Living room concert unites fan with his favorite musician

[Albert Tatlock]

Living room concert unites fan with his favorite musician
By Bill Lynch

 

 

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Music fans sometimes go their entire lifetimes without ever meeting the people who've made the music that changed their lives. Most of the time, the best they can hope for is a decent seat at a live show.
 
Three weeks ago, Charleston's Brooke Brown got to play a song with Jeff Tweedy, the front man and creative force behind alternative rock band Wilco.
 
"This guy is the Bob Dylan of my generation," the 39-year-old Brown said. "He's just an amazing songwriter."
 
Through a Chicago-based charity auction, Brown and about a dozen others banded together to bid on a private living room show with Tweedy, who lives in the Chicago suburbs.
 
"Jeff has been doing this for about nine years," Brown said. "I'd heard about it through other fans and even had a couple of friends who'd gone to these shows."
 
These were all friends he met through the band, just from being a fan. Some of them Brown said he only knew from talking online, but when the opportunity to participate in the auction arose, he didn't hesitate to contribute to the pool.
 
Brown declined to say how much the group bid to have Jeff Tweedy play for them or how much he contributed.
 
"We all put in what we could," he said.
 
But they won, and Tweedy was obligated to come play a show for about 30 people.
 
So, on Oct. 26, Brown and his wife flew to Des Plaines, Ill., where they attended the show at the house of his friend, Jeff Wolniakowski.

Brown said all of them were allowed to submit song suggestions in advance. These could be from Wilco's catalog of music, Uncle Tupelo (the band that preceded Wilco) or even cover tunes Tweedy knew.
 
"And Jeff likes people playing with him on a song," Brown said.

So Brown asked about a couple of them playing The Traveling Willburys' "Handle with Care."
 
Tweedy said OK, and eight songs into his set, he invited Brown, Wolniakowski and Kris Erickson to join him.

"I'd practiced like crazy," Brown said.

When the time came, Brown played and sang one of the leads, while Tweedy played along and sang the chorus.  Brown said it was an amazing moment but over in a flash.
 
Tweedy finished his set, mingled a bit, signed autographs (including Brown's guitar) and referred to Brown and his friends as The Dingleburys.
 
"I'm pretty certain it was a term of endearment," Brown added.
 
Tweedy went home, but the people at the house stuck around and played music for a while.

While he said it was just an incredible experience to meet someone whose music he admired so much, Brown said what really stuck with him was how the music had brought them all together.
 
"I've known some of these people for 10 years," he said. "They came from all over the country, from San Francisco, New York, Maryland, Oklahoma and Texas."
 
Brown didn't say he had plans to embark on some kind of music career of his own.

"I've played guitar for year. I've always just strummed on it, played it for fun, but I've never ever played it in public."
 
But it was an amazing experience.
 
"The crowd was singing along, and I really felt the support of the people in the room. It was just an amazing experience. I don't know how you top it."

 

 

Living room concert unites fan with his favorite musician

[Sir Stewart]

For some reason that reads like an Onion headline.

[choo-choo-charlie]

For some reason, this phrase really bothers me: "Tweedy was obligated to come play a show for about 30 people."

 

That word always just has a negative connotation for me, like you're doing something you don't really want to do. Jeff does these things for charity, and that whole idea was really downplayed.

[Atticus]

It's not a true LRS pic without Jules' head

[Lammycat]

That group and scene  looks whiter than a...well, whiter than a Wilco concert.

[caliber66]

All three of them are Via Chicagoans from way back.

[bböp]

All three of them are Via Chicagoans from way back.

It really is old-school VCers week on, uh, VC! What's next, the re-emergence of Shiney McShine?

 

And IMHO, the "what white people like" argument with respect to Wilco (and generally speaking, the sub-categorization of musical fandom into racial blocs) is pretty tired. Even if there may be some truth to it -- and fwiw, there were people of color at the above LRS -- who really cares?

[pnêyu]

That group and scene  looks whiter than a...well, whiter than a Wilco concert.

My non-white parents would be shocked to learn that I (the photographer of the included shot) am now considered white.

[Lammycat]

You're not in the picture, though. Good lord.

[pnêyu]

You're not in the picture, though. Good lord.

Corrected it for you:

 

You're not in the picture, though, Good lord.

[ditty]

My non-white parents would be shocked to learn that I (the photographer of the included shot) am now considered white.

Thank you for updating your blog, I alwasy enjoy reading about the LRS shows.

[tstrapac]

I love Jeff's songs and play guitar, but I don't think I would ever want to sit down and play with him in front of people.

 

I don't think it's a nervous thing, kinda hard to explain. I would probably be fine 1 on 1, but in a "show" setting it would almost feel wrong.

[choo-choo-charlie]

If getting a chance to jam with Jeff onstage or in a living room is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

[tongue-tied lightning]

a fine looking band !

[Atticus]

I would probably be fine 1 on 1, but in a "show" setting it would almost feel wrong.

 

it doesn't.

[NoJ]

I'm kinda thinking that one guy is Hollinger.

[Atticus]

No

[NoJ]

Seems like there's Hollingers everywhere.

[Atticus]

There is only one Hollinger.  Don't disrespect.

[NoJ]

Yeah but.........aww fergit it.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

 

For some reason, this phrase really bothers me: "Tweedy was obligated to come play a show for about 30 people."

 

That word always just has a negative connotation for me, like you're doing something you don't really want to do. Jeff does these things for charity, and that whole idea was really downplayed.

 

I had the same feeling. Obligation, while not really having a negative connotation, implies some degree of coercion.