Wilco — 12 October 2019, New York, NY (Radio City Music Hall)

[bböp]

Generally speaking, when it comes to Wilco shows, experience has taught me that ones taking place in truly iconic venues such as the Hollywood Bowl or the Sydney Opera House often don’t quite measure up to ones in less heralded locales. There are exceptions to this, of course — Red Rocks Amphitheatre comes to mind — and I’m not including rooms like the Fillmore or the Ryman Auditorium.

 

For a variety of reasons, though, the legendary venues often seem to leave me a bit cold. Part of it probably has to do with expectations that few, if any, concerts could live up to. Then there’s the setup of those places, which usually feature reserved seating, attract a certain type of audience and whose size can limit the connection between performer and said audience that make for the best performances, IMHO. It’s not that shows in the legendary places are bad, by any means, but they can feel like recitals (at best) or slogs (at worst).

 

Radio City Music Hall certainly falls into the category of iconic venues, and certainly some of the issues I’ve mentioned apply there. But I also have a soft spot for Radio City, in part because I used to live in New York but also because it was 15 years ago almost to the day that I saw Wilco play two shows there that felt like milestones for the band — and certainly this current lineup of the band. Like, somehow, that they had “made it” or something.

 

So to see the band finally return to Radio City in support of a new record, I didn’t necessarily have hopes for a transcendent show, but it was still important to me to be there. And I’m glad I was. Was it the best Wilco show I’ve ever seen? Hardly. Was it an enjoyable set that more or less represented what the band wants to present right now? Certainly.

 

There wasn’t much opportunity to visit Banter Corner, as Jeff noted early on when he said, “All right, here we are. It’s good to see you. We have a lot of songs to play and not much time to talk.” But when a man wielding a mop suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the front row during Via Chicago and started to clean up an apparent spill, catching Jeff’s attention in the process, he unwittingly helped create what may have been the night’s defining moment. Jeff didn’t mention the incident until about six songs later, but before Impossible Germany, he finally commented on “a first” for him: “I’ve never seen a mop during a show…and I couldn’t let it go uncommented upon,” he said. “Hats off to the mop guy, and boo to whoever spilled their beer. Was it the drum break in Via Chicago? Did it scare you?” Just before leaving the stage for the final time, Jeff also remarked, “What an incredible honor to get to play here for you, and I’ll never forget the mop.”

 

About the only other banter from Jeff concerned support act Daughter of Swords (aka the solo project of Mountain Man’s Alexandra Sauser-Monnig), who captivated the big room with little more than her voice. Jeff quipped that he heard her warming up earlier in the day and “thought it was a fluke.” He added that the only reason he wasn’t talking about her more was his paranoia about pronouncing the word “swords.” Maybe you had to be there — or listen to the tape — to fully appreciate the way he said it. (Random trivia question: Who opened for Wilco when they played Radio City in 2004? A: The Fiery Furnaces.)

 

From a crowd standpoint, at least a healthy portion of those on the orchestra level stood for some or most of the show. With as many OTJ songs the band is playing and people’s tendency to stand up or sit down based solely on the songs they know, it could have been annoying to constantly be getting up and sitting down but fortunately that didn’t happen, at least around me. Nor were there people getting shouted down for standing, which I’ve also seen happen at venues like that.

 

And the sound, as usual, was on point at Radio City. I suppose it was, after all, a hall designed for music, but it was nice to hear Nels’ guitar, for instance, nice and clear on Impossible Germany and We Were Lucky (which once again played quite well in the live setting since being introduced earlier this week). That sound, combined with the projections on the screen behind the band and the various lighting effects, all helped to round out the overall stage look.

 

From a Wilco nerd standpoint, Jeff switched out the guitar he has been using on many of the OTJ songs from the one I call Yankee Doodle Dandy (woodgrain, with patriotic decals) to a black one with an almost graffiti-like design (if I'm not mistaken). Not sure which one he used in Boston, but this was definitely different than the guitar he had used for those songs in Europe and Toronto. I suppose both had a similar ukulele-like effect, so it didn’t really cause that much overall difference in the sound, but I guess it’s worth noting in the interest of reportage.

