Wilco — 16 November 2017, St. Paul, MN (Palace Theatre) [Night 2 of 3]

[bböp]

I suppose most people who would care about my comments about this show either were there or watched/listened to it on the live stream, so there's probably not a whole lot I can report that folks didn't already experience for themselves. But as I mentioned after Night 1, these multi-night runs are always interesting to see how the crowds and band and set change (or don't) from night to night. I think Wilco has gotten pretty good at presenting a certain show over the years and then varying things just enough to reward people who attend multiple ones without making anyone who might only attend one feel like they missed out.

 

The addition of the cameras for the live stream certainly may have changed the dynamic a bit, but they weren't really too intrusive...at least for those of us standing on the John/Pat side. That's because there was only one cameraman actually standing in the pit and he stayed glued to Nels' side the entire night (though he did occasionally turn around to capture some crowd shots). That probably helps explain why there weren't more shots of Pat — well, that and whomever was directing maybe not being entirely familiar with some deeper cuts like Candyfloss and who to shoot when. On a more scripted show like Austin City Limits, they would likely have all those shots mapped out beforehand so that they would know, for instance, to shoot Pat at the very end of Candyfloss.

 

Anyway, as for the show, there were parts of it I enjoyed more on Night 1 and others I enjoyed more last night — and that's probably always true for a multi-night stand. Jeff definitely did seem a bit more snarky last night as related to the chatty crowd, which I'm glad he called some attention to because the din during James "Jim" Elkington's opening set was pretty bad once again and then people just wouldn't shut up for most of Reservations. Jeff called it, sarcastically, "one of the saddest versions ever recorded" and said that all the talkers "made it special to me." With Elkington on stage, Jeff also thanked the crowd on his behalf "for talking during his set. He loved that."

 

Not much else from Banter Corner other than the extended band introductions. Jeff started by saying that he usually only took time out to acknowledge Nels, calling him "our elder statesman" and deadpanning that he's "better than everybody else, including you guys (in the audience)." As mentioned by others, Jeff also provided the correct pronunciation for Kotche, said people who were calling Mike "Mikael (pronouncing it Mick-kale)" were incorrect and that John had been his "brother and traveling companion" for close to 30 years. The latter caused John to briefly lean on his bass and pretend to use it as if it was a cane. Haha.

 

Once again, the show definitely picked up steam in the second half of the main set as it hurtled toward its inevitable conclusion. As familiar as the end of the main set and parts of the encores have become, it's still undeniable that they help raise the energy of the crowd on any given night. I'm glad that Spiders has been played, and pretty ferociously, both nights so far, but I wouldn't be surprised if we get a Casino>Hoodoo closer tonight. We shall see...

 

Oh, and I do feel the need to add that the recent omission of the count-in on Monday continued last night and that it still continues to annoy me. Someone did point out to me that Jeff did mouth the "sonofa..." leading into Outtasite, so that helped make up for it a little bit. But not totally!

 

Here was the complete setlist as played for Night 2 in St. Paul (there were no changes from the printed list):

 

Cry All Day

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart>

Art Of Almost

Pickled GInger

Side With The Seeds

If I Ever Was A Child

Misunderstood (hootenanny arrangement — Nels on lap steel, Pat on banjitar, John on 12-string acoustic guitar)

Someone To Lose

Handshake Drugs

Hotel Arizona

Via Chicago

Candyfloss

Bull Black Nova (acoustic/electric hybrid arrangement)

Reservations

Impossible Germany

New Madrid

California Stars (with Jim Elkington on electric guitar)

Theologians

Box Full Of Letters

Heavy Metal Drummer>

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Hummingbird

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

Random Name Generator

Passenger Side

Locator>

Spiders (Kidsmoke) (electric arrangement)

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

Monday>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

[worldrecordplayer]

Hot show for sure. I was in a better spot for sound, a little further back on the soundboard platform. Sweet spot. Don’t know whether it was my improved sound zone or that this was a broadcast show, or just the vagaries of live shows, but I thought this one had a little extra oomph from the previous night. Loved all the substitute tunes, particularly Handshake and Arizona. Lots more banter from Mr. Tweedy. He even introduced the entire band. Boarding a flight home to Boston, so I’ll let Paul and others fill in the details. Onward to Solid Sound 2019!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[lost highway]

Loved the stream.

 

Does anyone miss hearing More, Cold Slope and King of You?

 

Those dropped off the setlists fast when Schmilco came out.

[worldrecordplayer]

Loved the stream.

 

Does anyone miss hearing More, Cold Slope and King of You?

 

Those dropped off the setlists fast when Schmilco came out.

 

 

Yes. And mostly You Satellite.

