Wilco — 12/15/12, Vail, CO (Ford Park)

[bböp]

Wilco's final show of 2012 — as the closing act of the three-day Vail Snow Daze festival — was an abbreviated one because of a 10 p.m. curfew, but it proved to be pretty memorable nonetheless. That was due in no small part to the weather conditions, which were what you might expect they would be outdoors at night during winter in a town that's more than 8,000 feet above sea level. It snowed lightly throughout most of the show and was probably 10 degrees (or less) by the time it was over.

So needless to say, there were a lot of bundled-up people — both on stage and in the crowd. Jeff played the show in a slightly bulky black Patagonia (I think?) jacket, his trusty old knit hat and "socks up to my knees," as he informed us; John and Pat both sported ski hats of their own; Nels came out with a scarf around his neck and a black poorboy-like hat (though he shed both fairly quickly); and Mike was the picture of bundled up with parka and half-gloves and other accoutrements. Glenn was about the only one who seemed to "rough it," wearing neither a hat nor jacket.

The crowd, meanwhile, largely sported hats and gloves. Jeff even commented on the prevalence of hats, saying that it might be the "most stocking caps ever" and that it looked like a "fuzzy field" or something like that. All of the gloves, meanwhile, made for some pretty odd-sounding applause.

As for the show itself, I heard more than a couple of people remark that it was a "greatest hits" sort of gig or that the band played the songs you expected them to play. I think the curfew probably had something to do with that, in that there was no time for the band to even go off stage and return, much less play an encore. From a printed setlist I glimpsed, they even had to cut Hummingbird and Walken toward the end of the set. Despite the time constraints, I thought the band played more than respectably given the conditions — none of the guitar players wore gloves, and guitars were difficult to keep in tune for very long — and the fact they hadn't played together in about two months.

Jeff seemed in a fine mood, attempting to show off some of the ski lingo he said he had learned earlier in the day (talk of powder and "the white lady" comes to mind) and joking about changing California Stars to Colorado Stars and how Woody Guthrie probably would have been OK with changing the title to any state, "except Maine." One funny moment came when Jeff started playing the opening chords of California Stars only to realize after a few seconds that he was actually replaying the start of Shouldn't Be Ashamed (the song immediately preceding) and had to briefly strain to remember how Cali Stars started.

Anyway, I clocked the set at right about 1 hour, 45 minutes (band went on at 8:16 and was off at 10:01). Personally, Ashes as an opener was a nice semi-surprise and I'm always fond of shows when we get to hear Laminated Cat. It wasn't, in every respect, a proper Wilco show. There were no "hanging ghosts" or any other elaborate lighting designs, and I don't even think the band brought its own PA system as it normally does (though its usual road crew all made the trip). Mike didn't have his Hammond organ, and there were probably other subtle differences I didn't notice that might be expected from a one-off show.

Ultimately though, it was an enjoyable, relatively loose gig that was a nice way to celebrate Vail's 50th anniversary and cap off, in a sense, domestic touring for The Whole Love. And most people seemed to walk away with at least a warmer spirit even if their body temperature might have been lower than usual.

Here was the complete setlist, as played:

Ashes Of American Flags ($6.93)
Art Of Almost
I Might
Handshake Drugs
Spiders (Kidsmoke) (acoustic arrangement)
Impossible Germany
Born Alone>
Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season) (electric arrangement)
Side With The Seeds
Shouldn't Be Ashamed
California Stars ("...Colorado stars")
Forget The Flowers
Jesus, etc.
Hate It Here
Whole Love
I'm Always In Love
Heavy Metal Drummer
Dawned On Me
A Shot in the Arm
I'm The Man Who Loves You

[Magnetized]

Thank you, bbop. Kudos to you for keeping your fingers defrosted so you could give us the scoop!

