Jump to content

Jeff Tweedy April 18 Mc Carter Theater-Princeton NJ


Recommended Posts

Via Chicago
One Sunday Morning
New song?
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
​New song?
New Madrid
Hummingbird
Passenger Side
Jesus, Etc.
Bull Black Nova
Impossible Germany
Laminated Cat
Theologians
I'm the Man Who Loves You
------------------------
Misunderstood
Let's Go Rain
Kamera
A Shot in the Arm

 

Beautiful theater great sound. Odd crowd. Things were going great. Someone said something up front then Jeff said. How many people are in the crowd? Then he said I want a number? He then said in a crowd of 1000 people I usually only like four... Someone then in the crowd screamed I don't like your hat. From there It went downhill for awhile. Eventually Jeff said we can like each other but don't need to be friends or something to that nature. Maybe someone can paraphrase better then me. 

 

At some point people started asking Jeff questions. Someone asked about Jeff's guitar and he said it was a 1938 Martin that he bought during the Mermaid sessions. He said it sounds like crap and he purposefully plays guitars that sound bad so he won't get upstaged while singing.

 

 

Later someone in the crows shouted for ruling class. He stated the problem with him is he has no hits so everyone just wants to hear one different song. He said then once you heard the song you like feel free to leave. lol. Was a good show and I really liked the new material. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

We really enjoyed the show and a beautiful theater with very good sound. On the setlist my recollection is that there was actually a new tune before and after IATTBYH and another after New Madrid and he played the same open tuning on back to back tunes after Jesus of Laminated Cat and BBN. Only used 3 guitars the whole show with Misunderstood being the only tune played with the third and so most of the show with the old nylon strung martin. The somewhat difficult crowd does bring out the banter and others no doubt can remember better than me. He was funny in saying he had to reject the applause for his guitar playing as any guitar player in the audience would know he was not doing anything hard to play (but those comments were before the open tuning wizardry). He said it was like applause just for playing a harmonica which anyone could do and then when woman in front of us in front row disagreed Jeff walked over and handed her a harmonica and told her he would be back tomorrow and she should be able to learn it by then. He also mentioned again Sammy comment to lose the hat after someone got taken for task for saying none of us like the hat. One person near us just had a loud obnoxious voice and Jeff noted he now knew him by his voice. He again talked about being arrested on way into Canada, had to get a Rush tattoo to get out and it did not go over well with the police when he tried to sing a Gordon Lightfoot song, and how police never searched the trailer and of course that is where the heroin was kept. Let's go rain he introduced with the idea of Noah's ark washing away the sins of the earth and how he saw a need for that to happen again now.  Thought the new tunes were all really good and had been a long time it seems since seeing One Sunday Morning which was beautiful.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We really enjoyed the show and a beautiful theater with very good sound. On the setlist my recollection is that there was actually a new tune before and after IATTBYH and another after New Madrid and he played the same open tuning on back to back tunes after Jesus of Laminated Cat and BBN. Only used 3 guitars the whole show with Misunderstood being the only tune played with the third and so most of the show with the old nylon strung martin. The somewhat difficult crowd does bring out the banter and others no doubt can remember better than me. He was funny in saying he had to reject the applause for his guitar playing as any guitar player in the audience would know he was not doing anything hard to play (but those comments were before the open tuning wizardry). He said it was like applause just for playing a harmonica which anyone could do and then when woman in front of us in front row disagreed Jeff walked over and handed her a harmonica and told her he would be back tomorrow and she should be able to learn it by then. He also mentioned again Sammy comment to lose the hat after someone got taken for task for saying none of us like the hat. One person near us just had a loud obnoxious voice and Jeff noted he now knew him by his voice. He again talked about being arrested on way into Canada, had to get a Rush tattoo to get out and it did not go over well with the police when he tried to sing a Gordon Lightfoot song, and how police never searched the trailer and of course that is where the heroin was kept. Let's go rain he introduced with the idea of Noah's ark washing away the sins of the earth and how he saw a need for that to happen again now.  Thought the new tunes were all really good and had been a long time it seems since seeing One Sunday Morning which was beautiful.

Ah yes I wasn't sure where the new songs were...I'll correct it. Thanks for recapping some of the other banter :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I sat directly behind the loudmouth guy whose voice Jeff recognized. Early in the show he demanded "SHES A JAR". Jeff said no, and hoped that by saying no it would discourage other requests. It did not. The aforementioned loudmouth later requested "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN!". He did many smaller annoying things all night, and of course once the crowd stood for the encore, BAM he was right at the 2nd row aisle.

 

I'll take credit for him playing One Sunday Morning, since I requested it and wrote a nice little story about my history with that song.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed his guitar banter, explaining the Martin, and his tuning for Not For The Season (DADADE).

