Wilco — 6 October 2023, Los Angeles, CA (Theatre at Ace Hotel) [Night 3 of 3]

[Brian F.]

Infinite Surprise

Levee (first time played)

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

Kamera

Side with the Seeds

Pittsburgh

Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull

Cousin

Hummingbird

Misunderstood

Evicted

Impossible Germany

Meant to Be

Jesus, etc.

Theologians

I'm the Man Who Loves You

A Shot in the Arm

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

California Stars

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

 

[Falling Apart (Right Now) was listed first in the encore on the printed set list but was not played. They went a few minutes over, on at 8:30 p.m. PDT, off at 10:37 p.m.]

 

Although this is officially the Tour to Infinity, I have been calling it the Dead Awake in Waves Tour. Last night lived up to that alternative moniker in a frustrating way. For the first third of the set, there was a clear pattern. If Wilco played a song from its 2007-and-before catalog, the audience sprang to its feet. If Wilco played a song from Cruel Country or Cousin, the audience immediately sat down. Thus, every few songs-- for "Handshake Drugs," then for the "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart"/"Kamera"/"Side with the Seeds" trifecta-- the largely dead crowd would suddenly awake in waves. Jeff commented on the dynamic, calling last night's crowd the "Goldilocks audience." He said Wednesday's audience wouldn't stand up, Thursday's wouldn't sit down, and last night's couldn't make up their mind. He described the crowd as being split between "listeners" and "revelers," and added that he appreciated the group's "honesty." Between these remarks, comments later in the show about how he asked Wednesday's audience if they had more to give and they responded, "Meh," and Thursday night's comments about that night's crowd being much better than Wednesday night's attendees (while noting that it included many of the same people), it's pretty clear where Jeff, um, stands on the standing-vs.-sitting issue.

 

The live debut of "Levee" lived up to the anticipation created by its absence on the tour prior to last night. It was one of only five tunes played last night that hadn't appeared during either of the first two nights' sets, along with "Side with the Seeds," "Kamera," "Theologians" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You," with the latter two titles making their first appearances of the tour. Jeff, nodding to the indifference from most of the crowd toward newer material,  remarked after "Meant to Be" that the crowd will want to hear that song in a year. He said they were playing it last night to plant a seed that will mature into future demand. "Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull" was a standout, with a blazing Pat taking the song to places it had not gone on Wednesday. His performance brought most of the crowd to its feet, where it remained for the rest of the night. "Misunderstood" was galvanizing again, meriting six more nothings than Wednesday's version (for a total of 32). "Evicted" seemed more assured than the night before, just in time for it to be performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday. Show closer "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" once again featured the a cappella singalong.

 

All in all, this was a great show that didn't quite match Night 2 but clearly surpassed Night 1. [Alternate review for Kidsmoke: This show matched Night 1 and clearly surpassed Night 2.]

 

I could write 10,000 words on the sitting/standing issue, but I'll just note that it has to be demoralizing for an artist to be confronted with such visible evidence-- people just sitting down en masse at the first suggestion of an unfamiliar tune-- that a large swath of its audience has minimal enthusiasm for or interest in the new material it is excited to play. (I'll further note that I completely understand that not everyone is able to stand for two hours. If I were standing in front of someone who could not comfortably stand, I would gladly switch places with them so that they could enjoy the show without discomfort. But, of course, this is generally not a matter of physical limitations. Many of the people who were screaming for standers to sit down during Cruel Country and Cousin songs would leap to their feet when the songs being played were ones they knew and liked.)

[kidsmoke]

Ha! I must respond to this! I don't completely agree on the standing/sitting assessment. I thought when Jeff called us the Goldilocks audience, he was saying we got it "just right". Not "too cold"...night one & all the sitters, not "too hot"...night two and nobody ever sitting down...but "just right". Standing for the rockers, sitting for the slower "listeners". Nothing wrong with an audience sitting to listen respectfully to a slower, more introspective song! 

Of course there was unfamiliarity in the audience with the Cousin material. We can't expect that the audience is made up entirely of passionate diehard fans. So there was a dropoff when a new song began, but as the musicianship built to a swell, even the new songs had many on their feet in appreciation. I thought it was a fine audience for a seated venue. And a happy one...people leaving looked elevated & happy. The crowd mood after says a lot about how a concert went.

 

As for choosing a favorite of these shows, I had to give the 2nd a miss so I may have missed the best. I heard rave reviews. But no problem...I adored Night One (Wednesday) despite the shy audience being slow to stand. The folks around me were plenty enthusiastic that night and I was in pure Wilco heaven. It was great! Last night the audience was more committed and confident which of course feeds the band's energy, so that was better. But in the end I'd have to call it about a draw between the two, balancing my more preferred setlist (Night One) against a more involved audience on Night 3.

All in all, another set of stellar, satisfying Wilco shows. Bring on the Bellwether!!! Where Brian is far more likely to get that standing audience he craves! 

[Brian F.]

I don't know-- the Cruel Country songs have been out for a year-and-a-half and got the same reaction.

 

I think this documentary clip captures the phenomenon well:

 

 

 

[Albert Tatlock]

Ta

[DiamondClaw]

Wow, first “Sunlight Ends” and then “Levee” debut on back-to-back nights. Probably my two favorites from the album.  Hope they stick! Thanks for great reviews @Brian F.

[Brian F.]

