How and when did you discover Wilco?

[!goose!]

Outta Site Outta mind video on MTV circa 1996 (I was 16). AM, Being There and that first BR5-49 record was all I listened to my senior year in High School.

[lamradio]

The year was 1996. Wilco was playing a festival at the local minor league baseball stadium with about 5 other bands. The headliner was Government Mule. Wilco played 4th I believe before Corey Stevens. I was 16 years old and didn't truly recognize their genius yet, but I really liked their performance.. Loved Jay's stage presence and how he switched between keys and guitar with a cigarette never leaving his mouth. Unfortunately I didn't really pursue their music much after that until about 7 years later when I heard a Jeff solo performance on the local radio station of "Someone Else's Song" and "Passenger Side". That's when I picked up Summerteeth and I've been a big fan ever since.

[IRememberDBoon]

I would say I was completely 100 percent hooked

 

Wilco

2002-10-14

The 9:30 Club

Washington, DC

 

1. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

2. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

3. Sunken Treasure

4. War On War

5. Kamera

6. A Shot In The Arm

7. Ashes Of American Flags

8. Someone Else's Song

9. Heavy Metal Drummer

10. Jesus, Etc.

11. I'm The Man Who Loves You

12. Red-Eyed And Blue

13. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

14. I'm Always In Love

15. Misunderstood

16. Reservations

17. Not For The Season

18. Hesitating Beauty

19. California Stars

20. Less Than You Think

21. Monday

22. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)

23. Casino Queen

 

 

 

and

 

 

 

Wilco

2002-10-15

The 9:30 Club

Washington, DC

 

1. Not For The Season

2. Sunken Treasure

3. Less Than You Think

4. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

5. War On War

6. Radio Cure

7. Kamera

8. A Shot In The Arm

9. Why Would You Wanna Live

10. She's A Jar

11. Heavy Metal Drummer

12. Pot Kettle Black

13. I'm The Man Who Loves You

14. Poor Places

15. Jesus, Etc.

16. Red-Eyed And Blue

17. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

18. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard

19. Hesitating Beauty

20. Passenger Side

21. California Stars

22. I'm A Wheel

23. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

24. We've Been Had

 

 

 

but for real it was mostly when Nels shredded for the first time VERY loud. I know Im not the only one that was sold on this band in the early 00s by Nels Cline. I took my girlfriend to

 

 

Wilco

2006-03-05

Memorial Hall - UNC Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

 

1. At My Window Sad And Lonely

2. Hell Is Chrome

3. Muzzle Of Bees

4. In A Future Age

5. The Good Part

6. Walken

7. Forget The Flowers

8. At Least That's What You Said

9. Jesus, Etc.

10. Handshake Drugs

11. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

12. Hummingbird

13. I'm The Man Who Loves You (started & stopped)

14. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

15. I'm The Man Who Loves You

16. A Shot In The Arm

 

Set 2:

17. She's A Jar

18. Say You Miss Me

19. War On War

20. Candyfloss

 

Set 3:

21. The Thanks I Get

22. Airline To Heaven

23. The Late Greats

 

 

we were on the 3rd row and Im telling you that Wilco was in tip top form.

The first thing she turned to me and asked was "Who is pink strap". Weve called Nels "Pink Strap" ever since. He was the highlight of those shows for sure. Just his tone and volume. I cant describe it. And his pink strap I think hes indespensable personally. But I was late to the game.

[pillowy star]

I loved reading everyone's stories

 

My first encounter with Wilco couldn't have possibly been worse. They opened up for REM in Munich on July 13th, 1999. It was my first REM gig after years of waiting to be able to go, and needless to say, I just wanted them to finally start playing. The opener was the last thing to get in the way, so I hated them. I remember moaning to my exhusband - who was with me back then - all the time during Wilco's set "oh God they are terrible! I want them to go off stage! now!", and he replied "Jesus, just give that young poet there a bloody chance!" and me going on "no! I want him off stage! Shut up! now!"

 

So whenever I read somewhere that Wilco were THE band to check out (a lot of REM fans were into Wilco too), I just rolled my eyes. Until one day shortly after the release of YHF, I was so tired by all the attempts to convince me to give them another chance, so I went to the Amazon website and listened to random sound samples of "Summer Teeth" (I think I clicked on "Via Chicago" and "How To Fight Loneliness").