[Rodion]

I don't think that cold begins to describe what it was like at the show.  Travelled with friends from San Diego to be here, and I definitely wasn't prepared for the weather.  Found myself further from the stage than I would have liked, by the heaters to stave off frostbite, but still really enjoyed the show.  I'd like to second the sentiment that despite the horrible weather conditions, Wilco really played with the passion that rivaled their smaller, indoor gigs.  It did suck to come all the way out here for an abbreviated show, but it's nothing the band could have prevented.  It was a lot of fun singing along to Colorado Stars, and the locals of Vail (who were nothing but super nice this whole trip) must have appreciated it as well.  Besides that, Shouldn't Be Ashamed was a highlight of the evening for me.  I know that it had been making the rounds in recent history, but this was my first time hearing it live.  Also, a note about the crowd; I felt like the energy there was really good.  Not everyone was super familiar with Wilco.  A bunch of local Vail celebrities and probably people coming off the slopes looking for something to do that night.  Still, the chatter wasn't bad, met some nice people on line for gyros and in-between songs, and there was a good amount of singing along even closer to the middle for a "festival" show. 

 

P.S.  I finally got to meet Paul, and like the star struck fan that I was, only managed to tell him that his voice was deeper than I imagined.  I'll come up with some wittier banter next time ... perhaps at SSF.

[bböp]

P.S.  I finally got to meet Paul, and like the star struck fan that I was, only managed to tell him that his voice was deeper than I imagined.  I'll come up with some wittier banter next time ... perhaps at SSF.

 

Good to meet you as well. I don't think I even caught your name, though. Sorry about that. It's still a bit awkward when people "recognize" you out of the blue, especially when you're freezing. Glad you survived the cold!

[Rodion]

Yeah, I totally understand.  I'd be weirded out if Jeff recognized me from all the requests I've made on the site for The Long Cut.  The name is Rodion, and I'll do a better job of introducing myself next time.  For me, you're as much a part of Wilco lore as Bob Egan.

[Preferred B]

Thanks for the reviews! My god, I would have been cold. So so cold. I can barely handle waiting in line in that kind of weather, so I applaud all of you attendees and especially the band. Were there space heaters on stage? How could anyone feel their fingers enough to play guitar?

[bböp]

Thanks for the reviews! My god, I would have been cold. So so cold. I can barely handle waiting in line in that kind of weather, so I applaud all of you attendees and especially the band. Were there space heaters on stage? How could anyone feel their fingers enough to play guitar?

 

There were some kind of heating implements on stage, at least I think so. If you were fairly close to the stage, you could probably see these monitor-like things connected by big white tubing to what appeared to be gas tanks of some sort. So maybe those helped, as well as the stage lights? A lot of the acts were also using those portable hand warmers (à la the Residency) so perhaps some of the guys had those in their pockets as well?

 

I guess the cold also affects different people differently. I was quite frozen the first night of the fest as well as in line last night. But by the time Wilco hit the stage, I found that I was weirdly OK without hat or gloves. That might've been due in part to the body heat from all the people packing in, but for whatever reason I was all right.

[Albert Tatlock]

 

"It's a good thing this isn't a Morrissey concert, because then it would be over by now," frontman Jeff Tweedy joked an hour into his band's frigid, snowy outdoor finale at the base of Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. Another of his quips earlier in the fluttery set didn't fare so well, though: "I wish somebody would turn off the snow machine," he said to loud boos. Skiiers had been salivating for the first big snowfall like the one that finally came Saturday.

 

The report is here but apart from that paragraph there is alot less info than in a typical Bbop report

 

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/183735811.html

[50footqueenie]

''Glenn was about the only one who seemed to "rough it," wearing neither a hat nor jacket.''

 

What a man.  But like all us drummers, he generates total light and heat.  

[bböp]

 

 

 

The report is here but apart from that paragraph there is alot less info than in a typical Bbop report

 

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/183735811.html

 

Thanks for the link (and the compliment), sir! Quite odd — to me, anyway — that a Minnesota paper would go to the expense of covering a random show in Colorado, so I have to assume that Mr. Riemenschneider is originally from the area or had some other reason for being there (e.g. was on a ski vacation or something).

 

I didn't report the Morrissey comment because it's one that Jeff has often made when the aroma of nearby grilling meats wafts up to the stage. Riemenschneider seems to suggest that the joke that the show "would be over by now" had to do with the weather when it really was an allusion to the Mozzer's strict vegetarian ways. So Riemenschneider didn't really give the proper context for that quip, but I do give him credit for fully getting the comment about the stocking cap "field of beautiful, fuzzy flowers."

