Wilco

[Jahfin]

Snippet from Wilco's recent iTunes session:

[Strider]

Prepping for next week's slew of Wilco shows in LA, of which I'm going to two for sure(Hollywood Palladium 1.24 and the Wiltern 1.25), as well as Jeff Tweedy's talk with Jeff Garland at Largo on Monday. Right now I am listening to a boot I recently acquired of Wilco @ The Lille Vega in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 6, 2004.

Disc 1:

1. muzzle of bees

2. company in my back

3. war on war

4. at least that's what you always said

5. hummingbird

6. I am trying to break your heart

7. shot in the arm

8. ashes of american flags

9. radio cure

10. hell is chrome

11. i'm the man who loves you

12. i'm always in love

13. poor places

14. handshake drugs

Disc 2:

1. spiders (kidsmoke)

Encore #1:

2. jesus, etc.

3. one by one

4. the late greats

5. i'm a wheel

Encore #2:

6. heavy metal drummer

7. california stars

8. the lonely 1

[ledzepfvr]

I saw a promo on TV that Wilco will be on Conan Monday Jan. 23.

[Strider]

I saw a promo on TV that Wilco will be on Conan Monday Jan. 23.

Cool. They'll tape the show that afternoon, then Jeff will head to the Largo for his sit-down with Jeff Garland...maybe even play a tune or two?

[Strider]

Sadly, we don't get Nick Lowe opening on this leg of the tour. Instead it's a band called White Denim...anybody have any info about these guys?

Last night, Wilco played "Whole Love" and "Dawned On Me" on Conan's tv show. You can watch the performance at these links:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2012/01/watch-wilco-on-conan.html

http://theaudioperv.com/2012/01/24/wilco-the-whole-love-and-dawned-on-me-123-conan/

Edited January 24, 2012 by Strider

[Strider]

Hollywood Palladium Jan. 24 setlist:

1. Art Of Almost

2. I Might

3. Bull Black Nova

4. At Least That's What You Said

5. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

6. Born Alone

7. You Are My Face

8. Impossible Germany

9. Kamera

10. I Must Be High

11. I'm Always In Love

12. Jesus, Etc.

13. Capitol City

14. Handshake Drugs

15. War On War

16. Dawned On Me

17. Hummingbird

18. A Shot in the Arm

Encore:

19. Via Chicago

20. Whole Love

21. Candyfloss

22. Monday

23. Outtasite (Outta Miind)

Encore #2:

24. The Lonely 1

Went to the show with a friend and his boy(my godson). We didn't get there til around 8:20 or so...time to only hear a couple songs by White Denim. They were done with their set promptly at 8:30.

White Denim must be one of the few bands Jahfin doesn't know about...frankly I was shocked when my question about White Denim went unanswered yesterday; I thought Jahfin knew about every band in the South. White Denim hails from Austin, Texas, and is basically a mashup of two former bands: Peach Train and Parque Touch. I'll have to hear more of them before I can offer an opinion, but I'm jealous of the people that got Nick Lowe.

At 9pm on the dot, Wilco strode out on-stage. I had looked at a few setlists for recent Wilco shows and they have been opening with "One Sunday Morning", so that's what I was expecting the first song to be. Surprise...it was "Art of Almost", the new album opener. Maybe they felt the unforgiving acoustics of the Palladium made it unsuitable to open the show with an understated acoustic song.

Since 1) we arrived late, and 2) we had a teenager-in-tow, there was no way we were going to get close to the stage on the floor. Instead we headed to the balcony and found a great vewing spot right off the side of Nels Cline's side of the stage, where we could see the entire band at work. Also the sound was better where we were than it is elsewhere in the venue. You could actually hear the drums from the stage, as well as the PA. The sound wasn't very loud...my ears weren't ringing at all after the show.

Highlights of the night for me were "Bull Black Nova", "At Least That's What You Said", "Born Alone", "You Are My Face", "Impossible Germany", "Kamera"(wasn't expecting this at all), "Handshake Drugs", "Dawned On Me", "A Shot in the Arm", "Via Chicago", "Candyfloss"(REALLY wasn't expecting this), "The Lonely 1".

So yeah, basically the whole setlist, haha. The only song that didn't work for me...and it's my least favourite on the new album...was "Capitol City". Oh, and not getting "One Sunday Morning" kind of sucked, but they're obviously saving that for the other LA shows.

Jeff Tweedy was very funny and engaging throughout the show, even doing a spoof of those tired "which side of the crowd can cheer loudest?" routines that lame bands do. But my favourite bit of the night was when Jeff said he was watching a Sammy Hagar concert on tv the other night and he realized that he had "never said the word 'pussy' on stage...until now. Pussy. But Sammy doesn't say it like that...he says it more like 'puss-AAYY!' Which I guess is more appropriate. I feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

Nels of course was amazing, as he always is. But our vantage point really allowed us to also watch drummer Glenn Kotche, keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen, and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Pat Sansone. Usually when you watch the concert from the front of the stage, you can see the front line fine, but the drummer and the back line is more difficult. So it was refreshing to really see Glenn and Jeff play off each other, and Mikael go crazy on his keyboards, and see Pat change instruments as often as Nels changed guitars...often during the same song. All these guys can play...they're real musicians. They wouldn't be able to pull off the noise sections of "Via Chicago" if they weren't.

If you haven't checked out Wilco yet...if you've been put off by the alt.country tag or whatever, you are only doing yourself a disservice by missing out on one of the best bands going today. But I guess I should be thankful for the general public's lack of taste. Otherwise, instead of playing relatively intimate venues like the Wiltern and Palladium, I would have to see them at the soulless Staples Center.

