I'm going to see them tonight at what is apparently the coolest venue in Alabama:

http://www.frightfurnace.com/main.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloss_Furnaces


As many will remember, I think they kind of suck these days. A friend bought me tickets and it wil be fun to ride up, get drunk, and actually see a live band, but I am wondering what I am in for.

Abject boredom of SBS songs?

Feedback and droning of AGIB

Reworking the YHF songs into actual rock songs?

A set that runs across all their eras and produces a satisfying outcome?

Give me your recent experiences with them and some setlist examples.

I think Wilco will always be good live regardless of what their current albums are like.

though i saw them right after their week long residency in Chicago, so they were kind of on a roll. But they played songs off every album, including hyped up rock out versions of four Mermaid Ave songs, which was a pretty big surprise.

I walked out on them twice in the era immediately post-YHF. However, people I trust have sworn that they're much better now that Nels has found his place and Tweedy is almost happy to play again.

they don't really "jam out" much, outside of Spiders

Yeah, a guy here in the office went to see them Monday in Athens and said they were great.

Real audience friendly setlist from what he told me. It spanned all albums from A.M. (Box Full of Letters) to SBS (What Light).

He said they played "Radio Cure" because a few people had requested it on their website message board.

I haven't seen them since the Summerteeth-era but I've heard multiple people say that they like the newer stuff a lot better after hearing it live...I may try to see them next time they come through just put of curiosity

and if Fright Furnace isn't the coolest venue in Alabama, it's gotta be the one with the coolest name

Last week, I spent two nights in Milwaukee watching them. First night they appeared really focused, and the second much looser.

Regarding your distaste for their last two studio albums, be prepared, but, hopefully, in a good way. "Handshake Drugs" is killer, and Nels delivers on the solo. I only wished that they would've showcased Koche on the drums.

nels owns wilco these days. i'm not a big fan of either the last two albums. but even i had to admit that they pulled off the majority of those pretty well, thanks in large part to nels. dude can play like crazy.

for people who think their new songs are just some boring noodling, i think seeing them live reinforces how much those songs are written.

The point of the albums seems to have been increasingly to obscure the simple pop structure tweedy writes in (as do most people). Muss it up, dirty it over, etc. But then live all that kinda falls away and it's a rock and roll show. Or so it seems to me anyway.

The wife and I went to see them last night here in Asheville. I left during the 2nd song of 1st Encore. I have no idea what else they played, but what I saw spanned everything. I didn't know a lot of the early stuff in the evening, so I'm assuming it's either new stuff or SBS material. Nels sounded great and Tweedy was kidding around with the audience.

I'm curious what the rest of the show was like, but both the wife and I were kinda bored. We saw Dengue Fever on Sunday night and it was a far more interesting show.

I'm not saying the Wilco show was bad or anything, it's just that I was looking for a little less Dad-rock and a little more real rock. Also, I was kind of loaded, so that made me want some more energetic material.

We left and visited some friends for those handshake drugs we bought downtown.

apparently Robyn Hitchcock's band (including Peter Buck) played with them on the encore.

I was there, it was a pretty standard set, they did NOT play what light. they did several extended jams for all the widespread kids in the audience...it was pretty heavy on A Ghost Is Born.

They did one I did not recognize, they did pull out ELT, Box full of Letters, and Hoodoo Voodoo (one of my least favorites, though it did have a great Pat/Nels dueling guitar bit)

Yeah I'm sure it was just for them...

pre-sale for red rocks in one hour! one of the few bands that i will see every damn time they come thru town.

as derris had mentioned, on their website there is a link to request songs for these shows, so i'm sure the setlist will span all of their albums.

you can probably also expect tweedy to lecture the crowd for talking too much at least once during the show.

what are you, the jam band police?

kind of like Eddy and Ticketmaster, it's awkward to hear, it's not going to change a thing, but god damn it he's right.

this analysis nails it. it integrates why I'm bored of their albums and liked them live, just for an entertaining evening.

They've really solidified into a middle of the road live country rock unit.

And I mean this in the best possible way.

Highly recommended.

I don't think they've ever had a better line-up. Sure, the Jay Bennett days were drunken fun, but Wilco mark whatever is killer good.

I went to back-to-back-to-back shows around this time last year and I had a blast. I'd never do that again, but I hadn't ever seen them live before then. I'd definately go again to see a single show if they come back through STL, though.

Their setlist pretty much spanned all of their albums. They repeated a few songs throughout the stint, but they varied it up from night to night enough to make it worthwhile.

"dem ticket fees is outrageous"

Haven't seen them in about a year,but seeing them again in June.
Kinda like most said,set lists are pretty spread out. SBS songs sound way better live. Obviously Nels is a great addition,and from what I've heard,Tweety can actually be kinda funny-even if he's being a cantankerous bastard.

Who's opening?

I saw them last Saturday at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville.

I've seen them over 10 times, and this performance was in my Top 3. The crowd was waaay into it. Jeff seemed his crabby self, ribbing one over-enthusiastic douche bag (backwards cap/hemp necklace/doing the hip-hop arm wave thing that looks like you're patting someone on the head) for trying to insert "You're BAKIN'" into the lexicon as some substitute for "ROCKIN'". The band was cutting up and having a blast.

They did 2 encores. Material was much the same as the last year. Heavy on 21st century songs with some Being There (Red-Eyed and Blue->I Got You) and Summerteeth (live staple Shot in the Arm), Mermaid Ave. (California Stars) thrown in for good measure. They may have played one or two new songs, but they didn't announce them as such. I was hoping to get a "Wilco the Song", but it didn't happen.


GAR - I'll be at Sloss Furnaces on Saturday for AVETT BROTHERS. Let me know if you like the venue.




YEP.