bböp Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Considering that Wilco will play its first shows ever in Mexico next year and that it still hasn't played a full-band show in Hawaii, for example, it might surprise some to learn just how regularly Jeff and/or the band have played in Oslo over the years. Almost since the band's inception in the mid-1990s, it has played various rooms and festivals in the Norwegian capital. Many of those have taken place at the Sentrum Scene, a venerable rock club a short walk from the central train station, that hosted Wilco in 2010 and 2012 and now 2019 as well as the Tweedy band in 2014 and Jeff solo in 2018. In fact, it was at that solo show last September that one of the more infamous heckling incidents in recent Jeff solo show history took place — which he brought up during Wilco's show tonight — when a presumably drunken man in the balcony proclaimed himself the "God of knowledge" or something like that and later announced to the entire room that security had arrived to eject him from the venue. Jeff briefly rehashed the story, quipping, "Last time I was here by myself, we had to kick out God. He called security on himself. ... If that guy's here tonight, be good, OK?" When someone near the front who had been at that show chimed in with a laugh, Jeff pointed at him and asked, "Was that you?" — a joke he would make a couple of times. Finally he introduced White Wooden Cross by joking that, "Here's a song all about that night..." It was just one example of the degree of familiarity between performer and audience on this final show of four in Norway kicking off the Ode To Joy tour. Perhaps it was that "comfort level" that enabled Jeff to feel all right cutting a "standard" like I Am Trying To Break Your Heart from the setlist or shake said setlist up slightly with some older cuts like Forget The Flowers, I'm Always In Love and At Least That's What You Said, none of which were played at any of the other shows in Norway. Despite that familiarity and what Jeff later called "a fantastic audience," it didn't always translate to the kind of crowd interaction that you might expect in terms of singalongs or even clapalongs. Like during the breakdown on Hummingbird when Jeff struggled to get much clapping going, he kind of shrugged his shoulders. Lotti don't play that, I guess...or maybe it's just not really in the Nordic character. Nevertheless, it was a respectful, relatively enthusiastic audience with no ugly incidents of which to speak. Actually, one of the funnier moments of crowd interaction came after Bull Black Nova when Jeff and an audience member had a "thank you exchange," in which they kept trading thank yous back and forth ("Thank you. No, thank you...") until Jeff finally said, with a smile, "Let's just drop it." And a bit later, when Jeff introduced Everyone Hides by saying, "Here's another new song," someone wooed fairly loudly and that caused Jeff to ask, suspiciously, "Was that sarcasm?" One other visit to Banter Corner involved a story from the previous night's show in Bergen when Jeff, as he usually does, introduced Box Full Of Letters as being a song from the band's first record. In Bergen, a couple near the front chose that exact moment to make a speedy exit and decisively marched out via the second row. Of course that caught Jeff's attention and he commented on it both in the moment and then brought it up again in Oslo, where he used the story to make a joke about how people were so eager not to hear something from A.M. that they were "trampling" each other in an effort to leave. Just another example of how Jeff notices everything happening close to the stage, so be warned... I guess that's really all there is to say, other than that the band continues to lock into the OTJ material each night and I hope they will get to each of the songs at least once or twice (that is to say, hopefully there won't be a Sunloathe). From a production standpoint, once again in Oslo, there weren't any of the video projections behind the band that were introduced in Stavanger; I suppose those will probably be a work in progress until the tour gets back to North America, but they really did add something IMHO — especially with some of the new songs. Anyway here was the complete setlist, as played (didn't get a look at a printed setlist tonight, so can't say if there were any changes/omissions): Bright LeavesBefore UsCompany In My BackWar On WarOne and a Half StarsIf I Ever Was A ChildHandshake DrugsHummingbirdAt Least That's What You SaidWhite Wooden CrossForget The FlowersVia ChicagoI'm Always In LoveBull Black NovaReservationsLove Is Everywhere (Beware)Impossible GermanyBox Full Of LettersEveryone HidesJesus, etc.TheologiansI'm The Man Who Loves YouHold Me Anyway---------------------------------Random Name GeneratorThe Late GreatsCalifornia StarsRed-Eyed and Blue>I Got You (At The End of the Century)Misunderstood Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 So we've officially stopped counting the number of "nothing"s on Misunderstood, eh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lotti Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Mr Bbop, do not have the fear that we do not understand that you cannot complete report because of Danish sabotage most likely! We hope you can emerge safely and by all means decline the pastry!Welfare! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Mr Bbop, do not have the fear that we do not understand that you cannot complete report because of Danish sabotage most likely! We hope you can emerge safely and by all means decline the pastry!Welfare! Dear Mr Lotti, Though it is most difficult to decline sweet treat in Daneland, I have succeeded to this point and landed safely on cobblestone ground of København, where I also renewed slumber patterns. Therefore Norseland report has at last been completed...not very well, I must admit, but it is something. Welfare! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lotti Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Taste of the cobblestone is similar to taste of the asphalt after the schnapps, no?Welfare! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Taste of the cobblestone is similar to taste of the asphalt after the schnapps, no?Welfare!Most definitely, most definitely. Welfare! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lotti Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 I stuffed box of Mr Jeff Tweedy with request for the Waterloo cover reprise as lesson to Danish!Others from village also join this endeavour. We have crooked fingers for this result!Welfare! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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