And now the question is: will they attempt to pull off "A Bowl and a Pudding" live? Fingers crossed (echoing: fingers crossed).

[Shug]

Sitting vs standing is certainly related to favorite songs vs unfamiliar songs but also separate.  I'm a stander for sure and I'd prefer to stand all night and prefer the majority of an audience does too.  I like to dance and rock out and I like concerts in which audiences are active participants instead of passive receivers.  I also vastly prefer to hear old songs than new.  Main reason is that most of Wilco's best songs are older and their newer stuff I just don't think is as good, just my opinion, and that is a trend that holds true for me with almost every band I've ever liked. I do think a few songs on Cruel Country like Base Of My Skull and Many Worlds are the best songs they've put out since Wilco The Album.

 

But I think it's pretty much human nature to be less excited for songs with which people do not yet have a history or emotional relationship with.  Jeff gets this, even though it may disappoint him, as evidenced when he said people will want to hear these new songs in a year.  For me, and I think for many people, you have to get to know a song and connect to it over time to have a strong connection with it and thus a desire to hear it or excitement for it.  It's like people.  When I meet a stranger I don't know enough about them to be excited.  Maybe I will be excited to see them one day if a relationship develops, but when they are unfamiliar, there is nothing yet there to connect to in an excited way, except with rare exceptions.  That's just how I see it, but for me it's not surprising or disappointing at all that most people don't react to the new songs liked they do their old faves.  The new songs are not obviously the highlights for most people, they are the part of the show hard to get excited about.

[DiamondClaw]

4 hours ago, Shug said:

Sitting vs standing is certainly related to favorite songs vs unfamiliar songs but also separate.  I'm a stander for sure and I'd prefer to stand all night and prefer the majority of an audience does too.  I like to dance and rock out and I like concerts in which audiences are active participants instead of passive receivers.  I also vastly prefer to hear old songs than new.  Main reason is that most of Wilco's best songs are older and their newer stuff I just don't think is as good, just my opinion, and that is a trend that holds true for me with almost every band I've ever liked. I do think a few songs on Cruel Country like Base Of My Skull and Many Worlds are the best songs they've put out since Wilco The Album.

 

But I think it's pretty much human nature to be less excited for songs with which people do not yet have a history or emotional relationship with.  Jeff gets this, even though it may disappoint him, as evidenced when he said people will want to hear these new songs in a year.  For me, and I think for many people, you have to get to know a song and connect to it over time to have a strong connection with it and thus a desire to hear it or excitement for it.  It's like people.  When I meet a stranger I don't know enough about them to be excited.  Maybe I will be excited to see them one day if a relationship develops, but when they are unfamiliar, there is nothing yet there to connect to in an excited way, except with rare exceptions.  That's just how I see it, but for me it's not surprising or disappointing at all that most people don't react to the new songs liked they do their old faves.  The new songs are not obviously the highlights for most people, they are the part of the show hard to get excited about.

Total sidetrack but, this is why I am puzzled why bands want to go out on tour immediately after releasing a new album. I always thought it would be better to let an album get out there for a bit, settle in and have fans make some connections to the songs. Maybe play a few late night shows, promote the new material a bit, whatever. Then, a few months later, start the tour with the new stuff feeling more familiar. Probably doesn't work with the business and/or logistics sides of things I'd guess. And of course you're never going to make connections comparable to classic, nostalgic, emotional reactions to older stuff. But I always thought it would at least help give the new stuff at least bit of a boost.

[kidsmoke]

1 hour ago, DiamondClaw said:

Total sidetrack but, this is why I am puzzled why bands want to go out on tour immediately after releasing a new album. I always thought it would be better to let an album get out there for a bit, settle in and have fans make some connections to the songs. Maybe play a few late night shows, promote the new material a bit, whatever. Then, a few months later, start the tour with the new stuff feeling more familiar. Probably doesn't work with the business and/or logistics sides of things I'd guess. And of course you're never going to make connections comparable to classic, nostalgic, emotional reactions to older stuff. But I always thought it would at least help give the new stuff at least bit of a boost.

 

I hear what you're saying. The release was so close to the shows I'd be seeing that I was tempted not to listen to the album until after the shows. Learn the live versions of the songs first, since I often prefer the live versions that evolve. But in the end I HAD to listen, of course, and I'm glad I did because you need that baseline, that template given by the studio version, to really appreciate then where the band departs from it, swirls off into a version that may be specific to that night, never repeated....in a word, LIVE. It's good to hear both and love their differences, for me. 
As to touring so soon, I think it's likely 2 things: Mainly, they've held this music close to their chests for a loooooonnng while now, and are anxious to give it to the world & hear the reaction! 
And secondarily, they may be scheduling ahead of Jeff's impending hip surgeries. And may I say BRAVO to our captain for his Real Life Courage, out there being the fantastic, talented & funny front man that he is, all the while likely hurting, certainly by show's end. The man's a trouper. 

[kidsmoke]

I should add that part of my non-complete-hatred of occasional sitting in a seated venue is the simple fact that I have foot & leg problems myself. So long standing is hard for me. Nonetheless, if we are in certain songs I don't even care if my feet are numb or screaming, I'll be on them for the duration of the song or encore. A sacrifice to the rock godz.

[kidsmoke]

A few photos from Friday night.

 

 

 

[kidsmoke]

Here's a few more.