rhino4evr Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I think it is time for Jeff to re-create a new band. The live shows seem very very similar song wise show to show. There used to be variation but it all now seems so rehearsed that the improvisation seems gone to me. I love his music and the wilco music. And I love this current line up, but if the live performances are indicative of creativity, I'd say the creativity has been spent or needs to be rekindled. My wife (who was a tweedy / wilco fan long before me) thinks the last several performances (20th anniversary chicago shows, multiple madison, milwaukee shows) sound like a Wilco cover band... I like how this topic has gone from being excited for a possible new album, to some strange minor consensus that the band just dismantle? What? Jeff seems very happy with the current outfit, I doubt he wants to make any changes to make things more challenging for himself...I'm mean this literally makes no sense what so ever. Also, as someone else stated, he just released a solo album last year. So it's not like he isn't trying a few new things. Whole Love was an excellent album. So I'm not entirely sure what everyone is so "worried" about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Magnetized Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 If you weren't impressed with the winterlude shows, I don't know what it'd take This! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I was kidding about the UT --- agree I thought the two winterlude shows I saw were great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 What is Winterlude, and what made them so special? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Winterlude = Dec, 2014 Chicago Residency. Played a lot of the 'deep cuts' off the recent box set - which made it cool for me. A little acoustic encore which was fun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yeah, I'm not feeling the negativity, personally. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings. I was more getting pumped as the briefest mention of a new album trickled in. I seriously think it's going to be different from what anyone hopes or fears. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jbray Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yeah, I'm not feeling the negativity, personally. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings. I was more getting pumped as the briefest mention of a new album trickled in. I seriously think it's going to be different from what anyone hopes or fears.I'm sorry if I helped contribute to that. I'm actually really excited for whatever they have in store. I also still hope there are some unexpected and weirdly specific focus points to great effect. -> I.e. Ghost and the hammer dulcimer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
d. boony Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 They played 126 different songs at Winterlude. The set lists are as far from predictable as a band with their history can get. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 How many shows were in the Winterlude run? Anyone have a guess why they feel they need to save material their loyal fans get really excited about for special event shows that the vast majority of their fans won't be able to attend? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 How many shows were in the Winterlude run? Anyone have a guess why they feel they need to save material their loyal fans get really excited about for special event shows that the vast majority of their fans won't be able to attend? It was 6 shows --- I am not sure they played anything during the run, that they didn't play again at some point during the tour --- it just that they had 6 nights to play - so they were able to vary the set lists from show to show -- by the 5th and 6th shows they started to do some repeats - which was fine by me. Does anybody know if song was played during the Winterlude run and not played again during the past tour? It seems like they were playing some 'deeper cuts' throughout this past tour. (for some reason I hate the phrase 'deep cut'). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 It makes sense to vary the setlist when playing a run of shows in one city. What I don't understand is why that isn't their approach to touring as well..At this point, they don't need to have a bunch of songs that are in the show every night. People aren't going to stop going to Wilco shows if they don't get to hear same core of 8-12 staples every time. Maybe they're afraid that varying the sets too wildly would suck them into the jam band world. Now, with regard to some of us feeling like the band is getting stagnant to whatever degree, I think Jeff brought this on himself when he told Jay Bennett on film that he was being lazy for suggesting they play "a bunch of easy rockers" at an upcoming live show rather than buckling down and working up live versions of the more challenging new material. WTA and TWL are, for the most part, collections of easy rockers and easy pop tunes (plus a novelty song or three). How can that not be a disappointment when the leader of the band is on film saying that's an approach he wants to avoid? Having said that, Jeff can do whatever he wants, and so can everyone else. None of us are beholden to whatever our opinions were circa IATTBYH. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
theashtraysays Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 How many shows were in the Winterlude run? Anyone have a guess why they feel they need to save material their loyal fans get really excited about for special event shows that the vast majority of their fans won't be able to attend?The hometown shows, and in particular these multi-night runs, are really something special. I can imagine that such a show probably wouldn't go well in a market which has limited hardcore fans and in a normal one-night show. Playing rarities which only 10% of the audience gets excited about sounds like a bad idea to me. And the hometown crowd just can't be duplicated. I kicked myself for years for not going to the original residency. I went to 2 of the winterlude shows, and it was an amazing experience. Sure, it's inconvenient (as is SSF, which I attended this year for the first time). But you're not going to get that kind of amazing / intimate experience on your typical "road" show. You really should find a way to go to something like a Chicago show, or even some of the 2-night / 3-night runs when they happen (a la Ryman, etc...). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I've tried to make it to the Ryman a couple times, but tickets were too hard to get, or too expensive on the secondary market. I'll keep trying. The Ryman and Red Rocks are my bucket list venues, and not necessarily for Wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
knotgreen Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Now, with regard to some of us feeling like the band is getting stagnant to whatever degree, I think Jeff brought this on himself when he told Jay Bennett on film that he was being lazy for suggesting they play "a bunch of easy rockers" at an upcoming live show rather than buckling down and working up live versions of the more challenging new material. WTA and TWL are, for the most part, collections of easy rockers and easy pop tunes (plus a novelty song or three). How can that not be a disappointment when the leader of the band is on film saying that's an approach he wants to avoid? I wish that I could "like" your post, so I'll quote it instead. I think the TWEEDY record was a refreshing change of pace -- let's hope some of that inspiration carries over into the next Wilco record. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Let's look at this another way; the way Wilco's management would look at it. Wilco is a mature band with high name recognition and a significant and loyal fan base. While we all liked the TWEEDY album and I am disappointed I did not get to see them yet (for a variety of reasons) it doesn't have the draw that Wilco has. Nor does Jeff solo. Wilco can go nearly anywhere on the planet and sell out (or get close to it) whereas Tweedy (both solo and the band) had trouble doing the same thing even in Chicago. That's why they call it show "business". Name recognition is worth more than any artistic issue. Wilco is at the point in its career when it can play the same repertoire for the rest of their career and they will sell tickets. Heck there are bands (like NRBQ which played Solid Sound) that has nearly no original members and continues to draw fans. There are ghost bands that still have a significant fan base. If Wilco never makes another record it really doesn't matter. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 If Wilco never makes another record it really doesn't matter. LouieB I'm fairly certain there are some members of this community who would dive into an irreversible malaise were this to be the case, triggering the most insufferable, fatiguing and frightening series of threads heretofore only imagined in nightmares. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 You got it. Best post of the day. Truer words were never spoken. The problem with all this is that with Wilco's current track record, any new record will be a let down for someone, but no new record will be a let down for us all. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jw harding Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Whaddya know. Those sunsabitchez. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mattpddm03 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 this thread just became irrelevant! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IRememberDBoon Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 if you want to see what the whole love is about IMO all you need to do is watch the NPR small desk concert they did right after. so good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Ha ha ha ha ha...I hope you naysayers have been silenced. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 I seriously think it's going to be different from what anyone hopes or fears. Was I right or was I right? Ha ha ha ha ha...I hope you naysayers have been silenced. Heck yeah, nothing beats great stuff crushing negativity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shakes Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 geez, there wasnt even much actual negativity in this thread but as one of the (apparent) haters ill happily eat crow today. this is the album i wanted from this lineup and didnt think theyd ever make Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 geez, there wasnt even much actual negativity in this thread Ha! Right? And isn't anti-negativity just negativity with a smile. But seriously, I'm with you. I always wondered what it would sound like if they cut lose. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I'd love to hear it, but I've been waiting for the email for two hours. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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