[bböp]

''Glenn was about the only one who seemed to "rough it," wearing neither a hat nor jacket.''

 

What a man.  But like all us drummers, he generates total light and heat.  

 

White light and white heat, right?

[samuel70]

"$6.93". Thank you for another detailed review Paul  !

Now it's obvious as to why you always take notes using a pencil instead of a ballpoint pen .

 

For me, you're as much a part of Wilco lore as Bob Egan.

[Muzzle of Dan]

This show was absolutely stellar. It was the shortest Wilco show I've seen and that didn't matter one bit. It was quite the magical experience seeing Wilco play in the snow.

 

One thing I haven't seen anyone mention were the fireworks that preceded the evenings concert festivities. We were walking over to Ford Park from Vail and all of a sudden fireworks started erupting from the mountainside. That was a fun way to start the night.

 

My girlfriend and I were right in front of Jeff, 2nd from the rail. This was the first time I've seen Wilco play where I felt like I was listening to them play right out of their amps, instead of through the PA. Maybe it's just because I was in the front and the stage was kind of small, but (to me) this played like a super intimate gig.

 

I totally agree with Bbop about Ashes as a good semi-surprise opener. It's one of my favorite Wilco tunes and I'm always happy to hear it live. I'm also in agreement with Bbop about any show with Laminated Cat making for a good one. I'm really happy they've brought this song back into the rotation this year. It's another personal favorite; and the energy this line-up brings to it live is just explosive.

 

I would also like to throw some love out there for Forget The Flowers. I saw them play this back in 2009 in LA and it was a real treat to hear it again. If I recall correctly, last time I saw them play this Nels did his bits on a lap-steel. The guitar tech tried to hand him the lap-steel leading into this song and Nels waved him off, opting to play the black and white Telecaster (Thinline model, I believe) he had used on the previous song California/Colorado Stars. Nels totally ripped this song up on the Tele. It was chicken-picken city all over the place - those longing for the old Jay Bennett versions of this tune should try to check out a video of this version and see if you enjoy it any more than the versions with lap-steel.

 

Side With The Seeds was another highlight. This song is just so good and Jeff's solos on it were blistering.

 

Also - I could see Handshake Drugs at every Wilco show I attend and never, ever get tired of hearing it played live. So good. Same thing with Impossible Germany - which seemed to go on a little longer than usual. It seemed at one point in the first section of the solo that the band was ready to move on to the second part (where Jeff and Pat play the riff in harmony), but Nels wasn't quite done jamming yet and that section lingered and built a little longer than I remember in past performances.

 

The band seemed in great spirits - laughing and smiling throughout the show, despite the cold and any problems it brought. On Shouldn't Be Ashamed, Nels was playing a gold Les Paul that he seemed to be fighting to keep in tune for the whole song; and Jeff just kept smiling at him every time he went for it. The show had a loose, fun and unpredictable vibe to it and it might just be my favorite of the 10 Wilco gigs that I've been too. Definitely my favorite gig that I saw this year - followed closely by the Hollywood Palladium show.

 

One last thing - John is an absolute MONSTER on the bass. Other times I've been up close, I've been over on Nels' side and this time, I had a blast getting to watch John groove and jam. Much love to Glenn, as well. I got to see him work a bit more this time too - no wonder he didn't have a hat, jacket or gloves - he was too busy doing his best impression of Animal from the Muppets, which I'm sure kept him quite warm throughout the show.

 

 

[kidsmoke]

I swear, with the fantastic reviews you, Dan, and Paul have provided, one need hardly even bother actually going to a concert! No, no, I keed....keedsmokes tend to do that. But I thank you both from the bottom of my heart for your richly detailed accounts of the night, since this was a show I would have really loved to attend. You both painted wonderful and complimentary pictures of the night. Sounds truly magical and memorable!

 

Sorry to be so late with the appreciation. It was a rough Christmas season.