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Phish
Saturday, June 19, 2010
SPAC
Saratoga Springs, NY
Set I: Tweezer Reprise^, Chalkdust Torture, Funky Bitch, Runaway Jim, Ya Mar, Sample in a Jar, Axilla I, Fluffhead, Bathtub Gin, Suzy Greenberg
Set II: Rock and Roll > Free, Backwards Down the Number Line, Halfway to the Moon*, Prince Caspian, Joy, David Bowie, Show of LIfe
Encore: The Squirming Coil, Character Zero, Tweezer Reprise
Notes: * First time played, ^First Tweezer Reprise opener since 11-9-95 (482 shows)
Reviews: Download the show:
With the exception of two arena shows at the U.I.C. Pavilion back in October to support Wilco (The Album), Wilco (The Band) hasn’t played a full show in the Chicagoland Area since the Riviera Residency in February of 2008. When this show at the Overture Center in Madison, WI was added to their seemingly never-ending touring schedule, I knew that I had to go because I wasn’t sure when they would return to their hometown of Chicago.
My favorite venue in Chicago to see Wilco is the stunning Auditorium Theatre. For a few years, Wilco called the Auditorium home, playing most of their hometown shows at the iconic venue. While the Overture Center is only a few years old and lacks the charm of the Auditorium, it is truly a beautiful venue and the acoustics are marvelous.
As the lights dimmed the band walked on stage to the Olympic March, which is fitting considering most of the shows on this tour are north of the border, and the band recently played an outdoor show in Vancouver for the Olympic’s. Wilco (The Song) kicked off the festivities with the band sounding very fresh and dialed in.
After the chaotic Bull Black Nova, the opening chords to You Are My Face resonated through the venue. The song explodes with a heavily distorted guitar riff by Jeff Tweedy and then once again calms down towards the end. As the song faded out, keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and guitarist Pat Sansone added some lullaby like textures as if they were putting the song to sleep. READ ON for more from Jimmy on Wilco in Madison.
Nels Cline gets a lot of attention for being an extraordinary guitar player, but during At Least That’s What you Said, Cline took a back seat as Tweedy tore it up with an incredible guitar solo proving that not only is he a gifted songwriter, but he’s got some chops on the guitar as well. With the Winter Olympics in full swing, Tweedy took the opportunity to bring up everyone’s favorite sport, Curling. Tweedy and guitarist Pan Sansone mimicked the sport by shuffling their feet and using the head stock of their guitars as brushes pretending to scrape the floor before launching into Sonny Feeling.
When the opening riff for Impossible Germany began, fans knew that a dizzying guitar solo was on the way. Nels Cline dazzled the crowd once again with his wizardry on the guitar. Cline’s hand traversed the fret board of his Fender Jazzmaster at break neck speeds to the delight of the crowd.
Wilco has always been a band that is accessible to their fans. They allow fans to tape and trade their shows and they also take requests via their website for each show. Fans were definitely in for a treat as the band busted out When the Roses Bloom Again. Tweedy announced that it was the most requested song for the show.
As the show was reaching the end, the band used an eight-song encore to send fans home that packed quite the punch. The band started out with a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s Broken Arrow, which Wilco debuted in January at the MusiCares tribune to Neil Young.
California Stars has always been a live fan favorite and tonight the version wouldn’t disappoint. Jeff Tweedy brought out Califone guitarist Tim Rutili and percussionist Ben Massarella to accompany them. Rutili took a guitar solo that added a little country flare to it as Jeff Tweedy and company watched.
After some brief banter Tweedy started the intro to Kingpin from Wilco’s breakthrough double album Being There. With its monstrous riffs, the song had people grinning from ear to ear. As a whole, Wilco is not a very predictable band. They change up their setlists on a nightly basis, but during Kingpin Tweedy changed the lyrics from “Living in Pekin” to the very predictable “Living in Madison”, a nod to the locals.
What would a rock show be without a big rock show ending? Wilco let it all hang out with Hoodoo Voodoo. As the song climaxed both Sansone and Cline found themselves trading guitar licks. As Cline would buzz through a quick riff Sansone was equal to the task. As the house lights came on some two and a half hours later, I thought to myself, what an amazing show.
