Wilco- June 24- Solid Sound night 2

[last cigarettes]

wow.

i'm gonna leave the full breakdown to you pros out there who will do a much better job than i (you know who you are) but all i can say is wow.

for those who missed the banter last night, this set was a classic. jeff gave a beautiful speech about how this festival is so special because we need to inspire each other, to make music and art and share them with each other, and to be together. emotions ran the full spectrum, from poignant and thoughtful to funny as hell (listen for an all-time great lyric flub in via chicago- jeff got dive bombed by a bird or bat or something) to full-on rockin'.

to paraphrase jeff, "That can't win. and you know what i mean by That. This is better." (please feel free to correct if anyone got the exact quote...)

 

tonight is why seeing this band with people i love is my favorite thing in the world.

[jackins]

 

Must sleep, discuss later

Photo credit:

@lalalandstudios

 

 

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[bböp]

Thought tonight's show was live streamed or something, so I figured someone would've already posted the setlist but I guess not. No time for much of a recap now, but suffice it to say Wilco once again did not disappoint at Solid Sound. After playing Being There and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in their respective entireties on Night 1 of the festival, the band followed it up with a 2-hour, 20-minute barnburner to close out Night 2.

 

When the band started off with At Least That's What You Said, the first track on A Ghost Is Born, naturally the thought entered some people's minds whether we might be in for another complete album performance. I distinctly heard at least one person yell out, right on cue, "Play 'Hell Is Chrome,'" but unfortunately that wasn't in the cards. As Jeff said a few songs into the set, "Did we fake you out (by starting with At Least...)? That was by design. We're dicks, and thought that would be funny. No, we're going to play stuff from all the albums — except Being There and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. If you like those songs, well, you should've been here last night."

 

The politically tinged speech referred to by last cigarettes was a long one, but the part I jotted down basically reiterated what Jeff has said on more than one occasion this year — that he knows "everything's going to be OK when things like this (festival) happen. When people show up for each other. That's what should happen. ... I don't know what that (alternative) is, but that can't win."

 

Jeff also had the aforementioned surprise encounter with a large flying insect or moth of sort during Via Chicago. The bug seemed to swoop right toward his face mid-song, causing him to back away from the microphone and flail briefly, as he exclaimed, "Holy shit...what was that?" but never losing control of the song and somehow picking it back up and finishing it without further incident. A few songs later, Jeff asked sarcastically if anyone had seen him "attacked by that falcon. That's the scaredest I've ever been on stage."

 

Other bits from Banter Corner included a bit about Jeff having a hair in his mouth throughout one song and how he puts hair in his mouth as a sort of training method, which he likened to "swinging two bats" (as a baseball player might do to warm up); a dedication of We Aren't The World to Nels' wife, Yuka C. Honda (it might sound like an odd song to dedicate to someone, Jeff said, but Yuka likes it); and a joke involving the word soupçon, which Jeff daintily but correctly pronounced to illustrate how the title of Wilco's most recent record should be pronounced — i.e. "with a soupçon of disdain." Jeff added that where he is from, they would pronounce it "soup con."

 

Of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention the return (after a way-too-long hiatus) of Josh the shirtless roadie gloriously prancing around the stage with cowbell during the show-closing Hoodoo Voodoo. I know that alone really sends some hearts a-flutter around these parts, so it was a welcome sight. And the mustachioed man is pretty brilliant at that job, let's be honest...

 

Anyway, perhaps more to come but I'm sure a ton of others can fill in details on what I haven't...so fill away. Another highly enjoyable evening in Joe's Field, and thankfully the weather gods were largely with us once again.

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played, for Night 2 (didn't see a printed setlist, so can't say if there were any additions/omissions edit: apparently they, alas, scrapped In A Future Age):

 

At Least That's What You Said

If I Ever Was A Child

Cry All Day

Company In My Back

Shouldn't Be Ashamed

The Joke Explained

You Are My Face>

Art Of Almost

Pickled Ginger

One By One

Someone To Lose

Via Chicago

Bull Black Nova (acoustic arrangement)

Impossible Germany

We Aren't The World (Safety Girl)

Passenger Side

Box Full Of Letters

A Magazine Called Sunset

I'm Always In Love

Hummingbird

Candyfloss

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

Can't Stand It

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Spiders (Kidsmoke) (electric arrangement)

I'm A Wheel

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

Hate It Here

Casino Queen

Hoodoo Voodoo (with bass/keyboard/guitar tech Josh on cowbell)

[parisisstale]

That was an all-time rager, starting with the YAMF > AoA face-melter.  I'm still dancin. 

[JAK2112]

Seeing Friday nights full album(s) show was great, but this set was truly special. Had an energy and urgency that I haven't seen from the band in a few years, and it resulted in one of the best sets I've ever seen them play and maybe my favorite solid sound set yet (covers set is a close contender).

 

On a side note, I think this was the first full electric Casino Queen in a few years, as it's been mostly relegated to Hootenanny encores. Really great to see that back again

[worldrecordplayer]

The Tweedy incident (sounds like the name of a band) with the flying object was not a moth or insect, but a bat in full flight, dive bombing him as he was at the mike singing (I think it was during Jesus?). We watched the bat flying through the lighting rig for the next several minutes.

 

 

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Loved the song selection. Loved the show.

