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Wilco — 9 September 2016, San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore) [Night 3 of 5]


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If you're any kind of self-respecting Wilco fan, you'd have to say that was a pretty fun night at the legendary Fillmore. On the day that Wilco Schmilco officially made its way out into the world, the band celebrated the release of its latest record with a performance that once again deftly mixed present and past, newer songs and deeper cuts, before building to a frenetic, raucous conclusion. It wasn't that the first two shows of Wilco's five-night Fillmore residency were necessarily subdued, but more that the third night really kicked things up a notch. :rock

 

Just when you expected Jeff and Co. to launch into their usual hootenanny-style unplugged, mostly acoustic set during one of the encores, tonight they stayed plugged in and mostly electric throughout. And that made for a block of songs that whipped a crowd which featured quite a few "new familiar faces" — including a contingent of regulars who traveled in for the weekend — into something of a frenzy. It's always fun to hear the good old Red-Eyed>I Got You>Outtasite trilogy, but especially so when you're not really expecting it because this is supposed to be a more stripped-down tour. Then you finish off the night with another intense double-time electric version of Spiders (Kidsmoke) and just about everyone goes home satisfied.

 

Along the way, the band treated us to the full-band live debut of another Wilco Schmilco song, the delicate Shrug And Destroy — with Nels on what looked like a Jerry Jones "Shorty" Octave 12-string — as well as revisited some older material that hadn't seen the light of day for a while (I'll Fight, Side With The Seeds, One By One, Summer Teeth). It added up to a rather enjoyable night of music. :thumbup

 

From Banter Corner, the highlight probably came toward the end of the main set when Jeff riffed for a bit after he thought he heard someone in the crowd yell for "Freebird." He joked about having the person removed from the show and then urged anyone who observed such behavior to report it. "If you see something, say something," Jeff joked. ;)

 

The only other significant banter from Jeff came after Impossible Germany while Nels sat down on his stool and prepared to play lap steel on One By One. Jeff remarked on how he had said it before but wanted to reiterate that Fillmore audiences were the best rock audiences. They had, in fact, invented rock audiences and were better at it than anywhere else, getting excited when the music got exciting and quiet when the music got quiet. "Don't get a big head," Jeff warned. "Don't get asshole-y." Then he added that everything he had just said was simply "a nice way of saying 'Be quiet' for this deep cut" before the band went into OBO.

 

Anyway, I'm sure I'm forgetting some other details right now but it's getting late. Hopefully others will chime in with some of their thoughts on tonight's gig. But I think it's fair to say that if this was the proverbial "hump day" of this residency, then Wilco made sure we got over it with our pogoing shoes on... :dance

 

For now, here was the complete setlist as played for Night 3 (the lone change from the printed setlist was the swapping in of California Stars for Bill Fay's Be Not So Fearful to start the first encore):

 

Normal American Kids^

If I Ever Was A Child

Cry All Day

Radio Cure

Company In My Back

The Joke Explained

Misunderstood

Someone To Lose

I'll Fight

Shouldn't Be Ashamed

Side With The Seeds

Reservations

Impossible Germany

One By One

Summer Teeth

Whole Love

Locator

Shrug And Destroy

Born Alone

Hummingbird

We Aren't The World (Safety Girl)

The Late Greats

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

California Stars

Pickled Ginger

Red-Eyed and Blue>

I Got You (At The End of the Century)>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

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

Spiders (Kidsmoke) (electric arrangement)

 

^ — Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline only

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Some sort of thank you to follow...

 

If you've written Cali Stars should it be swapping in of Cali Stars for BNSF, or BNSF should be there? I am just trying to top your level of setlist pedantry :badger

Yes, an unfortunate error on my part...about to be corrected. And are you saying I am a pedant? I resemble that remark! B)
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"Friends don't let friends freebird". What a fun show and great crowd. Spiders without Jeff needing to ask people to clap or even doing a single hand clap to get it going the crowd was all over it. Jeff tried out a couple of new poses with hands on hips and chest out. Band seemed super relaxed and having as much fun as the front house pogo-ers.All that and a free Fillmore poster on the way out!

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I'll agree with the thorough review.  I attended Wednesday and Friday and they were pretty different shows.  I was surprised and had planned on another low(er) key set from Team Wilco.  They delivered a great Friday night, more raucous show, with the crowd completely in for the ride.  I thought the crowd was a tad more respectful on Wednesday, but with the end of week show, I think it was to be expected.

 

In a conversation with my wife eon the way home, who has been seeing them for nearly 20 years, including the 1999 Millennium show in Chicago, she commented how they get better and better and are so so tight, yet all look relaxed and comfortable.

 

Great show.

 

 

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