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PJ mentioned in Wilco concert review
walkunafraid
Posts: 2,557
I was at the Wilco show that the article is about, which is what brought me to reading it.
Great, great, show, one of the best I have been to in a while. Some very complimentary comments about Pearl Jam as well!
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wilco-jeff-tweedy-2470386-fox-theater
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wilco's week of shows off to a stunning start
The group's Pomona prelude to its Wiltern stand ranks among its best.
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register
Comments 1| Recommend 4
Halfway into Wilco's superb show Saturday night at the revived and renovated Fox Theater in Pomona, a tremendous two-hour-plus start to the revered Chicago band's run of four shows this week (continuing and concluding with three nights at the Wiltern starting Monday), frontman Jeff Tweedy dropped a scare bomb that instantly had the capacity crowd of intensely devoted fanatics atwitter and tweeting.
"We're approaching the end of an era," he said, with all seriousness, between a rollicking "Can't Stand It" and another tender reading of "Jesus, Etc." "We'll let you know. We'll keep you posted on that one."
Puzzled looks passed among my group of staunch Wilcoans, and we couldn't have been the only ones. End of an era? What's he talking about? Surely not the death of Wilco. Not now. Not when years of lineup changes and inner struggle and sonic enhancement have finally left us with the most powerful (and at-peace) incarnation of Wilco by far.
And yet, I wondered before I knew better, could it be that family man Tweedy was ready for an extended break? Or worse: The mighty Nels Cline – the group's guitar genius, whose presence since just after "A Ghost Is Born" arrived in 2004 has elevated Wilco's music to a whole new level of complexity and emotional richness – could he be growing restless, antsy to explore elsewhere? I can't imagine why; Wilco is the best outlet for disciplined experimentation he's ever had. But musicians can be fickle beasts, especially ones so gifted.
So caught up with deducing what Tweedy's comment meant, I started reading extra poignancy into key lyrics. From "Theologians": "I'm going away … where I'm going you cannot come." (Hmmm.) From the main-set closer, Tweedy turning the mic over to the crowd to holler the chorus: "Remember to remember me / Standing still in your past / Floating fast like a hummingbird." (Must be a reason why they'd wrap up with that one, right?)
This is the sort of fanatical scrutiny that Wilco, like Radiohead and Pearl Jam and precious few other contemporaries, tends to engender now that it's arguably the best live band around. Springsteen and U2 can (when they really try) be more rousing, Coldplay and Green Day more embracing of every kinda rocker, Pearl Jam more inspirational (most nights), Radiohead more rewardingly challenging. But Wilco is the best parts of all of those acts combined, and with a chemistry all its own.
It flexes dynamism no one else has, often building shows slowly, as it did at this Wiltern Jr., so new to the modern scene that the fire marshal blundered, keeping people from staking out spots on the floor (there was room for another 100 down there) and at times even delaying entrance into the venue.
But the flow of material … well, there's mastery in their pacing.
After the joy of the new self-titled anthem (its hook: "Wilco will love you, baby") the group indulged in some deep Floydian space-rock (the delectably harmonious "You Are My Face," a spectral rendition of "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart") before riding the insistent piano pounding of "Blue Black Nova," akin to the explosive Krautrock epic "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," to a skronky climax and offering the live debut of "Deeper Down," a lovely bit of '60s baroque pop.
Yet later the band ramped up energy with the Beatles-ish "Hate It Here" and the sweet George Harrison swoon of "You Never Know." Later still, Tweedy & Co. simply unleashed themselves, conjuring cyclonic force for "Misunderstood" and bashing away on straight-ahead rockers like "I'm the Man Who Loves You" and a hearty, playful rip through "Monday" straight into "Hoodoo Voodoo," one of two co-writes with Woody Guthrie on display here ("California Stars" was the other, natch). (Click here for a complete set list.)
It was just after 41 cries of "NOTHING," as "Misunderstood" careened to a close, that Tweedy finally gave away what his end-of-an-era remark was really about – by singing "Happy Birthday to You" to guitarist, keysman and general ham Pat Sansone, who turned 40 on Saturday.