Wilco continues to consistently perform at a level some bands only dream of. While the three-hour drive to Madison wasn’t bad, I would much rather see the band in the comfort of my own backyard. Chicago fans may have to wait a while for the beloved band to return, but when they do the Wilco will be welcomed with open arms.
Thanks to Scotty B at Hidden Track for publishing the review.
Since I couldn't make it to Festival 8, the next best thing would be enjoy it from the comfort of my couch. After getting home from work, I dusted off my satellite radio that had been sitting dormant in it's box and hooked it up to my receiver. I turn on the unit only to find that I didn't have any reception. What was I going to do? I was hungry and wanted to get some grub before tackling my small problem.
I called my friend Karla up and we decided to get some pizza at Piece. We went early enough that we didn't have to wait for a table. The Dark-n-Curvy Dunkelweizen complemented the pizza well as I was getting excited for the show. By the time we left the place was packed. On the way home we made a quick stop at Lemmings for one more beer. The Lagunitas IPA hit the spot!
When I got home I had less than a half hour to solve my signal problem so I had to think fast. Thankfully the chord for the antenna was plenty long. I ran the chord under my door and up to the side of my garage where a hook just so happened to be. It was like the antenna was meant to be there. The antenna had an unobstructed view and I was in business. I tuned to channel 56 and the sweet sound of Ween's "Freedom of 76" was piping through my speakers.
I was hoping for a "Down with Disease" opener, but "Party Time" kicked the festivities off. While the bands partying days are long gone, they were clearly ready to have a good time. Page continued his resurgence and brought some serious funk during "Moma Dance". After a very solid "Stash", the band played the amusing " I Didn't Know", in which Fishman did his trademark vacuum solo.
"Ocelot" was clearly the best song of the first set. The jam had incredible pace and showed why it has become a staple in the repertoire in it's short existence. "Time Turns Elastic" closed Festival 8's first set. I am a firm believer that this song needs to close a set. While the song seemed a little bit sloppy during the middle sections, the band regrouped for a strong finish. All in all the set had it's moments, but for some reason didn't blow me away. It seemed like the band was playing it safe.
Set II: PYITE, Down With Disease > Prince Caspian > Wolfman's Brother > Piper >Joy, David Bowie, Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus
The second set sounded as good as it looks on paper and maybe even better. After a standard "Punch You In The Eye", the band unleashed one of the best sets of music of Phish 3.0. "Down With Disease" has really become a monster and this version was really tight. There was a stop start jam that really has to be heard. "Wolfman's Brother" saw Mike break out his trademark funk during the jam. I thought the groove they had going was rushed a bit and too short, but nonetheless I enjoyed it.
Phish transported their fans from the Polo Grounds to outer space during "Piper". The jam was very spooky and segued into "Joy". Trey announced that they were going to give fans a clue into their Halloween costume as Fishman started the hi-hat intro to "David Bowie". It was a bad joke, but hey I chuckled. Phish nailed the song and Trey was spot on. After a standout "Harry Hood" the band finished the set with "Golgi Apparatus"
The band came back and played a rocking version of "Character Zero" to end the first night of Festival 8. The story of this show was clearly the second set. The band seemed to be dialed in and lets hope it spills into tonight's show. Happy Halloween!
Simple. Elegant. Beautiful. Those are all words that can be used to describe the music of Great Lake Swimmers.
Hardly a household name, Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers have built a steady following of fans with incredibly simple music. I stumbled upon the band by accident. I was surfing the Internet, when I read a review for their 2007 release Ongiara. I took one listen and I was hooked.
The band is in the midst of a world tour in support of Lost Channels, which was released earlier this year. Making their first appearance at the newly opened Lincoln Hall, it didn't take long for the band to get acclimated with their surroundings. Opening with "I Could Be Nothing", the band sounded like they were playing on a record from the 1920's. Violinist Miranda Mulholland and bassist Brett Higgins gave it an added dimension along with a vintage feel.
