Wilco — 7/3/12, Davenport, IA (Adler Theatre)

[bböp]

Thankfully there were no apparent fights at the Adler this time around, unlike the show there five years ago when some fisticuffs on Nels' side of the stage cast a little bit of a dark cloud over the gig. Wilco's 2012 performance, it can be said, proved to be just a solid all-around show, one that even featured a couple of songs from Wilco (The Album) (!)...so I guess we can let the recent discussion of the band not playing anything off that record go for now.

 

Jeff had some choice banter during the show that I'm too tired to detail now, but will mention later if someone else doesn't do it first...

 

For now, here was the complete setlist as played:

 

One Sunday Morning

Art Of Almost

I Might

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart>

One Wing

Rising Red Lung

Ashes Of American Flags ("...6 dollars and 93 cents...")

Born Alone

Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season) (electric arrangement)

Country Disappeared

Handshake Drugs

Whole Love

Hate It Here

Box Full Of Letters

I'm Always In Love

Heavy Metal Drummer>

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Dawned On Me

—happy birthday sung to crew member Michael Brown (and the USA )—>

A Shot in the Arm

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

Impossible Germany

California Stars

Walken

Can't Stand It

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

Dreamer In My Dreams

[bböp]

For anyone interested in the opening set by Kelly Hogan and her band, here's what they played:

 

We Can't Have Nice Things [Jack Pendarvis/Andrew Bird]

I Like To Keep Myself In Pain [Robyn Hitchcock]

Daddy's Little Girl [M. Ward]

Sleeper Awake [John Wesley Harding]

Plant White Roses [The Magnetic Fields]

No True Love [The Dixie Cups]

Ways Of This World [Vic Chesnutt]

Golden

Haunted [Jon Langford]

Sing Your Tune [Chris Scruggs]

 

It was a little surprising and disappointing, to me anyway, that we didn't get some sort of Wilco/Hogan collaboration on Open Mind (which she has been performing live and was an outtake from her new record). Perhaps they didn't have enough time to rehearse or sound check. Hopefully next time...or some time!

[H.Stone]

Ahhh, Country Disappeared. Nice.

 

For a second I processed "Rising Red Lung" as "Sunloathe" (whatever, P...it's early) and was excited for those who got to hear it. But alas, it remains the only song from TWL that hasn't been played live. I thought this combination of record temps and outdoor shows might get it onto a setlist, but I guess it would make for difficult placement. I'm holding out hope for Geneva!

[uncool2pillow]

Great show, indeed. First time I've seen the band in a sit down venue. Balcony. It was kind of nice not to have to push and shove to see over people, but I do think they tend to rock harder in a standing environment. Laminated Cat and I'm Always in Love were definite highlights. Only 1 song each from Being There and AGIB was a bit disappointing.

[The Inside of Outside]

A good solid Wilco show. They cut Misunderstood and Red Eyed and I Got You from the encore - the only disappointment in an otherwise fine show.

[Hollinger.]

Kind of a disappointing setlist. Too heavy on new stuff. The reworked Laminated Cat was awesome, Dreamers In My Dreams and Can't Stand It were nice.

[uncool2pillow]

1 post

[cc3078]

I photographed last night's show in Davenport (and the Rochester show the night before), and I'll post a link later today for anyone who want to view the photos, etc..... Finishing up on the Rochester photos now.

[uncool2pillow]

Another big highlight was getting the full effect of the light show. The Val air ceiling was too low for all the "cones". Very cool stuff.

[dkeeley]

I took my soon to be 14 year old son to last night's show. It's pretty awesome to share your passions with the kids. The print was cool so he will be getting one professionally framed for Christmas. He also had to get a black concert shirt........Who didn't wear black concert tshirts thirty years ago? Wilco just never disappoints. Needless to say, there's a new 14 year old Wilco fan out there that may not ever listen to that Hip Hop shit again.

[choo-choo-charlie]

A setlist from a show on a tour supporting a new album featuring new tunes is disappointing? Your expectations should be altered.

[bböp]

They cut Misunderstood and Red Eyed and I Got You from the encore - the only disappointment in an otherwise fine show.

 

I figured they must have cut a decent chunk of the second encore, almost certainly due to time reasons. Seemed a little abrupt just to do Dreamer and then be done. I'll bet the Adler had an 11 p.m. curfew.