A collective sigh of relief came over anyone (like me) who needlessly fretted over his earlier comment. I should've known better. Honestly, how in the world could a band at the peak of its powers simply give up the ghost? The blow of that would be crushing indeed. For some of us, Wilco has become a mood stabilizer – all can be wrong with the world, but all is right when you down a bit of its life-affirming Prozac.
By comparison, Radiohead appeals cerebrally, as if accepting and embracing the twists of its music will somehow bring enlightenment. Wilco is plenty brainy sometimes – depending on the song, it can poke a finger or two at your subconscious – yet it primarily provides a visceral rush that can hit you where you live. Tweedy's often impressionistic lyrics resonate with everyday maxims ("distance has no way of making love understandable") and relatable turmoil ("there is something wrong with me / my mind is full of silvery stars / honey kisses, clouds of fog"), and often within the same song (in this instance "Radio Cure").
While Thom Yorke, a year younger than the 41-year-old Tweedy, is only now beginning to examine intimate highs and troubling lows of personal relationships, Tweedy's long-gestating and more direct approach already has resulted in songs about love and marriage that rank among the very best, whether the sad-sack character piece "Hate It Here" or the resigned pain behind the new "One Wing." "You were a blessing and I was a curse," he sings in the latter, "I did my best not to make things worse for you. It isn't true. I always knew this would be our fate."
That track was one of only five showcased from the sextet's self-titled seventh studio album, which has been streaming for weeks on wilcoworld.net and arrives on iTunes and in traditional form on June 30. There's already some debate among Wilcoans as to whether it measures up to its predecessor, the flawless beauty "Sky Blue Sky." It lacks thematic cohesiveness, some say. "It's just a very good batch of songs," Desert Jeff believes, and it breaks the band's streak of A-grade albums.
I don't know about that. I think it's a grower, like "Summerteeth," the group's 1999 breakthrough, which took the better part of the decade to sink in with some listeners. I also think it helps to be closer to Tweedy's age and have encountered at least a dose of the hard realism and heartbreak he has endured to fully savor its value. They've never sounded so contented, yet that hasn't bred complacency; if "Wilco (the album)" is comprised of "Sky Blue Sky" leftovers, they're choice ones.
But there's still plenty of time to assess that, as well as discern where the new DVD chronicle "Ashes of American Flags" fits into the mix. I suspect the rest of this stretch of shows will illuminate things vividly, if not perfectly. Thankfully there's hardly anything competing for my attention during this run. I don't think I could live with myself if I missed a gig.
Contact the writer: 714-796-2248 or <!-- e --><a href="mailto:bwener@ocregister.com">bwener@ocregister.com</a><!-- e -->
Great, great, show, one of the best I have been to in a while. Some very complimentary comments about Pearl Jam as well!
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wilco-jeff-tweedy-2470386-fox-theater
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wilco's week of shows off to a stunning start
The group's Pomona prelude to its Wiltern stand ranks among its best.
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register
Comments 1| Recommend 4
Halfway into Wilco's superb show Saturday night at the revived and renovated Fox Theater in Pomona, a tremendous two-hour-plus start to the revered Chicago band's run of four shows this week (continuing and concluding with three nights at the Wiltern starting Monday), frontman Jeff Tweedy dropped a scare bomb that instantly had the capacity crowd of intensely devoted fanatics atwitter and tweeting.
"We're approaching the end of an era," he said, with all seriousness, between a rollicking "Can't Stand It" and another tender reading of "Jesus, Etc." "We'll let you know. We'll keep you posted on that one."
Puzzled looks passed among my group of staunch Wilcoans, and we couldn't have been the only ones. End of an era? What's he talking about? Surely not the death of Wilco. Not now. Not when years of lineup changes and inner struggle and sonic enhancement have finally left us with the most powerful (and at-peace) incarnation of Wilco by far.
