Jeff Tweedy — 11 October 2024, Woodstock, NY (Bearsville Theater) [Night 1 of 3]

[bböp]

How do I do this again? Not that I would ever equate what Jeff does on stage with my inane blatherings here, but in a way I kind of felt like we both had a similar experience tonight of trying to shake the proverbial rust off after a bit of a layoff. In Jeff's case, the layoff wasn't all that long if you consider his last regular show was "only" a few weeks ago but assuming he has been working on a new record or three — it's hard to know how seriously to take his comment about a triple album — you can understand that this kickoff show of a coast-to-coast solo tour was one of those where he seemed to feel most like playing his new songs while also trying to summon enough older favorites to keep the faithful happy.

 

So it was that Jeff kicked off his 93-minute set with not one, but two new tunes, one we've heard live a few times before (the sprawling Feel Free) and another that made its live debut (listed by Wilcoworld as Now And Then). Actually, that was one of two live debuts in the first four songs. The other, called Mine Forever by the good folks at Wilcoworld, featured the repeated lyric, "You're mine forever, and I'm coming home." It's so hard to describe a new song after hearing it once, but I would say both were of a piece with Jeff's more recent solo work.

 

Toward the end of the show, Jeff asked how many people were coming either of the following two nights and asked if he could play some of the same songs he had played tonight on the ensuing evenings. He basically tried to lay the groundwork to play "the songs I really want to play, the new ones" again, almost asking permission to not restrict them to just one show.

 

After the burst of new material at the start of the set, Jeff settled into a more familiar rhythm of a solo set, alternating between three or four acoustic guitars he had on stage with him. He even joked at one point about how two of the guitars looked very similar and veered into proud guitar nerd territory by sharing that their serial numbers were nearly identical. These were basically his usual vintage Martins (as well as one 12-string, used only on Country Song Upside-Down), and there were no signs of, say, his Kel Kroydons or any other new instruments, though I'm certainly no guitar expert.

 

When reaching back into his catalog, Jeff definitely showed he wasn't yet in mid-tour form — though nowhere near as much as I've seen at some shows after an extended break from live performances. He had trouble with the starts of several songs, including Evergreen, Lou Reed Was My Babysitter and Pecan Pie, and either had to pause to remember a lyric or restart the song entirely. On Pecan Pie, which he explained he almost never sang anymore without changing the title to "Fucking Pie" as an homage to his nephew Charles, I think Jeff also transposed the second and third verses — singing the "Don't you call me key lime..." verse before the "Sometimes I get so hungry..." verse — though I'm not sure if he even realized it in the moment. Oops!

 

But along the way, there were also highlights, such as an relatively unexpected Laminated Cat and the waltz arrangement of Box Full Of Letters. Also of note, Jeff interestingly returned to his prior solo acoustic setup where he was not actually even plugged into the PA system, but actually just had a second microphone near his waist amplifying his guitar. I don't know how that affected the sound in the room at large, but it didn't make too much difference up front.

 

I should say a few words about the Bearsville Theater. It's a place I've long wanted to check out a show, but never made it to until now. I don't know how much the place has changed since it was "revived" recently with new management from Peter Shapiro, who also oversees the Capitol Theater in Port Chester and the Brooklyn Bowl franchise, but it definitely isn't what I had in mind. I had thought it was more of a typical suburban seated theater, but actually the 500-capacity room has the feeling of a recording studio space in an old barn. They may put chairs in for some shows, but if tonight's gig was any indication, it is a relatively intimate space with a GA standing floor and a small balcony with seating. Moreover, the building is part of a lovely compound that also features a bar/restaurant next door and a little event space set amid picturesque woods.

 

Anyway, Jeff rounded out Night 1 by giving his usual speech about not doing an encore because he thought it was a waste for him to go stand off to the side of the stage at a certain point while people applauded. He then figured out the last song he wanted to play (I'm The Man Who Loves You) and dedicated it, as usual, to his wife Susie and told the audience members that they should tell her he had done so if they ever crossed paths. But instead of telling the humorous anecdote he sometimes tells about how Susie said he didn't have to dedicate the song to her every time and then him not doing it and her giving him grief about it, Jeff shared that he had hoped Susie could join him on the road for at least part of this tour, but that unfortunately her 92-year-old father was in the hospital so she couldn't come along for now. Almost immediately, someone in the crowd shouted, "Pedrobot," a Tweedy Show reference. Jeff smiled, and said he had forgotten how much some people in his audience knew about him and his life, briefly commenting on the "very parasocial relationship."

 

It was just one of several humorous exchanges over the course of the show with a crowd that seemed like it might get rowdy, but which proved to be just vocal enough to make for a generally fun atmosphere. After Hummingbird, for example, Jeff joked about a section of the audience to his left that was apparently a little too bird-like during the song's whistling outro. If he played the song again during the run, Jeff said, "knock it off with the aviary over there. I have perfect pitch, and that was throwing me off. I went to Julliard for whistling. Do you know Andrew Bird? He studied under me." Here's hoping for some more quality visits to Banter Corner over the next two nights. Jeff wouldn't let us down on that front, right?

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played, for Night 1 in Woodstock:

 

new song-Feel Free

new song-Now And Then

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

new song-Mine Forever

Via Chicago (w/harmonica)

A Lifetime To Find

Evergreen

Gwendolyn

Having Been Is No Way To Be Alive

new song-KC Rain

Don't Forget

Laminated Cat aka Not For The Season

Country Song Upside-Down

Hummingbird

I Am My Mother

Lou Reed Was My Babysitter

Box Full Of Letters (waltz arrangement)

One Wing

Pecan Pie

Family Ghost

You Are Not Alone

I'm The Man Who Loves You

 

[knotgreen]

By my count we heard 9 Wilco songs of the 22 played. I am rooting for that number to be even lower tonight!

[Taconic]

Who want to go tonight? Have a pair I can't use

[Albert Tatlock]

Aah to sink into the warm comforting blanket of a Bbop concert review on a Sunday afternoon with a mug of tea in hand.

 

Ta.