[choo-choo-charlie]

Enjoyed the show via the webcast/stream. Very tight playing all throughout. Nels tore IG apart, as per usual, but I was really excited to see Jeff destroy Spiders. I've always really loved Jeff's lead playing and hope that we may get more of it in the new material they're working on next year. Pat got very little love from the camera, which panned over to Nels when Pat belted out the opera outro to "Candyfloss." Oops. Great to hear a deep cut like that, plus Passenger Side and Box Full of Letters. Endearing to see Jeff introduce the band and share the correct pronunciations of their names. :-)

[Shug]

I’ll be that dude, apologies in advance. Setlits havebeen extremely routine and repetive all year long. Jeff is grumpier than ever (he’s got good reason but it doesn’t look like he enjoys playing Wilco shows as much as he once did). They band looks tired and kinda bored. Or maybe it’s me who is tired and bored, I did just see two consecutive weeknight Tedeschi Trucks Band shows on Tues and We’d with no repeats at all. Last nights show bummed me out. I was kinda bummed out earlier this year with the first three nights of Winterlude at Chicago Theater. Wilco needs a break?

[Shug]

I did think the two nights in LA at Ace Theater in Fall 2016 were fantastic, though.

[lost highway]

I’ll be that dude, apologies in advance. Setlits havebeen extremely routine and repetive all year long. Jeff is grumpier than ever (he’s got good reason but it doesn’t look like he enjoys playing Wilco shows as much as he once did). They band looks tired and kinda bored. Or maybe it’s me who is tired and bored, I did just see two consecutive weeknight Tedeschi Trucks Band shows on Tues and We’d with no repeats at all. Last nights show bummed me out. I was kinda bummed out earlier this year with the first three nights of Winterlude at Chicago Theater. Wilco needs a break?

 

Some 27 songs from some 11 albums. I see a lot of repeats, but as has been said before, I think they're playing to the people in the town who don't see Wilco multiple times a year. They feature 3-5 songs from the latest record and then balance fan favorites with ones the band likes. I already whined about a few songs I wish they'd play now that they're in Schmilco plus greatest hits mode, but I think if you lived in the Twin Cities and hadn't seen the band in 2-3 years this is setup to be a good time.

[The Inside of Outside]

Just my opinion, but as far as set lists go, St. Paul Night 2 > St. Paul Night 1. Hotel AZ was the difference maker.

 

Lucky folks in Minnesota!

[worldrecordplayer]

Just my opinion, but as far as set lists go, St. Paul Night 2 > St. Paul Night 1. Hotel AZ was the difference maker.

 

Lucky folks in Minnesota!

 

With you on that Hotel Arizona difference maker.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[worldrecordplayer]

I’ll be that dude, apologies in advance. Setlits havebeen extremely routine and repetive all year long. Jeff is grumpier than ever (he’s got good reason but it doesn’t look like he enjoys playing Wilco shows as much as he once did). They band looks tired and kinda bored. Or maybe it’s me who is tired and bored, I did just see two consecutive weeknight Tedeschi Trucks Band shows on Tues and We’d with no repeats at all. Last nights show bummed me out. I was kinda bummed out earlier this year with the first three nights of Winterlude at Chicago Theater. Wilco needs a break?

Hey, each consumer is entitled to their view. Me, I come from a Grateful Dead and then Phish jamscene background, so I would love (actually, expect) a different set each night. Having said that, I was at the Wednesday and Thursday shows and was able to put aside my longing for completely different shows and take in every note and second of Thursday as if I hadnt heard many of those songs the night before. I promised myself ahead of time that I wasn’t going to succumb to the Setlist Blues, and I’m glad to say it was a success. From my perspective, I didn’t sense the band looked bored or tired. I saw lots of interactions and smiles. Fun times.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Shug]

I know its often a totally different experience when you are there in person, so I get your perspective, wrp.  Also like you said, expectations color the whole experience, too.  You can lower them and have a better time, but when I know what Wilco has done in the past, its hard for me to not want them to do it again.  This was especially true for me at the Chicago Theater run we went to earlier this year.

 

My impressions have to do with not just the small number of songs played all this year but maybe even more that the place in the setlist that each song occupied was very regimented and almost never changed. Changing up three or four old tunes a night while the rest of the setlist is nearly identical night after night is not my idea of variety.

 

My wish is that bands would, like the Grateful Dead did, see all their songs as a huge pool from which to create setlists instead of seeing it as "we gotta play x number of songs from the new album and then we will play the old warhorses that casual fans will complain about if we don't play them and then maybe fill in a handful of rarities".  I never have agreed with the aesthetic of playing to the fan who only comes once every few years.  I say play to your hardcore fans who come night after night, year after year.  It worked out pretty good for the Dead, it made people want to see them as many times as possible.