 

 

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[worldrecordplayer]

Not to be left unsaid, they put up the faux foliage stage setup after Kurt Vile finished. I was not expecting it, and was glad to see it. It fit right in With the Berkshires as a natural backdrop

 

 

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[Drunken treasure]

My first SolidSound, I must say the best 2 Wilco shows I have ever seen hands down. Curious to see what tweedy n friends will be. Hopefully a little less crowded today. Peace!

[last cigarettes]

thanks for filling in, bbop- i usually wait to post until i've read your wondeful recaps but i was on such a show high i had to get the thread started once we got back to the hotel. one quick edit- bull black nova was actually the full electric version. and it rocked.

[billydee]

Hail hail the lucky ones! 

We were listening and smiling and recording and singing along from the great Southwest.   

And the energy there in Mass came through just fine...thanks to the band and YOU ALL that were there!

 

Here's a link to an mp3 version of the stream capture, nothing special quality-wise but perhaps it'll hold you over until the official Roadcase release-

https://we.tl/xz5pjvR0iW

[last cigarettes]

one other great moment- the band giving over spiders to the crowd for an a capella sing along of the chorus riff for a few minutes before kicking back in right in time. first time i've heard that.

[dawarren33]

Thanks for the stream link!

[H.Stone]

There was a nice segue from Jeff's banter about being there for each other (Being There!) to One by One--Woodie knew how to put it to words or somesuch.

 

Hmmm, I was also right up front and feel confident that was a big ol' moth (yes, huge!) that dive-bombed Jeff's chest. It was drawn to the fabulous lighting, poor thing. It didn't have the swoop and dive of a bat, but it did hang around for a bit after before abandoning the stage. Maybe in the end we'll agree it WAS a falcon.

 

Jeff went so far as to say he put HANDFULS of hair in his mouth at home. I was waiting for him to add, "...sometimes other people's" I believe John also called Jeff "heroic" for singing an entire song with a hair in his mouth.

 

I dug the new take (to me) on I'm Always In Love, and love love love I'm A Wheel.

[Mizzy]

I was amazed by how awesome this set was. I thought that as a band they were done bringing the thunder, but apparently not so. 

 

I was also amazed by how many people left early. From Art of Almost, all the way through to the end I had a steady stream of people flowing past me. Not that I want to scold anyone, more like I feel bad for you because you missed out. That was the best night of Wilco i've seen in probably 5 years. 

[jw harding]

Listening now. The bug incident in Via is excellent.

[theashtraysays]

one quick edit- bull black nova was actually the full electric version. and it rocked.

It did indeed rock, and was extra creepy / spooky out in the woods with a rather long intro from Jeff that sends chills all over me.

It's not quite the album electric version; more of a hybrid with Jeff on acoustic, Nels on a resonator(?) and Pat on electric. Pat's guitar outro is stellar.

Vince

[last cigarettes]

i stand corrected- it was kind of a hybrid. jeff also got real quiet during the "can't calm down" section, almost to a creepy whisper.

[dagwave]

It did indeed rock, and was extra creepy / spooky out in the woods with a rather long intro from Jeff that sends chills all over me.

It's not quite the album electric version; more of a hybrid with Jeff on acoustic, Nels on a resonator(?) and Pat on electric. Pat's guitar outro is stellar.

Vince

Indeed. With present company,BBN was not a question of "if", only "when".

And what a version- very early messenger chords floated out, then some monkey business, then full fledged rawk. Emotional as hell, too. PERFECT.

[mpolak21]

It did indeed rock, and was extra creepy / spooky out in the woods with a rather long intro from Jeff that sends chills all over me.

It's not quite the album electric version; more of a hybrid with Jeff on acoustic, Nels on a resonator(?) and Pat on electric. Pat's guitar outro is stellar.

Vince

 

I think this arrangement is becoming my preferred version. 

[jackins]

I find Saturday's set to be nothing short of amazing. When you consider it forced them to remove multiple staples from their standard set. I can't remember seeing a Wilco show that hasn't included a heavy selection of songs from both Being There and YHF. It must have taken some extra work to come up with that setlist.

 

 

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[choo-choo-charlie]

I find Saturday's set to be nothing short of amazing. When you consider it forced them to remove multiple staples from their standard set. I can't remember seeing a Wilco show that hasn't included a heavy selection of songs from both Being There and YHF. It must have taken some extra work to come up with that setlist.

 

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I can't remember a Wilco show I've seen that didn't include a heavy selection of YHF tracks.

 

Being There? Not so much, maybe than throwing in Monday, Outtasite or I Got You for a rock 'n roll encore.

[nalafej]

I think it was the first full fledged show since early 2000 without a song from Yankee in the setlist.

[Mizzy]

Who'd have thought we'd go a whole Solid Sound with no Shot in the Arm and no Handshake Drugs. 

[nalafej]

Who'd have thought we'd go a whole Solid Sound with no Shot in the Arm and no Handshake Drugs. 

 

Nobody, but Jeff played A Shot in the Arm.

[bböp]

I think it was the first full fledged show since early 2000 without a song from Yankee in the setlist.

 

When you put it that way...

 

Sorry I didn't see you at all during the weekend. It's weird how even people who are friends can be like two ships passing in the night there, unless they make specific plans to meet up.

 

As far as the Saturday set,  I thought it was cool that they extended themselves even when they didn't have to. For example, they totally could have closed the main set with The Late Greats and few would've complained. But Candyfloss was such a nice surprise! And then in the encore, of course you knew they didn't have the Being There "rock song, etc." at their disposal, but they could've just finished with the first encore and it would have been fine. But I'm sure glad they did the second!