Jeff Tweedy — 12/15/13, Los Angeles, CA (Largo at the Coronet Theatre) [Night 1]

[silsurf]

Wow!

Oreo's for all. Let the discussion begin...

[bböp]

Mods, please feel free to merge any or all of the other thread that was started regarding Night 1 of this week's four-night stand (though I'd appreciate it if you would keep this one as the thread title).

I'm not going to write an extensive review now but basically Jeff was battling a pretty bad cold all night long and he toughed it out as long as he could. It must have been pretty rough on him to sing because he was drinking water and Diet Coke on stage — he said it was the first Diet Coke he'd had in something like a year after quitting at his wife's behest — and he almost never drinks anything during a show.

So all things considered, it was a solid performance even if Jeff was probably just trying to make it through the evening in relatively respectable fashion. His banter was still very on point, covering everything from the Santa Barbara clappers to the passing of Peter O'Toole to the weird San Francisco/Los Angeles relationship and a few other things I'm sure I'm forgetting. As he left the stage for the night he handed out a pack of Oreos to folks in the first couple of rows that someone had apparently put on stage as an apology of sorts (?) for the clapping in Santa Barbara (though he said he wouldn't eat them since he had touched them).

Suffice it to say that while this was hardly a bad set, I think the shows will only continue to get better as the week goes on — as long as Jeff's voice holds up.

Also of note, Jeff Garlin did a short (approx. 15 minutes) unannounced opening set and said he would be doing different material at each of the shows.

From a setlist perspective, I glanced at a printed one after the show and it looks like the only adjustments were swapping in The Ruling Class in for Anniversary (aka Nothing Up My Sleeve), which was probably apropos — Jeff mentioned how the song was inspired in part by the classic film of the same name starring O'Toole — and the cutting of the last two songs on the setlist (Gun and Dreamer In My Dreams).

And of course, a slight clarification on Country Disappeared (which Jeff said, like all of the songs on the setlist, were requested via the "proper channels" through Wilco's website; this was in contrast to someone's yelled Sky Blue Sky request that was not granted). He started to play Country, but after flubbing a chord early in the song, he simply decided to skip it. He joked that it was a "very specific request to play the first chord, muff the second and then abort." Haha!

Someday Soon, which I think was played for the first time on this tour, is always a lot of fun to hear because of its crowd participation element — although it was a bit of a struggle for Jeff lyrically tonight (he transposed a couple of verses, afterward joking that it didn't really matter because they were essentially the same anyway).

I should mention that the crowd was generally well-behaved, though probably a little too reverential at times. That's probably to be expected at Largo, where they announce politely but firmly before every show: "Please take this opportunity to turn off your electronic devices; we don't care for those here. ... Please no talking during the show, please no photography of any kind, please no recording of any kind." It's always been an intimate listening room that is respectful of the artist, which is partly why some people love it so much. (Though I think sometimes this makes people hesitant to sing along or otherwise participate, even when the artist encourages it.)

Anyway, here's to the next few nights. For now, here was the complete setlist as played for Night 1:

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Remember The Mountain Bed
Wait Up
You and I
A Long Time Ago
(Was I) In Your Dreams
The Ruling Class
Country Disappeared (aborted)
Dawned On Me
Radio Cure
Pot Kettle Black (started and restarted)
She's A Jar
Someday Soon
Via Chicago
Born Alone
Jesus, etc.
Heavy Metal Drummer
Hesitating Beauty
Laminated Cat (aka Not for the Season)
---------------------------
Misunderstood
California Stars
Passenger Side (performed mostly at edge of stage w/o PA system)
I'm The Man Who Loves You

[yarbles]

Sounds awesome, I love the Largo and would have loved to have gotten a ticket to any of the shows this week.  Saw Andrew Bird there last year and it is such a cool, small, intimate venue.  (that having been said... if anyone has an extra ticket for any of the next 3 Largo shows I'll take it off your hands and buy you dinner as well. 

 

Hope he beats this cold soon, he was sounding like he was catching something in Santa Barbara.  He wiped his nose once in the middle of The Ruling Class I believe, and then made a weird "why did I do that?" face afterwards.  Funny, but no good when you have a string of shows lined up.

[ih8music]

It was a fun show.  I'm not really a fan of Jeff Garlin's style of non-comedy, but his opening chat was a pleasant surprise.  Then again, I've also dreamed of being the first porn star on the moon so that anecdote hit home I guess.  

 

Despite his apologies, I thought Jeff's voice held up very well for most of the night.  By far the highlight for me was Radio Cure -- chillingly awesome.  Also fun were the callbacks on Someday Soon and the ooh, ahhs on HMD... though I agree that the crowd was a bit overly "polite" at first.  I think Jeff losing his shit in SB over that dude for his ill-timed clapping (which he mentioned near the beginning) had something to do with it.

 

First time ever seeing a show at the Largo and it certainly lived up to its reputation for being tiny, tiny, tiny in a good way.  My wife and I had our dinner run late so we got to the venue much later than I wanted but we still had perfect seats up front and off to the side.  Pretty much impossible to be disappointed with a place that small.

 

Slightly bummed that my request for Ballad of the Opening Band wasn't taken but I'll live.

[bböp]

Slightly bummed that my request for Ballad of the Opening Band wasn't taken but I'll live.

 

It wouldn't be the first time...

 

From my (admittedly limited) understanding of things, that song was sort of a studio creation with all or most of the parts overdubbed. So like other tracks created that way, I don't know if Jeff feels comfortable playing BotOB live by himself — at least yet. I agree that it would be a great one to hear, though.

[nalafej]

Only four more chances for new material on the tour. Surprised there hasn't been something...whether it be Wilco or Loose Fur or anything else.