 

The rest is quickly told. Whilst the sound samples were still on the screen, I ran upstairs, grabbed my car keys and my purse, shouted "I'm off to town to buy a CD!!", bought ST and YHF, and my life has never been the same ever since . I not only have to thank Wilco for keeping me sane during the worst stages of my divorce, but also for a lot of fantastic people I met through them, most of all my best friend/life saver/husband Robert who I would have never started talking to the way I did during Wilco's European tour in early spring 2005 which I had to miss due to an emergency surgery. Everone else I used to talk to at that time was on the road, having a blast at the shows, whilst I was recovering from the operation and therefore bored out of my brains, until this guy sent me a PM if I was going to any of the Wilco shows ..... well I wasn't, but soon I was staying up all night to chat with him ....... we still do that from time to time, just that we are now doing it face to face since May 2005

[Queen Amaranthine]

My poor husband had no idea what he was doing when he downloaded YHF from Napster in 2002. He burned it onto a CD, handed it to me, and said it sounded like something I would like. Long story short--oh, yeah. No doubt my husband still has regrets about handing me that CD, listening to me ramble on about the band (I've since learned to curb my enthusiasm!) and being dragged to a couple of shows (he put his foot down after the second one ), but he can't blame himself. The Universe would have directed me to Wilco in some fashion or another anyway.

[DonDon]

how= I meet this wonderfull ladie that has more autographs of the band than i can count on my fingers on one wall in her house. this song came on and i thought it was a little to poppy but i liked it"a box full of letters." i do like "am" a good bit. this was about if not more than a year ago when SarahC exposed me to wilco and sonvolt. Then i heard sky blue sky after serching for a favorite song and it was done,sky blue sky wonderfullo album and song.

[Pennyghael]

Probably back in 1999 when they supported REM at one of the London Earl's Court shows. I'd read good things about Summerteeth and Mermaid Avenue and chose that night rather than the first night to go and see REM. Can't say I paid too much attention to them ad we had seats way back on the banks of the arena but can remember hearing California Stars at some stage. ST and MA then stayed on permanent rotation on my work CD player much to the annoyance of colleagues, one of the benefits of being the office manager meant I could play what I wanted! Oh the power. I then bought earlier releases and discovered Uncle Tupelo too. Loved Still Feel Gone more than the other UT albums but have gotten into them way more over the last 12 or so years.

[willywoody]

I think it would've been 1995 or 1996 on WXPN, or less likely WMMR. I'd never heard of Uncle Tupelo before, but had the Son Volt cd already, when I heard Box Full of Letters or I Must Be High. Next thing ya know I'm on Postcard and having dreams of Slobberbone and Marah playing the Superbowl halftime, no lie.

[marino13]

It may have been done before, but it is always useful and interesting to know how others came to find the band.

 

I had never heard anything by Uncle Tupelo.

 

I was at a Best Buy in Arlington Texas on a Wednesday afternoon after work when I discovered Wilco. I know it was in early April because of some work related issues. Best Buy used to have a CD sampler rig in the stores where you could listen to the CDs. Something about the cover interested me. The CD had a little card that said that the band was 'formed from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo'. I wasn't even aware Uncle Tupelo had broken up. What the hell, I'll give it a whirl.

 

...so I gave it a listen.

 

To this day I cannot tell you what hooked me, but from almost the first drum notes of I MUST BE HIGH, I was sold.

 

 

Very similar experience for me. I first heard A.M. at a cd listening station in Circuit City. I remember buying it and The Black Crowes Amorica on the same day. While I liked the album, I can't say I was totally hooked. I missed out on Being There and then Summer Teeth reeled me back in for good, although I have had some small peaks and valleys with the band ever since. Right now is a great time for me with Wilco, and my daughters are fans too. There is nothing like hearing my almost two year old girl singing along to "whooooole love" with a big smile on her face.

[Analogman]

Very similar experience for me. I first heard A.M. at a cd listening station in Circuit City. I remember buying it and The Black Crowes Amorica on the same day.

 

That's a hell of a day, right there. Two great albums at the same time.

[dunnright00]

Heard about UT and the whole Alt-Country genre right when they were about to break up. I was in a Country Rock / Classic Rock band at the time (joined for the audition experience more than anything. Not my style of "country"), but I couldn't find much around here. I really liked "old" country, and felt like this would be more my speed, having been a Punk Rocker turned Dead/Phish Head. This was pre-mp3 (for me at least) so no downloading.