 

As I told a friend, if you were only going to see one show on this OTJ run, you could certainly have done worse. For me, just being back at Radio City was a cool thing…a little trip down Memory Lane for sure. Who could have said with much certainty back then that we’d regather here 15 years later to watch the same six band members play new music and with about as much, yes, joy as they did back then? That’s something worth celebrating…

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played (didn’t see a printed setlist, so can’t say if there were any changes):

 

Bright Leaves

Before Us

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

War On War

One and a Half Stars

If I Ever Was A Child

Handshake Drugs

At Least That’s What You Said

Hummingbird

White Wooden Cross

Via Chicago

How To Fight Loneliness

Bull Black Nova

Random Name Generator

Reservations

We Were Lucky

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

Impossible Germany

Box Full Of Letters

Everyone Hides

Jesus, etc.

Theologians

I’m The Man Who Loves You

Hold Me Anyway

Misunderstood

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

California Stars

The Late Greats

[dagwave]

These set lists are gangbusters. Hope to make DC on Tuesday, and super excited (can I use that phrase as a 53 year old....yup)

for tonight’s webcast.

 

Sadly fall tour does not line up with parent/ work stuff, yet I was able to grab some birthday tickets last night for my boy and his mate. In kind, they sent me some pics from the balcony.

I screamed I cried I laughed.

Spread that love, my fam.

[knotgreen]

Great review, Paul. Let’s not forget Jeff’s intro to Everyone Hides. It clearly brings him joy calling to attention your cameo in the music video.

 

I will echo your sentiment about the sound quality, which was worlds better than in Boston (technical difficulties notwithstanding). I was very far off center and even still it sounded fantastic.

 

Musically, We Were Lucky continues to be a highlight. This is perhaps a very odd take, but there is something about the late set Impossible Germany followed by Box Full of Letters that feels so awkward to me. I can’t quite articulate why, but I’ve felt that way each time I’ve heard it.

 

While RCMH is one of the prettiest venues I’ve been in (& most comfortable, for whatever that’s worth), I found myself pretty grumpy last night due to all of the talkers around me. Perhaps due to the size of the venue or the new material, but fans nearby were especially chatty. We had to ask two sets of neighbors to stop talking. (One, during BBN, actually turned to her partner and said “I have a funny story to tell you,” which was the final straw). Still glad to have been in the building, but very much looking forward to a GA show tonight.

[unifiedtheory]

As always, thanks for the excellent reportage, bböp! I will add that Jeff introduced "Everyone Hides" by announcing that the band had made a video for the song, and that "one of the stars of the video is here tonight. I won't point him out, though."

 

Another snippet from Banter Corner came on the heels of Jeff's mop remarks, when he asked the unidentified beer spiller if the band had startled him/her/they to cause the spill. "Was it the drum break in Via Chicago?" he asked, and did an impression of someone jumping back in surprise. That comment got a smile from Glenn. And it was a welcome moment of playful spontaneity in a show in which the band -- to their credit -- roared through a dynamic setlist to make the most of the evening.

 

As Paul mentioned, there was a palpable sweetness to Wilco's long-awaited return to Radio City. My wife and I caught both shows in October 2004 shortly after I moved back to NYC from Chicago, and just before she moved here to join me. After seeing the band in their first warm-up show at Otto's that spring, with Jeff easing his way back into the stage's spotlight with two new band members playing alongside him, the Radio City double-header felt like a glorious and much-deserved moment of triumph for the band. I'm grateful every time I get to see Wilco, and last night's show was tinged with that gratitude and enhanced by the memories of those two nights fifteen years ago. It was a show threaded with the kind of personal time travel moments you get when you love a band over decades, when they've work so hard and so well to keep pushing themselves as artists and humans, and when you're fortunate enough to return to a certain special venue to see them across the space of many years. We've changed, they've changed, but here we are, back at this vaunted hall.