Tonight is the Wiltern show.

Here now some photos from last night.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Strider

[Jahfin]

Thanks for the report and photos. I have heard of White Denim but I haven't heard any of their music. As for Wilco being referred to as "alt.country", sure they touch on that sound in concert but for the most part they haven't sounded like an alt.country (whatever that is) band in quite some time. Even their early records like A.M. and Being There weren't strictly alt.country and had hints of other influences. Not to mention just how hard it is to define "alt.country" anyway.

[Jahfin]

The YouTube description for this video reads:

"Dawned On Me" from Wilco's Grammy-nominated new record The Whole Love. This collaboration with King Features presents the first hand-drawn Popeye cartoon in more than 30 years. Directed by Darren Romanelli.

[Strider]

Thanks for the report and photos. I have heard of White Denim but I haven't heard any of their music. As for Wilco being referred to as "alt.country", sure they touch on that sound in concert but for the most part they haven't sounded like an alt.country (whatever that is) band in quite some time. Even their early records like A.M. and Being There weren't strictly alt.country and had hints of other influences. Not to mention just how hard it is to define "alt.country" anyway.

I know that, Jahfin...I was referring to the people who have resisted checking Wilco out precisely because they have this idea they're an alt.country band. You know as well as I do that there's a segment of the rock/pop audience that recoils at anything with the word country.

A few more photos from last night...hopefully tonight I'll get better ones.

[Jahfin]

I know that, Jahfin...I was referring to the people who have resisted checking Wilco out precisely because they have this idea they're an alt.country band. You know as well as I do that there's a segment of the rock/pop audience that recoils at anything with the word country.

Those are the people I was directing that comment towards, not you. In other words, I was agreeing with you. Sometimes, even if I think I'm making myself as clear as possible, my comments are still misinterpreted. One of the many downfalls of trying to communicate via the internet.

[ledzepfvr]

OK, after months of seeing Strider and Jahfin post in this thread I decided I would finally check out some of the videos here. I didn't want to be one of the "resistants".

I have to say the sound quite nice. Better than I expected.

[Jahfin]

I would imagine that it could be hard for someone to get an accurate read on Wilco that is unfamiliar with them because their sound has varied so much over the years. Cool that you gave them a shot and even cooler that you liked what you heard. I love their records but seeing them live is really where it's at.

[Strider]

HOLY COW! WOW!!!

Just getting home from tonight's Wiltern show...my 20th Wilco concet! After being out til 2am for the last 7 nights, I'm completely knackered, so you'll have to wait to hear about the show. But I will say that if the Palladium show was a solid opener, with a few treats for the oldtimers, tonight's Wiltern show was for the connoisseurs. Unbelievable setlist...I got to hear "She's A Jar" for the first time in 10 years!!!

And they did "Hoodoo Voodoo"! Complete with rocking cowbell! I don't know...this might have been the best Wilco show I've seen during the Nels Cline-era.

Ledzepfvr, I should have invited you and Bob down to check them out...I blew it. Well, I'm off to bed. Here's some photos to tide you over until I'm rested.

[Jahfin]

For anyone that may have missed Wilco on Austin City Limits over the weekend, you can watch it here.

[dazedcat]

Great show thanks for the link.

If I didn't know that was Nick Lowe I would have never recognized him. Amazing.

[planted]

I am new to Wilco, because of ignorance. I thought they were country!!

Thanks to Strider for introducing me.

[Jahfin]

I am new to Wilco, because of ignorance. I thought they were country!!

That's the unfortunate thing about the "alt.country" label, some of the artists aren't really that "country" at all. Wilco definitely has some very deep roots in country music, not just with Uncle Tupelo but with the Mermaid Avenue albums as well as some of their own material. Their current sound is pretty far removed from that for the most part.

One of my very favorite songs is "Remember the Mountain Bed" from the second Mermaid Avenue record. This particular performance is Jeff Tweedy solo at Farm Aid 25.

[Jahfin]

If you don't get the whole Popeye angle of the poster just scroll up to post #108.

[Jahfin]

A nice piece on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot from the Pop Matters website:

Counterbalance No. 71: Wilco’s 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'

Edited March 2, 2012 by Jahfin

[Jahfin]

A Decade of Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Part One (American Songwriter)

Edited April 23, 2012 by Jahfin

[Jahfin]

What 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' Said (The Atlantic)

Edited May 3, 2012 by Jahfin

[Strider]

Some great news lately in the Wilco camp.

The BIG NEWS of course is this year's Wilco-curated Solid Sound Music and Arts Festival in Massachussetts this June 21-23. http://solidsoundfestival.com/

Then, there is the new Jeff Tweedy-produced LOW album being released tomorrow, March 19. I used to have to explain who were Low, but after Robert Plant covered two of their songs on the "Band of Joy" album, that shouldn't be necessary anymore. NPR's First Listen is streaming the album and you can listen and read about it here:

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/10/173452523/first-listen-low-the-invisible-way

http://thekey.xpn.org/2013/03/11/stream-lows-jeff-tweedy-produced-new-lp-the-invisible-way-via-npr-music-playing-main-street-music-on-318/

On March 7, Jeff Tweedy appeared with Low for a Q & A after their performance at saki's in Chicago for "Off the Record". Here is the complete Q & A, in four parts:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

[Strider]

You can download Wilco's new album "Star Wars" for free at their website. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address.

http://wilcoworld.net/

[luvlz2]

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/wilco-ode-to-joy/

[luvlz2]