 

Also joking about the location of the show, Jeff mentioned that he went to a college that was often thought of in the same teir as Princeton, Bellville Area College. BAC. Bring A Crayon.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I sat directly behind the loudmouth guy whose voice Jeff recognized. Early in the show he demanded "SHES A JAR". Jeff said no, and hoped that by saying no it would discourage other requests. It did not. The aforementioned loudmouth later requested "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN!". He did many smaller annoying things all night, and of course once the crowd stood for the encore, BAM he was right at the 2nd row aisle.

 

I'll take credit for him playing One Sunday Morning, since I requested it and wrote a nice little story about my history with that song.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed his guitar banter, explaining the Martin, and his tuning for Not For The Season (DADADE).

 

Also joking about the location of the show, Jeff mentioned that he went to a college that was often thought of in the same teir as Princeton, Bellville Area College. BAC. Bring A Crayon.

Glad you got your request if sounded nice. Just when I think the request didn’t work! I’ll have to keep stuffing the box for too far apart one day I’ll get lucky!
Link to post
Share on other sites

Enjoyed the show, did not enjoy the audience, but it didn't detract much from the show. Enjoyed hearing some new songs and some songs I've never heard solo, like Bull Black Nova.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rempish, also at the show and the audience was more subdued in the back but very enthusiastic.  The comments Jeff made were part of his standard repertoire for these shows.  If you download the acoustic show from Los Angeles on Road Case he mentions the low percentage of people who would be his friends in every crowd AND nobody in the audience requests the same song during shout outs.

 

Pop Quiz,  do agree that the guy shouting out about the hat and Stairway was a jackass.  The Road Case show is highly recommended!  Tweedy could do standup.

 

Pear Jam, I also requested "One Sunday Morning" on Wilco website with polite groveling and my buddy couldn't believe it was the second song he played!  Nice to meet a simpatico Wilco fan that loves that song.  Great request!

 

Great show!  Saw Sturgill Simpson, John Prine and Jeff Tweedy within the past week and Prine should feel comfortable that songwriting is in good hands. 

 

Lastly,  opening act Ohmme was really cool and just ordered their Vinyl!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if Jeff is cool with people filming him on their phones, so I'll hold off on the link, but for the curious someone posted a youtube of him playing a song called "When You Wake Up to Me" at this gig.

 

A pretty honest sounding, autobiographical lyric in there jumps out:

 

And the people say:

"What drugs did you take?

Why don't you start taking them again."

They're not my friends.

And if I was dead,

what difference would it

ever make to them...."

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if Jeff is cool with people filming him on their phones, so I'll hold off on the link, but for the curious someone posted a youtube of him playing a song called "When You Wake Up to Me" at this gig.

 

A pretty honest sounding, autobiographical lyric in there jumps out:

 

And the people say:

"What drugs did you take?

Why don't you start taking them again."

They're not my friends.

And if I was dead,

what difference would it

ever make to them...."

That song is the one he is calling New Wave Theater, FYI.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if Jeff is cool with people filming him on their phones, so I'll hold off on the link, but for the curious someone posted a youtube of him playing a song called "When You Wake Up to Me" at this gig.

 

A pretty honest sounding, autobiographical lyric in there jumps out:

 

And the people say:

"What drugs did you take?

Why don't you start taking them again."

They're not my friends.

And if I was dead,

what difference would it

ever make to them...."

 

I listened to the version on YouTube and tried my best at transcribing:

 

I was naïve

My shoes were untied

In heaven everything is just fine

but the phones are dead and so is the light

and so are you and honey so am I

but the earth still turns for the unconcerned

Days pass below like train windows

I was a sapling tree

The birds look like me

And so I beg my nerves to kick me something new

And time to time when I watch you sleep

Well I wonder how much freedom we can dream

And I'm sorry when you wake up to me

 

I just got tired

Shining steady like a spider webs and empty stage

Now people say

“What drugs did you take?”

and “why don't you start taking them again?”

They're not my friends

And if I was dead

What difference would it ever make to them?

And if I got high, from time to time

Well I wonder how much freedom you will need

And I'll be sorry when you wake up to me

 

I'm reaching out to you

I write all the time

I don't see deep but I see far and wide

I see dead trees but the roots have leaves

And just because I can't describe doesn't mean I shouldn't try

To untwist the knife

To unmake my mind

And having been that's no way to be alive

and I'm alive when I watch you sleep

I wonder how much freedom we can keep

And I'm here when you wake up to me

I'm still here when you wake up to me

Link to post
Share on other sites

Lost my brother to an accidental overdose last year. In the moment, it felt like this song was him speaking to me through Jeff. I won't ever be able to describe what that felt like. Thanks for hipping me to a recording appearing on YouTube; I had been searching.

 

I do think the third line might be "In heaven everything is just fine." Or at least that's what I hear.

 

Lost Highway, would you mind messaging me your video? Thanks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...