 

This is my first show on the Ode to Joy tour (we are going tonight in Brooklyn, too) and for an intentionally spare record, I was impressed by the expansiveness of the songs in a big live setting. I loved that the setlist was loaded with songs from A Ghost is Born, and while I know from the excellent dispatches by Paul and others that the song choices weren't dictated by this particular venue, it felt especially appropriate given the fact that the band was returning for the first time since the AGIB tour. 

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the sustained energy in the orchestra, with many people standing and signing and dancing in the aisles for much of the show. A personal highlight was finally getting to see "How To Fight Loneliness" in concert. The band played a stunning arrangement of it, and Pat's solo in particular had a wistful beauty that filled the hall.

 

Looking forward to tonight at Brooklyn Steel, a venue that stands in dramatic contrast to Radio City. I can't wait to see how the new songs and old favorites take flight in such a different space.

[brownie]

Wow, no talkers near me up in the 2nd mezzanine, so maybe I lucked out.

 

I thought the show was great.  I thought Handshake Drugs, Impossible Germany, and Reservations were the standouts in a show filled with standouts.  But, the pounding of the drums during the new songs made something that is a mild annoyance on the album into a flat out WTF for me.  I do not understand that percussion choice.

 

What was the mop story all about?  Being so far up, I had no idea what Jeff was talking about.  LOL

[unifiedtheory]

While RCMH is one of the prettiest venues I’ve been in (& most comfortable, for whatever that’s worth), I found myself pretty grumpy last night due to all of the talkers around me. Perhaps due to the size of the venue or the new material, but fans nearby were especially chatty. We had to ask two sets of neighbors to stop talking. (One, during BBN, actually turned to her partner and said “I have a funny story to tell you,” which was the final straw). Still glad to have been in the building, but very much looking forward to a GA show tonight.

 

I'm sorry you had to contend with so many talkers! Sustained talking at concerts boggles my mind. Last night there was a group behind us whose enthusiastic screech singing devolved into belligerent yell/singing/name shouting as the concert went on (and presumably as more drinks were consumed). It's a tough situation: On the one hand you never want to dampen anyone's genuine enthusiasm. On the other hand it seems like such a simple rule of thumb: Enjoy the show, and within reason don't do anything to interfere with anyone else's enjoyment of the show. But sadly some people seem to think that the show is background music for whatever conversation they're having or solo performance they're giving. (And if seeing the band at Radio City had some of the time travel moments I mentioned, where you briefly feel like you're walking around in your mid-twenties shoes, then debating whether to ask someone to quiet down definitely has the opposite effect!) So yes, the GA setup for tonight will be a nice change.

[worldrecordplayer]

"From a Wilco nerd standpoint, Jeff switched out the guitar he has been using on many of the OTJ songs from the one I call Yankee Doodle Dandy (woodgrain, with patriotic decals) to a black one with an almost graffiti-like design (if I'm not mistaken). Not sure which one he used in Boston,"

 

I'm pretty sure he used what you're referring to as the black one with the graffiti like design both nights in Boston. I know I had never seen that guitar before but I wasn't at SS this year so I didn't know if it was new.

 

[bböp]

As always, thanks for the excellent reportage, bböp! I will add that Jeff introduced "Everyone Hides" by announcing that the band had made a video for the song, and that "one of the stars of the video is here tonight. I won't point him out, though."

 

Another snippet from Banter Corner came on the heels of Jeff's mop remarks, when he asked the unidentified beer spiller if the band had startled him/her/they to cause the spill. "Was it the drum break in Via Chicago?" he asked, and did an impression of someone jumping back in surprise. That comment got a smile from Glenn. And it was a welcome moment of playful spontaneity in a show in which the band -- to their credit -- roared through a dynamic setlist to make the most of the evening.