After "There is a Light", the band slipped behind the black curtain leaving Tony Dekker front and center. After "Concrete Heart", Dekker performed the hauntingly beautiful "Stealing Tomorrow". His voice echoed throughout Lincoln Hall as if nobody was in the room. The audience stood motionless and silent listening intently to every subtlety of Dekker's voice and guitar playing.
The band used "Your Rocky Spine" to show off the banjo chops of multi-instrumentalist Erik Arnesen. Playing everything from guitar to a hand pump organ, Arnesen proved to be up to the task by putting his stamp on each of the songs.The band cranked it up a bit with the R.E.M. inspired "She Comes To Me In Dreams". Drummer Greg Millson whaled away on his small kit, while Mulholland's sweet sounding violin soothed our ears in between Millson's mighty drum fills.
As quietly as the band rolled into town, they left in the same fashion. Dekker's humbleness and sincerity is something that I can appreciate. I'm still trying to figure out how a group as talented as Great Lake Swimmers is not more of a household name.
Wilco
Sunday, October 18, 2009
UIC Pavilion
Chicago, IL
I was starting to wonder if Wilco couldn’t find Chicago on the map. Aside from a performance at last years Lollapalooza the last time the band played Chicago was for an epic five show residency at the Riviera Theatre in February 2008, in which they played their entire recorded catalog.
The elegant Auditorium Theatre had served as Wilco’s go-to venue for when they would play Chicago. The band played many a memorable shows at the iconic venue, but with a new album out something had to give. Could Wilco keep the intimacy of a theater show in an arena setting?
Once inside the arena, you could sense the excitement for the show. It was like Christmas morning for Wilco fans. The lights went out and the band strolled on stage to the “Price is Right” theme to a thunderous applause as if the crowd had just won the showcase showdown.
The first three songs, “Wilco (The Song)”, “ A Shot in The Arm” & “Bull Black Nova” set the tone for the entire evening. Raw energy may be the only way to describe the emotion the band played with. You could tell that they were glad to be home. Guitarist Nels Cline was a mad scientist on stage, not straying far from his rig the virtuoso played with such fury that I wondered how his guitar strings didn’t break all at once. During “ A Shot in The Arm,” the guitarist repeatedly swung his guitar at this amp missing by mere inches, while keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen beat his keyboard with no regard for the instrument.
Predicting Jeff Tweedy’s mood at a show is about as easy as picking the winner of the Kentucky Derby. You just don’t know who is going to show up. It was evident from the beginning that he was very happy to be home. Tweedy took every opportunity he could to poke fun at his bands arena rock status. Before launching into the somber “Deeper Down,” Tweedy introduced the song as an arena rock song.
The guitar solo in “Impossible Germany” is becoming folklore among Wilco fans. From the opening riff, the excitement immediately builds for the blissful guitar explosion. This version would not disappoint as Nels took the song by the horns while adding a touch of jazz to the frantic solo.
“I’d like to dedicate this song to the 200 people here tonight who weren’t on our guest list. I guess we could’ve played Schubas,” proclaimed Tweedy before “Hate it Here”. I got the sense that even though Tweedy might not be comfortable with playing that large of a venue, he clearly appreciated the crowd. Wilco closed their set with “I’m The Man Who Loves You”, a tune that Tweedy dedicated to his wife.
After a very short break the band reconvened for an encore that left fans wanting more. “Just a Kid” was dedicated to Tortoise, who opened the show. The Chicago natives took full advantage of their opening slot, and got crowd moving with some inspiring music. Tortoise hasn’t reached the level of popularity that Wilco has, but for the last twenty years have been a force in not only the local music scene, but worldwide.
The encore continued with a raucous version of “Monday”, which quickly segued into the upbeat “Outtasite (outta mind)”. Guitarist Pat Sansone showed his guitar chops off with a guitar duel that had people watching in awe as he and Nels Cline during traded licks during “Hoodoo Voodoo”. The band kept things rolling with the final song “I’m a Wheel”.
Wilco was welcomed home with open arms, and delivered a set that had people buzzing. The band showed much love to their fans, and I can honestly say on behalf of the entire crowd that the feeling is mutual. Chicago truly loves Wilco.
Thanks to the folks over at Glide Magazine for publishing my review.
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