bböp Posted Wednesday at 11:30 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:30 PM Ah, Wilmington. Known for Dawson’s Creek, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and, uh…I’m not sure what else. This very well could have been the first Wilco show in the coastal North Carolina burg, but I’d have to double check on that. Anyway, I kind of doubt anyone on here was at this one — the fifth gig in five nights for Jeff and Co., a rarity that occurred because their Monday off day got wiped out by the Birmingham reschedule — but maybe I’ll be proven wrong… Having been to this venue myself, I wouldn’t have expected much more than a pretty standard show and that seems like mostly what it was. But Say You Miss Me came out of nowhere, making its 2025 debut and breaking up the routine, if only for a few minutes. I’ll always cheer for that one! Here was the setlist, courtesy of the Wilcoworld powers-that-be: Company In My Back Evicted Handshake Drugs If I Ever Was A Child Meant To Be I Am Trying to Break Your Heart Say You Miss Me War On War Quiet Amplifier You Are My Face Whole Love Box Full Of Letters Annihilation Hummingbird Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull Via Chicago Either Way Impossible Germany Jesus, etc. Theologians I’m The Man Who Loves You ————————————————— California Stars Falling Apart (Right Now) Walken I Got You (At The End Of The Century) 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chaslor Posted Thursday at 07:00 PM Share Posted Thursday at 07:00 PM I've lived in NC since '87 and this was the first show I've ever seen in Wilmington. I think this shed is attracting larger acts. The venue itself is right on the riverfront so there was a steady cool breeze tamping down the humidity. I've never associated Wilmington with Dawsons Creek, but then again I've never seen the show. It is a big film town though. There's some big soundstages and it is home to a large film crew community. My gaffer is out of there. In terms of other interest, apparently there's a bar where a prominent scene in Blue Velvet was shot. I only know this because Pat told me he went to it. It was the first thing he told me so I think he was jazzed about it. When first arriving backstage, I met up with Nels who was carrying an armload of vinyl. He said he just came across them in the wardrobe case where they had been buried forgotten for a year. Among them was the Super Super Blues Band with Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Bo Diddly. It was a solid show on a relatively pleasant evening. In terms of banter, Jeff mentioned that during the previous song a lady walked up the aisle to the stage and flipped him off with two hands, then turned back. He pandered the first verse of California Stars to Carolina Stars and admitted it worked well, but could not bring himself to sing the whole song like that. See attached setlist with notations from guitar tech. Heavy Metal Drummer was omitted from between Walken and I Got You. That's unfortunate because traditionally (since 2003) Lori will call our daughter Dani and hold the phone up for the duration of that song. Her first long term boyfriend was a drummer (from the NC band Annuals). He's long gone but the tradition carries on. Lori wasn't there, but I was going to do a video. I have plenty of pictures, of course. Will post here at some point... 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted Friday at 10:42 AM Author Share Posted Friday at 10:42 AM 15 hours ago, chaslor said: I've lived in NC since '87 and this was the first show I've ever seen in Wilmington. I think this shed is attracting larger acts. The venue itself is right on the riverfront so there was a steady cool breeze tamping down the humidity. I've never associated Wilmington with Dawsons Creek, but then again I've never seen the show. It is a big film town though. There's some big soundstages and it is home to a large film crew community. My gaffer is out of there. In terms of other interest, apparently there's a bar where a prominent scene in Blue Velvet was shot. I only know this because Pat told me he went to it. It was the first thing he told me so I think he was jazzed about it. When first arriving backstage, I met up with Nels who was carrying an armload of vinyl. He said he just came across them in the wardrobe case where they had been buried forgotten for a year. Among them was the Super Super Blues Band with Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Bo Diddly. It was a solid show on a relatively pleasant evening. In terms of banter, Jeff mentioned that during the previous song a lady walked up the aisle to the stage and flipped him off with two hands, then turned back. He pandered the first verse of California Stars to Carolina Stars and admitted it worked well, but could not bring himself to sing the whole song like that. See attached setlist with notations from guitar tech. Heavy Metal Drummer was omitted from between Walken and I Got You. That's unfortunate because traditionally (since 