 

As Paul mentioned, there was a palpable sweetness to Wilco's long-awaited return to Radio City. My wife and I caught both shows in October 2004 shortly after I moved back to NYC from Chicago, and just before she moved here to join me. After seeing the band in their first warm-up show at Otto's that spring, with Jeff easing his way back into the stage's spotlight with two new band members playing alongside him, the Radio City double-header felt like a glorious and much-deserved moment of triumph for the band. I'm grateful every time I get to see Wilco, and last night's show was tinged with that gratitude and enhanced by the memories of those two nights fifteen years ago. It was a show threaded with the kind of personal time travel moments you get when you love a band over decades, when they've work so hard and so well to keep pushing themselves as artists and humans, and when you're fortunate enough to return to a certain special venue to see them across the space of many years. We've changed, they've changed, but here we are, back at this vaunted hall.

 

Thanks for the reminder about the extra bit of banter regarding the mop incident. I added it to my post. Had it scrawled down in my notes, but couldn’t decipher my own handwriting tbh.

 

And yeah, I think anyone who was at those shows in 2004 and is still around interested in Wilco 2019 probably felt a little twinge of nostalgia going back there last night. Good to hear your story about it.

[theashtraysays]

We Were Ready

Lucky perhaps? 

 

 

 (One, during BBN, actually turned to her partner and said “I have a funny story to tell you,” which was the final straw).

This would not have ended well. 

[bböp]

Lucky perhaps?

Yep, my bad

[knotgreen]

This would not have ended well.

I’ve seen the light, Vince. Team BBN!

[jamaicaplain]

Re: the "graffiti guitar" - that's the same one he used on most OTJ songs in Boston.  Before Boston, I hadn't seen it - pretty sure it was not at Solid Sound.  

[Sun Caught Fire]

Perfectly encapsulated report, thanks so much. Been to so many different shows at Radio City over the years since my first - - Jethro Tull in January of 1977 - - and of course the Grateful Dead in 1980, but also the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Arcade Fire, the White Stripes etc. But having been to see Wilco there in 2004 and be able to do it again so many years later was pretty magical (even if the crowd overall was a bit stiff) and a super fun time. 

[bböp]

Re: the "graffiti guitar" - that's the same one he used on most OTJ songs in Boston. Before Boston, I hadn't seen it - pretty sure it was not at Solid Sound.

Got a much better look at it tonight in Brooklyn. It turns out it has a Western theme with drawings of cowboys and the like. I think it also used to say “YODEL” at the top, but the Y and L had been blacked out to leave just “ODE.” Pretty cool.

[bumpyjonas]

Got a much better look at it tonight in Brooklyn. It turns out it has a Western theme with drawings of cowboys and the like. I think it also used to say “YODEL” at the top, but the Y and L had been blacked out to leave just “ODE.” Pretty cool.

. It says “Rodeo”

[bböp]

. It says “Rodeo”

 

Ah, also makes sense. And also, not anymore I guess...

[unifiedtheory]

Thanks for the reminder about the extra bit of banter regarding the mop incident. I added it to my post. Had it scrawled down in my notes, but couldn’t decipher my own handwriting tbh.

 

And yeah, I think anyone who was at those shows in 2004 and is still around interested in Wilco 2019 probably felt a little twinge of nostalgia going back there last night. Good to hear your story about it.

 

I'm amazed that you can take verbatim notes in packed, dimly lit venues in real time. One of your superpowers, for sure. The few times I've posted reports it's been quite a lot of detective work to figure out my scribbling after the show. I'm curious if you have a go-to notebook for Wilco shows?

 

Another small banter moment I remembered in the days following Radio City: After Nels's solo on Impossible Germany, Jeff said "You know, he lives around here," which I thought was a fun riff on Jeff's occasional "he walks among us" Nels Cline tribute line.