 

Finally heard "Whiskey Bottle" and got a hold of a live bootleg. Dug It!! But that was pretty much it at the time.

 

Then I hear they broke up but Wilco and Son Volt were the left overs. Really dug Trace, but didn't get to hear AM at the time.

 

Year's go by and Mermaid comes out, CA stars is getting regular play and I get vol 1. It becomes regular rotation at my house (I got video of my 1yr old dancing to Walt Whitman's Neice. As soon as that drum beat starts, he'd start bouncing every time!!) then I finally get to see them play Farm Aid (not live, on the TV).

 

So, when YHF comes out I buy it imediately! Fist listen... what the hell?

Ok, maybe that wasn't my actual reaction, but I didn't listen to it much. Then I got a copy of Summerteeth. After wearing that CD out I went back to YHF and NOW I get it!! Still my favorite Wilco CD and in the top area of my top ten of all time.

 

So it was a gradual love, but by the time Ghost came out I was a BIG time fan, having gone back into the catalog, and also aquiring all the old UT cds.

[marino13]

That's a hell of a day, right there. Two great albums at the same time.

 

It was a great day. Amorica was so good to me from the start that it may have overshadowed A.M. at the time. Thankfully, I had a good enough taste of Wilco that I was able to hop back on the bus during Summerteeth. I can think back on most of the good to great cd's I've purchased and remember where I bought them. For example, I remember buying Superunknown and AIC's Dirt on the same day at a K's Merchandise in the spring of 1994 while on the way to watch my future wife run in a high school track meet (yes, I was late to the party on AIC).

[Analogman]

It was a great day. Amorica was so good to me from the start that it may have overshadowed A.M. at the time. Thankfully, I had a good enough taste of Wilco that I was able to hop back on the bus during Summerteeth. I can think back on most of the good to great cd's I've purchased and remember where I bought them. For example, I remember buying Superunknown and AIC's Dirt on the same day at a K's Merchandise in the spring of 1994 while on the way to watch my future wife run in a high school track meet (yes, I was late to the party on AIC).

 

Great story.

 

A.M., Amorica, and Being There are three of my favorite albums of all time.

[uncle tupelo]

For me it all started in June '90. Cicero's in St. Louis. Hooked and followed Jeff and Jay (and as it turned out later, John) ever since.

[smells like flowers]

In 1999, I heard a Wilco song on the Gram Parsons tribute album ("Return of the Grievous Angel") and it hit me hard. Whiskeytown had a song on there too (A Song for You), that I loved so much I hoped someone will play it at my funeral someday, so it's fair to say that had a more intense impact! But, as Jeff's voice cracked all the way through "One Hundred Years from Now," the Wilco-love seed was planted. I didn't see them live til a few years later, in 2002, when they were a four-piece at the start of the YHF tour, and I can remember wishing they'd just play some songs from A.M.! (It took me a while to "get" Yankee). After AGIB, then came waxing and waning affection for SBS and WTA... the intensity just wasn't there for me. I think I got in really deep after Solid Sound 2010, and after making a stop at VC a regular part of my day. Sharing the enthusiasm and love for Wilco with so many other people (granted, most of whom in all likelihood I'll never meet) has made being a Wilco fan so much more fun! Even if no one I hang out with in real life is a super-fan, I get to talk to all of you guys who are -- how great is that!?!

[anthony]

I heard IATTBYH on XM Radio sometime between YHF and AGiB and was immediately hooked.

[choo-choo-charlie]

The four piece played some A.M.!

[smells like flowers]

The four piece played some A.M.!

At the Nashville show we went to (7-24-02), they didn't play a single track off A.M.! I kept waiting and waiting. To this day, I've only heard Casino Queen live once! (it's always my hope to hear that one...)

[choo-choo-charlie]

At the Nashville show we went to (7-24-02), they didn't play a single track off A.M.! I kept waiting and waiting. To this day, I've only heard Casino Queen live once! (it's always my hope to hear that one...)

 

Huh. I think in '02 they went to a five-piece...but I could be wrong. I wasn't even a fan then. Just looked at that setlist -- still a pretty good night!

[mpolak21]

I think Michael started sitting in with the band in August of 2002. He used to sit beside Glenn with only a power book, by the October shows in 02, he had a keyboard rig of his own.

[thingfishp]

Under the couch. There were some dog hair-encrusted Sour Patch Kids stuck to them.