasure and enjoyment in my life. Without fail, these days my attendance at Wilco shows also involves great friends, food, and conversation, and the enjoyment comes from the entire series of events. I don't usually get sappy, but I did a bit on Wednesday night. Maybe it was the gift of the Buster soundtrack on vinyl that made me so emotional. (Thanks again, P. )

 

Sappy's good sometimes! And you're welcome! (Was the record as good as the cover art?)

[H.Stone]

 

Was the record as good as the cover art?

 

Yes--they are equally "good."

[Lord Byron]

Just wondering, but has anyone seen any recordings of this show anywhere? I'm guessing if someone posts the show somewhere there would be a link here? I can wait, no rush, just wondering. Thanks

[choo-choo-charlie]

Just wondering, but has anyone seen any recordings of this show anywhere? I'm guessing if someone posts the show somewhere there would be a link here? I can wait, no rush, just wondering. Thanks

 

Check here: http://viachicago.org/forum/29-in-a-future-age/

[Lord Byron]

Check here: http://viachicago.or...n-a-future-age/

 

Thanks. I'll keep checking there. Haven't seen anything yet.