And yet, I wondered before I knew better, could it be that family man Tweedy was ready for an extended break? Or worse: The mighty Nels Cline – the group's guitar genius, whose presence since just after "A Ghost Is Born" arrived in 2004 has elevated Wilco's music to a whole new level of complexity and emotional richness – could he be growing restless, antsy to explore elsewhere? I can't imagine why; Wilco is the best outlet for disciplined experimentation he's ever had. But musicians can be fickle beasts, especially ones so gifted.
So caught up with deducing what Tweedy's comment meant, I started reading extra poignancy into key lyrics. From "Theologians": "I'm going away … where I'm going you cannot come." (Hmmm.) From the main-set closer, Tweedy turning the mic over to the crowd to holler the chorus: "Remember to remember me / Standing still in your past / Floating fast like a hummingbird." (Must be a reason why they'd wrap up with that one, right?)
This is the sort of fanatical scrutiny that Wilco, like Radiohead and Pearl Jam and precious few other contemporaries, tends to engender now that it's arguably the best live band around. Springsteen and U2 can (when they really try) be more rousing, Coldplay and Green Day more embracing of every kinda rocker, Pearl Jam more inspirational (most nights), Radiohead more rewardingly challenging. But Wilco is the best parts of all of those acts combined, and with a chemistry all its own.
It flexes dynamism no one else has, often building shows slowly, as it did at this Wiltern Jr., so new to the modern scene that the fire marshal blundered, keeping people from staking out spots on the floor (there was room for another 100 down there) and at times even delaying entrance into the venue.
But the flow of material … well, there's mastery in their pacing.
After the joy of the new self-titled anthem (its hook: "Wilco will love you, baby") the group indulged in some deep Floydian space-rock (the delectably harmonious "You Are My Face," a spectral rendition of "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart") before riding the insistent piano pounding of "Blue Black Nova," akin to the explosive Krautrock epic "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," to a skronky climax and offering the live debut of "Deeper Down," a lovely bit of '60s baroque pop.
Yet later the band ramped up energy with the Beatles-ish "Hate It Here" and the sweet George Harrison swoon of "You Never Know." Later still, Tweedy & Co. simply unleashed themselves, conjuring cyclonic force for "Misunderstood" and bashing away on straight-ahead rockers like "I'm the Man Who Loves You" and a hearty, playful rip through "Monday" straight into "Hoodoo Voodoo," one of two co-writes with Woody Guthrie on display here ("California Stars" was the other, natch). (Click here for a complete set list.)
It was just after 41 cries of "NOTHING," as "Misunderstood" careened to a close, that Tweedy finally gave away what his end-of-an-era remark was really about – by singing "Happy Birthday to You" to guitarist, keysman and general ham Pat Sansone, who turned 40 on Saturday.
A collective sigh of relief came over anyone (like me) who needlessly fretted over his earlier comment. I should've known better. Honestly, how in the world could a band at the peak of its powers simply give up the ghost? The blow of that would be crushing indeed. For some of us, Wilco has become a mood stabilizer – all can be wrong with the world, but all is right when you down a bit of its life-affirming Prozac.
By comparison, Radiohead appeals cerebrally, as if accepting and embracing the twists of its music will somehow bring enlightenment. Wilco is plenty brainy sometimes – depending on the song, it can poke a finger or two at your subconscious – yet it primarily provides a visceral rush that can hit you where you live. Tweedy's often impressionistic lyrics resonate with everyday maxims ("distance has no way of making love understandable") and relatable turmoil ("there is something wrong with me / my mind is full of silvery stars / honey kisses, clouds of fog"), and often within the same song (in this instance "Radio Cure").
While Thom Yorke, a year younger than the 41-year-old Tweedy, is only now beginning to examine intimate highs and troubling lows of personal relationships, Tweedy's long-gestating and more direct approach already has resulted in songs about love and marriage that rank among the very best, whether the sad-sack character piece "Hate It Here" or the resigned pain behind the new "One Wing." "You were a blessing and I was a curse," he sings in the latter, "I did my best not to make things worse for you. It isn't true. I always knew this would be our fate."
