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Wilco — 1/26/16, Burlington, VT (Flynn Center for the Performing Arts)


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Don't have time to put together a decent recap right now, so hopefully others will chime in with their thoughts soon enough.

 

Personally I felt a little like tonight's show was more akin to a recital than a rock concert. But maybe that's how shows at the Flynn are, or it's that classic New England stoicism coming through. Whatever the case, people around me seemed to largely embrace their seats and have more of an observational — as opposed to participatory — mentality. (I was later told that most of the audience stood for a good part of the show, but that definitely didn't seem to be the case for those toward the very front. Alas.) Jeff even quipped as he was about the leave the stage following the electric Spiders first encore that "I feel like we've worn you out. Thanks for sticking around."

 

All I can say is the energy of the crowd wasn't necessarily the highest I've ever seen. Whether that was because it was a Tuesday night (and am I remembering correctly that they stopped selling booze super early?) or just the Flynn's audience dynamic or whatever, it just felt to me like things were on the "too polite" side of the fine line between respectful and rowdy.

 

That said, I thought it was quite a solid and enjoyable show. Those opening chords to When You Wake Up Feeling Old always make me so happy, so it definitely put a big smile on my face to hear them. One of the band's more underrated songs, IMHO, and as Jeff noted, "that song was off an album called Summerteeth in case you didn't know. Back when we were edgy." Haha!

 

Jeff mentioned that When You Wake Up... had been one of the most requested songs through the band's Web site, but prior to that, he had said that One By One had actually been the most requested for this show. The band, Jeff said, hadn't been able to find a good place for it in the regular set, so it had simply decided to put it at the start "to get it out of the way." Noting the relative smattering of applause afterward, Jeff added that the potential for a stuffing of the ballot box in terms of requests was "the fatal flaw of our system: it rewards the few at the expense of the many."

 

Other choice selections from Banter Corner included an allusion to arguably the town's most famous current resident who happens to be seeking the office of America's chief executive. Jeff didn't mention Bernie Sanders by name, but did say of Burlington, "I love this town. I hope our next president lives here."

 

Like last night in Pittsburgh, the sound was impeccable and that once again really was a great asset to the performance of Star Wars. Perhaps it's just the fact that I've been seated more on Pat's side of the stage but I've been noticing his fine guitar playing more than ever on SW; it seems like he takes as many leads as Nels during the album set. It's something I maybe hadn't noticed as much before.

 

At any rate, I wouldn't expect the band to deviate from playing the album in its entirety anytime soon. It just works quite well as a piece, and despite the fact that the Burlington crowd didn't necessarily seem to embrace wholly the full performance of the record to start the show, it still seems the best way to present it.

 

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Here was the complete setlist as played (I believe the only change from the printed list was the addition of A Shot in the Arm to close the show):

 

More...

Random Name Generator

The Joke Explained

You Satellite

Taste The Ceiling

Pickled Ginger

Where Do I Begin

Cold Slope>

King Of You

Magnetized

One By One

Handshake Drugs

Camera

Art Of Almost

Sunken Treasure (acoustic arrangement — Jeff on acoustic guitar, no harmonica; Pat on keyboard)

When You Wake Up Feeling Old

Heavy Metal Drummer>

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Hummingbird

Jesus, etc.

Born Alone

Via Chicago

Impossible Germany

The Late Greats

-----------------------------

Spiders (Kidsmoke) (electric arrangement)

-----------------------------

Misunderstood*

It's Just That Simple*

War On War*

We've Been Had*

California Stars*

A Shot in the Arm*

 

* — performed hootenanny style with Jeff and John on acoustic guitars, Nels on dobro, Glenn on percussion, Mikael on melodica/acoustic guitar and Pat on banjitar/glockenspiel

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puritans-1024x7841.jpg

 

Bbop and friend suffer some local hostility on their way out of the venue. Glad you made it to a Devil's Device with an ethereal connection to post your report.

Is that a Devil's Device in your pocket or are you just glad to see me? B)

 

FYI, I've attempted to supplement my report with some additional details. Not my best, but I try. Thanks for reading, as always, sir!

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Great recap as always, agree with everything. When You Wake Up Feeling Old a super treat.

 

So, I flew in from NYC to meet up with family in the balcony. Oh, the balcony. Anyone that stood up there was asked to stand in the back. I believe I started jumping a bit during Ramdom Name Generator from the back & was told I couldn't dance at all in the balcony. Ended up on the side of the floor for much of the show, periodically running up to say hi to the fam.

 

Quite comical all around. Felt like I was in Footloose

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Great show.  We were a dozen or so rows from the front and stood the whole time.  A guy a few rows in front of us seemed to be the impetus for everyone to stand - he didn't sit the whole show and everyone behind had to stand to get a view, which kept most folks up.  As someone who very much prefers to stand, I was happy about that guy. Everyone in front of him seemed to be sitting.  The Flynn is a nice venue but I really dislike seeing rock shows there.  The building just seems to exude calm and take energy out of the crowd.  Nearby Memorial Auditorium is an awful physical space but more suitable for a rock show in my humble opinion, except for that part about the roof falling in. Other small notes:

 

 

** I enjoyed the full playing of Star Wars far more than I expected.  You Satellite was just absurdly good and it's interesting how much Pat's guitar work is featured throughout the live album.