 

As far as some of the banter I alluded to earlier, as usual Jeff had a few choice, er, "sound bites." The first came after Country Disappeared when a couple of (I think) women in the front row were talking a little bit too loudly during that relatively quiet number, to the point where you could actually see Jeff get distracted mid-song. Jeff called them out afterward, semi-jokingly telling them to "please be quiet" and asking if they had "something to share with the rest of the class." One of the women replied, "I love Iowa!" And Jeff shot back, "I'm sure Iowa doesn't care!"

 

A couple of songs later, Jeff went into a little "rant" on people shooting video on their phones and such. He acknowledged that trying to prevent it was basically "an unenforceable rule," but went on to say that this was "a rock show and I guarantee it's better now (in the moment) than as a sound bite" before launching into "Hate It Here." It was pretty hilarious to hear that and then proceed to watch a little girl who had slipped down front with her (I assume) dad hold up a cell phone and video tape the next song...literally right under Jeff's nose! I'm sure he saw it, and perhaps the thought crossed his mind of, "Is she really doing that when I just said what I said?"

 

He didn't give her any grief about it, though, at least that I could see. That same girl did get a little acknowledgement after "Hate It Here," though, when Jeff mentioned how there had been a fight the last time they had played at the Adler. "No fights (this time), please," Jeff said. "That means you, little girl. Back off."

 

Anyway, those were a few of the things I can remember coming out of Jeff's mouth last night. He also mentioned how the band hadn't played too many indoor shows lately, so they were trying to take advantage of the acoustics at the Adler — which might explain at least a few of the song choices.

[Preferred B]

Fun show last night; I'm glad there were less fisticuffs than 2007. I loved hearing "Dreamer" again, and it sounded a little bit more ... together ... than it did Night 2 at Red Rocks. (Where it was also awesome! Don't get me wrong.) It was nice to hear "Can't Stand It" and "Country Disappeared" as well. Not to concentrate solely on the rarities - the crowd really seemed to appreciate "Impossible Germany" and "Handshake Drugs," too, judging from the amount of frenzied dancing around me.

 

For a second I processed "Rising Red Lung" as "Sunloathe" (whatever, P...it's early) and was excited for those who got to hear it. But alas, it remains the only song from TWL that hasn't been played live. I thought this combination of record temps and outdoor shows might get it onto a setlist, but I guess it would make for difficult placement. I'm holding out hope for Geneva!

 

Geneva would be a perfect place to whip it out! (...waiting for bböp...)

 

Kind of a disappointing setlist. Too heavy on new stuff.

 

It's a contractual thing.

 

A couple of songs later, Jeff went into a little "rant" on people shooting video on their phones and such.

Yes, there were certainly a lot of "photographers" and "videographers" making their way up to the front last night. Was this the first time Jeff's mentioned the video policy from stage in awhile, or has he brought it up recently? When three people front and center are videotaping with their phones at the same time, it must be pretty hard to ignore. They've also been playing a lot of bigger, outdoor shows recently - there are probably even more people recording videos, but it's less obvious.

[cc3078]

I figured they must have cut a decent chunk of the second encore, almost certainly due to time reasons. Seemed a little abrupt just to do Dreamer and then be done. I'll bet the Adler had an 11 p.m. curfew.

 

As far as some of the banter I alluded to earlier, as usual Jeff had a few choice, er, "sound bites." The first came after Country Disappeared when a couple of (I think) women in the front row were talking a little bit too loudly during that relatively quiet number, to the point where you could actually see Jeff get distracted mid-song. Jeff called them out afterward, semi-jokingly telling them to "please be quiet" and asking if they had "something to share with the rest of the class." One of the women replied, "I love Iowa!" And Jeff shot back, "I'm sure Iowa doesn't care!"

 

A couple of songs later, Jeff went into a little "rant" on people shooting video on their phones and such. He acknowledged that trying to prevent it was basically "an unenforceable rule," but went on to say that this was "a rock show and I guarantee it's better now (in the moment) than as a sound bite" before launching into "Hate It Here." It was pretty hilarious to hear that and then proceed to watch a little girl who had slipped down front with her (I assume) dad hold up a cell phone and video tape the next song...literally right under Jeff's nose! I'm sure he saw it, and perhaps the thought crossed his mind of, "Is she really doing that when I just said what I said?"

