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Wilco (officially released live shows)


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Thanks Roadhse, glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts as well - glad that you made it to Night 1 too!

 

I am also looking forward to seeing the setlists the mornings after the Chicago shows. They've got to top themselves now!

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Just jumping on the bandwagon here about the Roadcase recordings of those Port Chester shows. I didn't go but I bought all three MP3s, and oh my God they sound so great!. I'm working late tonight and have night 2 cranked up in my office. I thought no one else was here but a guy from an office down the hall came in and asked what I was listening to. Of course he had never heard of them but was interested in finding out more. Inadvertent proselytizing, one convert at a time. . . .. :shifty

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How do these sound compared to previous Roadcase releases? Have they got any more muscle behind them? I've thought the original series of Roadcase releases just didn't have enough oomph - John seems so low in the mix. To me the best live records have bass and drums that kick your ass. To my ears the best-sounding live Wilco release still is Kicking Television.

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How do these sound compared to previous Roadcase releases? Have they got any more muscle behind them? I've thought the original series of Roadcase releases just didn't have enough oomph - John seems so low in the mix. To me the best live records have bass and drums that kick your ass. To my ears the best-sounding live Wilco release still is Kicking Television.

I'll let someone else weigh in on the technical aspects of the mix. All I know is that they were clear as a bell, the crowd noise was not distracting and the band sounded very "on" for all three nights. Best $27 I've spent in a while.
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How do these sound compared to previous Roadcase releases? Have they got any more muscle behind them? I've thought the original series of Roadcase releases just didn't have enough oomph - John seems so low in the mix. To me the best live records have bass and drums that kick your ass. To my ears the best-sounding live Wilco release still is Kicking Television.

 

They don't sound like an official live release if you ask me.  They definitely sound more like a 2-channel soundboard that was mastered.  Just like all the jamband nightly releases (Umphreys, Gov't Mule, Phish, Widespread, moe...)  The live albums, like Kicking TV, definitely have been multitracked and fully mixed and mastered which is why the rhythm section has such balls IMO

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They don't sound like an official live release if you ask me.  They definitely sound more like a 2-channel soundboard that was mastered.  Just like all the jamband nightly releases (Umphreys, Gov't Mule, Phish, Widespread, moe...)  The live albums, like Kicking TV, definitely have been multitracked and fully mixed and mastered which is why the rhythm section has such balls IMO

 

Thanks. So probably like the previous releases - which aren't terrible, in case I previously came across saying they were. Just not like a multi-track release. I'm itching for another one of those.

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They don't sound like an official live release if you ask me.  They definitely sound more like a 2-channel soundboard that was mastered.  Just like all the jamband nightly releases (Umphreys, Gov't Mule, Phish, Widespread, moe...)  The live albums, like Kicking TV, definitely have been multitracked and fully mixed and mastered which is why the rhythm section has such balls IMO

Generally Stan runs 2 channel soundboard plus a pair of room mics to get the crowd reactions and a bit of a feel for the room. These 4 channels are then mixed down to 2 and mastered for the Roadcase Releases. I believe this method sounds much better than some of the other bands mentioned who are doing straight soundobard mixes with little or no ambiance from mics. You're right, Kicking TV is a totally different beast - full multi track (all individual channels recorded separately) with professional studio mixing, mastering, etc. Way to much of a process to do for regular releases like the Roadcases.

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decided to download all three nights based on your impressions...im on night one and it does indeed sound good. I think it helps that everyone seems to be on top of their game. I wonder if they will release all 7 Chicago shows...and will all the set lists be different? Do they have enough songs for 7 nights?


sorry meant 6 not 7 shows

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Generally Stan runs 2 channel soundboard plus a pair of room mics to get the crowd reactions and a bit of a feel for the room. These 4 channels are then mixed down to 2 and mastered for the Roadcase Releases. I believe this method sounds much better than some of the other bands mentioned who are doing straight soundobard mixes with little or no ambiance from mics. You're right, Kicking TV is a totally different beast - full multi track (all individual channels recorded separately) with professional studio mixing, mastering, etc. Way to much of a process to do for regular releases like the Roadcases.

 

Oh I know full well about the audience mics!  :thumbup  (I'm a big Umphrey's fan, and they're one of the bands out of that group that also uses them rather generously, especially compared to moe. and Mule).  I was using it more to explain the differences between these releases and a mixed for release show.

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decided to download all three nights based on your impressions...im on night one and it does indeed sound good. I think it helps that everyone seems to be on top of their game. I wonder if they will release all 7 Chicago shows...and will all the set lists be different? Do they have enough songs for 7 nights?

sorry meant 6 not 7 shows

Happy 20th Anniversary! All 3 Port Chester shows, & yes Virginia/rhino4evr there is a ... a Roadcase release for each & every one of the 6 upcoming Chicago Winterlude shows (Roadcase #40-45)!!! Available for pre-order like Nowsville!

http://wilco.kungfustore.com/roadcase.html

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How do these sound compared to previous Roadcase releases? Have they got any more muscle behind them? I've thought the original series of Roadcase releases just didn't have enough oomph - John seems so low in the mix. To me the best live records have bass and drums that kick your ass. To my ears the best-sounding live Wilco release still is Kicking Television.