 

** It was great to hear the fully electric, loud Spiders again.  The audience managed to keep the clapping on rhythm for a good while.

 

** We've Been Had.  Man I love that song. 

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Those opening chords to When You Wake Up Feeling Old always make me so happy, so it definitely put a big smile on my face to hear them. One of the band's more underrated songs, IMHO, and as Jeff noted, "that song was off an album called Summerteeth in case you didn't know. Back when we were edgy." Haha!

Yes, that would bring (and has brought) a smile to my face.  Especially a great fit for a mellow crowd.  Love that song.

And thanks as always for the recaps. 

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Well... I thought it was a good night all around.  I was in the 12th row/dead center - and we stood all night.  Being a long time Burlington resident, I am always conflicted about seeing rock shows at The Flynn.  In some cases - I skip them altogether because the venue does not really lend itself to the full rock n' roll experience.  With Higher Ground/Alex Crothers strong relationship with TMM and the band - it would have been way better to book them for two nights at the club instead of a theatre show... That said, I thought the sound was amazing!

 

I will confess to be the being the guy who requested One By One - and When You Wake Up Feeling Old... so, I was pretty pleased to hear both of these tunes that I thought were stand outs last night.  Also, I thought the Sunken Treasure and the Hummingbird were outstanding.  This was my third time seeing Star Wars and I continue to enjoy hearing the record played from top to bottom.  I say this as I will only be seeing two shows on this tour - I think if I were seeing more shows, this would kinda' get old.  King of You, You Satellite and Random Name Generator were ridiculously good.

 

Anyway - I really enjoyed myself and thought the band was in fine form - now, off to Portland...

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Great night. Maybe not the most exciting Wilco show I've ever seen (or in the top 5), but top form.  Certainly all the guys seem very relaxed, well, except Nels. There's no question that a club (or a theater in Canada.. or maybe a theater where they sell alcohol once the show starts!) is a better venue for a rock concert than the Flynn.  The Flynn is a very nice theater, but in its attempt to stay "family friendly" and stain-free, it's just not a fun place to see a show.  I've seen many there, and I always wish it was at Higher Ground... or in Albany, NY at the Palace. 

 

I was surprised about the similarity between the set lists from Pitt and Burlington... so I'm glad I'm not going to Boston.  I've seen & heard enough Via Chicago, Impossible Germany, Handshake Drugs, and Jesus, Etc.  But I attest to how great and happy-making When You wake Up..., It's Just That Simple(!) and We've Been Had were.  Art of Almost, Born Alone, ITMWLY, and Misunderstood were all excellent, too, with what I thought seemed like fresher interpretations.

 

I was surprised (pleasantly) that most of the crowd in the Orchestra did stand -- despite the recording admonishing us to the contrary.  But, yeah, that's as lively as you can get on a Tuesday at the Flynn.  Give Burlington a Friday on the waterfront in the summer, and see the leaning-toward-rowdy you might expect to see... too bad Wilcou couldn't sponsor a fest up here, instead of the horrible, screeching, posing Miss Potter.

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I don't have too much to add to all the comments above, but wanted to check in and say I was there and had a fantastic time.  We were about 15 rows back way off to the right (thanks again, lousy presale process!)  The setlist was definitely a crowd-pleaser for those who wanted to hear the hits, but had a few rare gems snuck in there. Our section stood throughout the night from start to finish, which suits me fine.  There was a shortage of energy from the crowd, but I don't think it was because people weren't engaged and enthralled.  Probably just a Tuesday night in Winter in chilly Burlington at a rather formal venue. 

 

Paul, we had a blast hanging out with you last night and safe travels through the rest of your run!

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I don't have too much to add to all the comments above, but wanted to check in and say I was there and had a fantastic time. We were about 15 rows back way off to the right (thanks again, lousy presale process!) The setlist was definitely a crowd-pleaser for those who wanted to hear the hits, but had a few rare gems snuck in there. Our section stood throughout the night from start to finish, which suits me fine. There was a shortage of energy from the crowd, but I don't think it was because people weren't engaged and enthralled. Probably just a Tuesday night in Winter in chilly Burlington at a rather formal venue.

 

Paul, we had a blast hanging out with you last night and safe travels through the rest of your run!

Thanks a lot! Great to get to hang out with you guys for a bit! And thanks to all for the kind words about (and for reading) my blatherings.

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Jeff mentioned that When You Wake Up... had been one of the most requested songs through the band's Web site, but prior to that, he had said that One By One had actually been the most requested for this show. The band, Jeff said, hadn't been able to find a good place for it in the regular set, so it had simply decided to put it at the start "to get it out of the way." Noting the relative smattering of applause afterward, Jeff added that the potential for a stuffing of the ballot box in terms of requests was "the fatal flaw of our system: it rewards the few at the expense of the many."

 

 

Ha!. after 2 shows of yelling out for it and requesting it online, they finally caved in and did, albeit a dirty look on jeff's face towards me :lol

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