 

He didn't give her any grief about it, though, at least that I could see. That same girl did get a little acknowledgement after "Hate It Here," though, when Jeff mentioned how there had been a fight the last time they had played at the Adler. "No fights (this time), please," Jeff said. "That means you, little girl. Back off."

 

Anyway, those were a few of the things I can remember coming out of Jeff's mouth last night. He also mentioned how the band hadn't played too many indoor shows lately, so they were trying to take advantage of the acoustics at the Adler — which might explain at least a few of the song choices.

 

 

About the curfew - yes, it was set at 11pm. I spoke to security prior to the show and they told me they were done at 11pm and not a minute later. House rules for the night.

 

Great recap on Jeff's humor. Very good comments, as usual last night. I thought his comments about the videotaping were spot on - and quite frankly he played it off very nicely even when he could have been a little more edgy about it. Great stuff.

[cc3078]

I was one of the two photographers at the Davenport show last night. Here's a link to 65+ of my photos from the Adler Theater:

 

http://wp.me/p2kytK-1Cx

 

The article also has links to my 85+ photos from the night before in Rochester on July 2.

As of today, July 4th - both reviews are featured on the home page and you can just click here to see both:

 

http://www.TheWayThatHeSings.com

 

Enjoy.

[Hollinger.]

1 post

 

Yeah, no idea what's up. I can't get in through my old account, and it errors out when I try to reset my password, so I just created a new account. Please just pretend the hundreds of hours of pure joy I've brought all of you are still a part of me.

[winterland121072]

Not a bad show at all. Started a bit slow but really picked up and ended very nicely. The show kicked into overdrive with the Always in Love (...brought to you by Sprint...). Dreamer in my Dreams was a real treat complete with the trademark Tweedy screams. We were in third row center and did notice a lot of photos / videos. That has never bothered me very much. With all due respect, Mr. Tweedy's comment about enjoying the show now and not later rang a bit hollow to me. I have some friends that are very disappointed if they don't capture some part of the performance in media format. They actually do enjoy the moment quite a bit when they go home in front of their computer. To each his own. But, seeing the 10-15 phones / cameras in my region going on and off throughout the show to capture photos / video didn't bother me in the least. My friend that I saw the show with asked me after Jeff's comment, "is he being sarcastic?" No audience is going to be perfect. There are always going to be distractions. On the scale of loud talker, drunk idiot, gassy neighbor, or cell phone videographer, I'll gladly take the neighbor who takes a lot of i-phone photos / videos.

 

Oh and didn't Jeff say that he thought the show was particularly exceptional from his viewpoint?

[cc3078]

Not a bad show at all. Started a bit slow but really picked up and ended very nicely. The show kicked into overdrive with the Always in Love (...brought to you by Sprint...). Dreamer in my Dreams was a real treat complete with the trademark Tweedy screams. We were in third row center and did notice a lot of photos / videos. That has never bothered me very much. With all due respect, Mr. Tweedy's comment about enjoying the show now and not later rang a bit hollow to me. I have some friends that are very disappointed if they don't capture some part of the performance in media format. They actually do enjoy the moment quite a bit when they go home in front of their computer. To each his own. But, seeing the 10-15 phones / cameras in my region going on and off throughout the show to capture photos / video didn't bother me in the least. My friend that I saw the show with asked me after Jeff's comment, "is he being sarcastic?" No audience is going to be perfect. There are always going to be distractions. On the scale of loud talker, drunk idiot, gassy neighbor, or cell phone videographer, I'll gladly take the neighbor who takes a lot of i-phone photos / videos.

 

Oh and didn't Jeff say that he thought the show was particularly exceptional from his viewpoint?

 

I'm about 99.99% Mr. Tweedy was serious about the distractions caused by the cell phones and videotaping. Other artists such as Ryan Adams have hammered down on it further than a simple rant and are having security scold people holding their phones in the air. I agree with you I'd much rather be next to the guy holding a phone than the drunk guy trying to tell me about his day during the middle of 'Handshake Drugs'. I think what put Mr. Tweedy off the most was the young girl and her dad that worked their way down to the front row with a very big camera/video recorder - and then they proceeded to keep recording (I think - I couldn't see them despite me being in the 5th row) even after Tweedy's dialog about his dislike for the recordings taking place. Very hard to enforce but if the band or artist says put the video down people should put the video down.