 

I'll start by saying I fully enjoy these releases and I was standing right next to the room mics used for all three shows, so sonically speaking these shows sound to me like they did while I was there in that they occupy the same sonic space.  However as an engineer I believe these are not among the best sounding of the Roadcase shows, some of which I believe sound really good actually.  The mix is off, they lack low end, Jeff's acoustic is too loud in the mix at times and doesn't sound as natural as it did in the room for example, now I could get into boring details on why that is, but I won't.  It's not easy to mix for the tape and the room at the same time, the room always comes first, I've mixed the Capitol Theatre before, it was more then 20 years ago, but still, I seem to recall it not being that easy of a room, the sound coming off the stage was real loud, but I've mixed alot of rooms and get confused in my old age.

 

I think they make Roadcases show decisions based on many things, this one I'm going to guess was for historic reasons, they played real well with an amazing song selection.

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Oh I know full well about the audience mics!  :thumbup  (I'm a big Umphrey's fan, and they're one of the bands out of that group that also uses them rather generously, especially compared to moe. and Mule).  I was using it more to explain the differences between these releases and a mixed for release show.

Didn't mean to imply that you didn't know about the aud mics, was more throwing it out there as an fyi for all. I'm a big Panic fan and I don't think they they use enough of the aud mics in their live streams. The music sounds great, but you don't get that feeling of being there with crowd reaction, etc.

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I'm not an audio engineer but these recordnigs are some of the best I've heard from the Roadcase series. I also like how a few songs have morphed a bit for the 20th anniversery. Lots of little detials and touches. I Fight..a song I don't really care for, is much more interesting. Jeff sings it a bit more laid back, and stretches out some of the lyrics to make it feel much warmer and natural then the studio version.

 

They seem to be in a really good place musically and I really look forward to what they will put out next.  

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so ive got about 20-30 live wilco bootlegs/recordings...and this Port Chester one is up among the best. The Wilco The Album songs have never sounded better, and the pacing of the setlist on all three nights is superb. Brilliant Live collection right here...

 

If I were Wilco, I sell all three nights as a set for a discounted price. These songs belong to each other.

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I'll start by saying I fully enjoy these releases and I was standing right next to the room mics used for all three shows, so sonically speaking these shows sound to me like they did while I was there in that they occupy the same sonic space. However as an engineer I believe these are not among the best sounding of the Roadcase shows, some of which I believe sound really good actually. The mix is off, they lack low end, Jeff's acoustic is too loud in the mix at times and doesn't sound as natural as it did in the room for example, now I could get into boring details on why that is, but I won't. It's not easy to mix for the tape and the room at the same time, the room always comes first, I've mixed the Capitol Theatre before, it was more then 20 years ago, but still, I seem to recall it not being that easy of a room, the sound coming off the stage was real loud, but I've mixed alot of rooms and get confused in my old age.

 

I think they make Roadcases show decisions based on many things, this one I'm going to guess was for historic reasons, they played real well with an amazing song selection.

Hey Bosco, which of the Roadcase releases do you think sound better? I don't ask as a challenge to your opinion, but because I want to make sure I have them.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Hey Bosco, which of the Roadcase releases do you think sound better? I don't ask as a challenge to your opinion, but because I want to make sure I have them.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I haven't taken notes really, I seem to recall the Solid Sound ones sounding real good, I actually pick what I'm gonna listen to from song selection more then sound quality, I still have some of the old roadcase live streams in my rotation and some of those sound piss poor ;^)

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Wonder if Raleigh will make it to Roadcase? Ryman?

I'd bet heavily against it... the only odd one out to make it was Knoxville, TN... then it's the 3 show Port Chester, NY shows, which end up as a real teaser for the 6 night run in Chicago!!

Wise move on Wilco's part planning wise. I think everything that's going to be released from the 20th Anniversary shows is up & 10 shows is pretty great- especially with those set lists!!!

 

Can't wait to see if they make a run at the whole catalog in Chicago!! I don't think they will... think we'll see some repeated songs over the 6 nights, but not a whole lot...

Didn't they do a Chicago run a few years back where they did do all the songs on all the officially released standard studio albums at the time?

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so ive got about 20-30 live wilco bootlegs/recordings...and this Port Chester one is up among the best. The Wilco The Album songs have never sounded better, and the pacing of the setlist on all three nights is superb. Brilliant Live collection right here...

 

If I were Wilco, I sell all three nights as a set for a discounted price. These songs belong to each other.

Ok, I might be a little bit blind but I'm not seeing these Port Chester shows in the road case right now, and I'm thinking I really want them. This vinyl box set has me swooning hard over this band right now. Could someone perhaps steer me in the right direction? 

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Ok, I might be a little bit blind but I'm not seeing these Port Chester shows in the road case right now, and I'm thinking I really want them. This vinyl box set has me swooning hard over this band right now. Could someone perhaps steer me in the right direction? 

 

It's confusing I know, but you need to go to the Wilco Store, then the roadcase in there, why they called it the same thing I don't know.

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It's confusing I know, but you need to go to the Wilco Store, then the roadcase in there, why they called it the same thing I don't know.

Ahhh, thank you! I see them now. As if I haven't spent enough on this band this week, but... I don't care. These setlists look amazing. I've spent way more money in much sillier ways. 

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