That track was one of only five showcased from the sextet's self-titled seventh studio album, which has been streaming for weeks on wilcoworld.net and arrives on iTunes and in traditional form on June 30. There's already some debate among Wilcoans as to whether it measures up to its predecessor, the flawless beauty "Sky Blue Sky." It lacks thematic cohesiveness, some say. "It's just a very good batch of songs," Desert Jeff believes, and it breaks the band's streak of A-grade albums.
I don't know about that. I think it's a grower, like "Summerteeth," the group's 1999 breakthrough, which took the better part of the decade to sink in with some listeners. I also think it helps to be closer to Tweedy's age and have encountered at least a dose of the hard realism and heartbreak he has endured to fully savor its value. They've never sounded so contented, yet that hasn't bred complacency; if "Wilco (the album)" is comprised of "Sky Blue Sky" leftovers, they're choice ones.
But there's still plenty of time to assess that, as well as discern where the new DVD chronicle "Ashes of American Flags" fits into the mix. I suspect the rest of this stretch of shows will illuminate things vividly, if not perfectly. Thankfully there's hardly anything competing for my attention during this run. I don't think I could live with myself if I missed a gig.
Contact the writer: 714-796-2248 or <!-- e --><a href="mailto:bwener@ocregister.com">bwener@ocregister.com</a><!-- e -->
Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
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Comments
Sha la la la i'm in love with a jersey girl
I love you forever and forever
Adel 03 Melb 1 03 LA 2 06 Santa Barbara 06 Gorge 1 06 Gorge 2 06 Adel 1 06 Adel 2 06 Camden 1 08 Camden 2 08 Washington DC 08 Hartford 08
I've got tickets to see Wilco in July at Wolf Trap. I've seen the band 8 times live, including the Lyric in Baltimore where EV just played. If both Wilco and PJ were playing in my town on the same night, I can honestly say I don't know which show I would go to. Lets just hope it never comes down to that.
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
slide in sideways, BBQ sandwich in one hand, cold beer in the other,
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "Woo Hoo what a
ride"!
Unknown
That experience was topped in May 2008. I saw Radiohead on a Tuesday, then Wilco Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. That was the best week ever. Wilco had a request a song feature on their website. I sorta stuffed the ballot box and had the 8 or 10 songs I requested played at those 3 shows. Rare songs and Uncle Tupelo songs.
After the Wednesday night show I went to have some drinks at a bar down the street. When I came back to the venue Nels Cline from Wilco was leaning on my car. I spent the next hour "bullshitting" with Nels and Glen. I got to meet everyone in the band and they signed the show poster for me.
Those 4 shows rocked.
Very cool. What songs did you request?
ETA... If your curious about Wilco, they'll be on Conan tomorrow night (the 24th)!!! Don't miss it!
KC, MO 7.3.98
OKC 4.3.03
KC, MO 5/2010
EV- Memphis 6.20.09
EV- Tulsa 11.18.12
I don't remember all the tracks I requested... Bob Dylan's 49th Beard, Maybe I'm Just A Kid, New Madrid, It's Just That Simple ... Those are the ones that come to mind. I requested songs off both Mermaid Albums too... but those get brought out a lot.
The second 7 Worlds Collide album is coming out shortly... I saw a clip where liam said Eddie sent a song in for it. How screwy would it be if it is Jeff that ends up singing the Eddie song?
agreed.. I guess it would come down to the venue & how many times you had seen both perform that year.
Sha la la la i'm in love with a jersey girl
I love you forever and forever
Adel 03 Melb 1 03 LA 2 06 Santa Barbara 06 Gorge 1 06 Gorge 2 06 Adel 1 06 Adel 2 06 Camden 1 08 Camden 2 08 Washington DC 08 Hartford 08
can't wait for this.. there is a version of you never know (new wilco single) on that album also. Should be interesting as there is a song written by Marr & Tweedy also.
Sha la la la i'm in love with a jersey girl
I love you forever and forever
Adel 03 Melb 1 03 LA 2 06 Santa Barbara 06 Gorge 1 06 Gorge 2 06 Adel 1 06 Adel 2 06 Camden 1 08 Camden 2 08 Washington DC 08 Hartford 08