[Eternal Instigator]

I'm about 99.99% Mr. Tweedy was serious about the distractions caused by the cell phones and videotaping. Other artists such as Ryan Adams have hammered down on it further than a simple rant and are having security scold people holding their phones in the air. I agree with you I'd much rather be next to the guy holding a phone than the drunk guy trying to tell me about his day during the middle of 'Handshake Drugs'. I think what put Mr. Tweedy off the most was the young girl and her dad that worked their way down to the front row with a very big camera/video recorder - and then they proceeded to keep recording (I think - I couldn't see them despite me being in the 5th row) even after Tweedy's dialog about his dislike for the recordings took place. Very hard to enforce but if the band or artist says put the video down people should put the video down.

 

There was a time not all that long ago when he wouldn't have been so nice about the pictures/videos - there would have been no question about whether or not he was being sarcastic. It's not so much about not wanting unauthorized media out there (which, since this is their livelihood, wouldn't be unwarranted) but I think it's more about Tweedy's personal feelings about what a live concert represents. His ideal is a room full of people all on the same wavelength, being moved by the music that is being made in front of their eyes, singing and/or dancing and sharing the experience in the here and now. People who are talking, taking pictures or videos, sitting on their butts or leaving to get another drink aren't fully participating in the experience and distract those who are trying to absorb the magic of a rock show.

 

The band has an obviously stated policy on pictures/video and Tweedy has never kept his feelings about it secret (Sunken Treasure DVD...'nuff said). He's been chiding people to participate or thanking them when they do it on their own forever. If it was me, I'd probably just be dumbfounded that it blatantly continued even after asking that people to put their phones in their pockets and pay attention to what is happening on stage. That goes beyond just wanting a memento - it's disrespectful. If you want a memento, buy a poster and then thank the band for allowing those fabulous tapers to record and share their shows - best memento ever! And don't forget to thank the tapers - I love those guys!

[Erich]

I’m going to see WILCO again tonight. My daughter (now 20 y.o.) asked me, “Dad is that article where the guy is complaining about the video still out there?”  LOL - I couldn’t find the one. But from the “Dad perspective”. I took her down to take a couple PHOTOS.  It was an old school (even then) 4MP digital camera. So… yeah… a few minutes and then I say, “Let’s go back.” Then the couple there is like, “She can stay here in front of us.” She is full grown @ 4’11” now , so at age 11 she probably looked as tall as a 3rd grader.  

OK. Cool - good on ya. This was NOT her first rodeo pulling the “cute myself to front row card.” WILCO, Avetts, Bo Deans, New Pornographers… I know she’s made front row for while me and momma bear keep eyes on her 10 or 15 rows back. I mean this was common shit for her. At this time I was in bands that played some OK size gigs, so I don’t know that she saw WILCO or Paul McCartney (she’s been…  stayed in seat) as any different. 

So… there she is in front row… fuckin’ taping Jeff just like he said don’t do.  Sorry Jeff. She doesn’t listen to me either. 

I will apologize to him personally tonight. I’m sure he’ll tell me to STFU.

[bböp]

3 hours ago, Erich said:

I’m going to see WILCO again tonight. My daughter (now 20 y.o.) asked me, “Dad is that article where the guy is complaining about the video still out there?”  LOL - I couldn’t find the one. But from the “Dad perspective”. I took her down to take a couple PHOTOS.  It was an old school (even then) 4MP digital camera. So… yeah… a few minutes and then I say, “Let’s go back.” Then the couple there is like, “She can stay here in front of us.” She is full grown @ 4’11” now , so at age 11 she probably looked as tall as a 3rd grader.  

OK. Cool - good on ya. This was NOT her first rodeo pulling the “cute myself to front row card.” WILCO, Avetts, Bo Deans, New Pornographers… I know she’s made front row for while me and momma bear keep eyes on her 10 or 15 rows back. I mean this was common shit for her. At this time I was in bands that played some OK size gigs, so I don’t know that she saw WILCO or Paul McCartney (she’s been…  stayed in seat) as any different. 

So… there she is in front row… fuckin’ taping Jeff just like he said don’t do.  Sorry Jeff. She doesn’t listen to me either. 

I will apologize to him personally tonight. I’m sure he’ll tell me to STFU.

Wow, this might be an all-timer in the history of random VC posts! More than nine years later, we finally get some semblance of an explanation. I think Jeff is a lot kinder and gentler now, but…🤷‍♂️