2003) Lori will call our daughter Dani and hold the phone up for the duration of that song. Her first long term boyfriend was a drummer (from the NC band Annuals). He's long gone but the tradition carries on. Lori wasn't there, but I was going to do a video. I have plenty of pictures, of course. Will post here at some point... Charles! Of course you trekked out to Wilmington. Was that the closest show on this run for you? Thanks very much for the report. Wish I could have gotten out there myself, but it was just too far of a detour with where I was coming from. I have actually seen a show out there before (Lake Street Dive, if I recall correctly) and was supposed to see another (My Morning Jacket) before scheduling forced me to cut out early. As far as sheds go, I remember it being fairly nice — especially if you're pretty close — if a bit generic. Wonder if Wilco will ever get back there. On the next amphitheater tour, I guess... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chaslor Posted Sunday at 08:33 PM Share Posted Sunday at 08:33 PM Here's some pics from the show, link below.... Paul - that was the closest to me on this tour. Two hours from my front door to inside venue. I did forget to mention some interesting banter that apparently resurfaced a bit in Charlotte. Jeff said that this was the most hard rocking front row ever. This confused me as I was as usual all around the place including up on side stage where I had a good crowd vantage point and while the crowd was not sedate, I didn't think they were very hard rocking. He went on to say that they weren't, but the T Shirts indicated they were. He then named several metal type bands that adorned hats and shirts. He said something to the effect that they had finally crossed over into that genre. Sadly, I could not make the other two NC shows. A bit of a personal note here... In 2007 I was coincidentally in Barcelona on a family vaca when Wilco played Primavera. I contacted the tour manager at the last minute and he hooked up Lori, Dani and myself. It was only a few months after I had photographed Jeff all day in Chicago for promo. I had no backstage access on this one and once the pit cleared of shooters after the first three songs I was the last man standing. A couple of songs after that, Jeff nodded and stared hard at me with a sort of raised eyebrow as if to say WTF are you doing here? FYI, that show started about 2-3AM. After that, things got complicated. About three days later I foolishly jumped from a second story window out of our apartment in remote France (a long saga in itself). It did not go well and I ended up with a very very serious pylon fracture to my ankle and had to fly back to US the next day for surgery. It was pretty bad. After 18 years, it has caught up with me. Fast forward this this past Friday... I had surgery to remove a ton of metal plates and screws in there that originally held my leg together. In 6 weeks time, I'll be having a total ankle replacement. This will be the summer of pain and the couch. The Wilmington venue had few interesting sightlines and relatively boring architecture. Some lively background stage effects and lighting would have improved things. That's the thing with sheds, often a pretty generic feel that does not necessarily make for the best photo op... Nevertheless, I persist. Wilmington Photos Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted 17 hours ago Share Posted 17 hours ago Ta. Particularly like the one where the band scours the stage for the rat that Mikael swears he saw - much bigger than a cat apparently. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chaslor Posted 14 hours ago Share Posted 14 hours ago It's true. Wharf rats along the riverfront are known not only for their size, but their charming stage presence. I saw one trying to nick John's Rickenbaker, and you know how heavy those are... 3 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said: Ta. Particularly like the one where the band scours the stage for the rat that Mikael swears he saw - much bigger than a cat apparently. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted 13 hours ago Share Posted 13 hours ago 24 minutes ago, chaslor said: It's true. Wharf rats along the riverfront are known not only for their size, but their charming stage presence. I saw one trying to nick John's Rickenbaker, and you know how heavy those are... You know, this is just the type of important detail that Bbop misses with his concentration on the minutiae of flubs and banter . . . Open your eyes man! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chaslor Posted 13 hours ago Share Posted 13 hours ago 8 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said: You know, this is just the type of important detail that Bbop misses with his concentration on the minutiae of flubs and banter . . . Open your eyes man! What do you expect, Bbop is a wordsmith. Listen to my eyes. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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