Flipside Movie Emporium

[beltmann]

Wilco

Summerfest, Milwaukee

2006.07.05

Ashes of American Flags

Handshake Drugs

The Late Greats

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Impossible Germany (new song)

Airline to Heaven

Forget the Flowers

At Least That's What You Said

Jesus, etc.

Talking To Myself About You (aka Walken)

Theologians

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Heavy Metal Drummer

Kingpin

Hummingbird

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Misunderstood

War on War

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Shot in the Arm

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Andrew Bird performed right before Wilco, and before he came on stage a guy sitting near me said he was waiting for Wilco and wanted to know what Bird was all about. I explained and he decided to give it a try, but not before spending the entire waiting period chain-smoking his weed. During Bird's third song, he left, saying, "That's enough. I need to hear some guitars, man." On the plus side, the group of teenagers standing directly behind us were clearly smitten with Bird, and repeatedly declared that they were going to buy his album ASAP. I like Andrew Bird a lot, but a little of his stuff goes a long way for me, so his short, 45-minute set seemed just about perfect.

Wilco played only two of the "new" songs that have worked their way into setlists over the last few months. Fortunately, they were "Talking To Myself About You," which Jeff dedicated to his wife Sue and is finally starting to evolve into something lively, and "Impossible Germany," which marked only the third time the song had been performed live. I had never heard "Germany" before--it first debuted only a week prior--and am happy to say that it might be the best of the new crop. It begins with a smooth rhythm before blowing apart with a Nels Cline solo; it reminded me a little of how "Ashes of American Flags" now climaxes with a Nels jam.

The weather was beautifully mild, the crowd seemed enthusiastic and generous, and everyone near us seemed to have a great time. Best of all, it was clear that the band was having a great time, too. Jeff's interactions with the crowd were looser and more abundant than I've ever seen before, which may have prompted him to turn a half-dozen songs into singalongs, including the unlikely candidate "Jesus, etc": Our love / Our love / Our love is all we have / Our love / Our love is all of God's money." I was wondering how Jeff would change the "living in Pekin" lyric from "Kingpin" to match Milwaukee, and he went with "I wanna be your kingpin / Living in... [long pause] Wisconsin."

The good vibe between the band and crowd may have also inspired Jeff to let loose on "Misunderstood," hurling more than 50 nuthins at the audience during its punk climax. (By my count, it was 57; the typical rendition is closer to 20-25.) Once he crossed 50, I started wondering about the record. What is the record?

There was no jig from Jeff during "Hummingbird," since he was suffering from stress fractures from too much running. He limped painfully off the stage at the end of the set, but that didn't stop the band from returning for two encores (as usual) and, according to an abandoned setlist, replacing the low-key "Passenger Side" with the much more aggressive kraut-rock of "Spiders." That song has been revitalized with a new fakeout ending--the band finishes, waits a few beats, and then continues with a full-on sonic blast that actually appears physically daunting.

Overall, the setlist was fairly predictable, top-heavy with crowdpleasers like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Shot In the Arm." (Is it just me, or is there's something in my veins, bloodier than blood a much better singalong than we can make it better?) Besides "Impossible Germany," there were no surprises, and very few chestnuts. Still, considering the outdoor festival setting, the song choices were probably very wise. It was certainly a much better Summerfest experience than I anticipated (and much better than 2003, when we were all stuffed into the North Shore stage in stifling heat).

Now the long shuttle ride home, that's a different story.
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

Interesting fan-shot video for Wilco's "At Least That's What You Said," during the A GHOST IS BORN tour:

http://www.fenslerfilm.com/videos/WILCOALTWYS.mov
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

From the Wilco website:

[Michael Scrutchin]

[beltmann]

Rolling Stone added "Acuff-Rose" to the setlist, which I hope is true.
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

Last year Jeff Tweedy went on another solo tour, portions of which were captured for a documentary that will shortly be released on DVD. The very cool trailer linked below is for that DVD, which was produced by the very ambitious folks in charge of the "Burn to Shine" series, if you're familiar.

Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Nothwest



I caught the Madison show of this tour in November, but unfortunately the DVD focuses on the West Coast leg of the tour.



On a related note, rumor has it that Tweedy is finalizing plans for a late October solo show right here in Milwaukee, at the Riverside. While Wilco has played Milwaukee many, many times, I don't think Tweedy has ever come here alone.
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Michael Scrutchin]

[beltmann]

[beltmann]

Got tickets to the Tweedy solo show in Milwaukee, Oct. 30th at the Pabst Theatre (which, for my money, is the best place for live music in the city).

Smarty or Jordan, are you guys going?
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[beltmann]

Just announced: Autumn Defense--side project for Wilco members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone--will open for Tweedy's solo show in Milwaukee.

I have all of the AD albums and a few live bootlegs, but have never before heard them live for myself, so I'm pleased by this news.
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Michael Scrutchin]

[beltmann]

Michael, didja see that Tweedy has scheduled some Texas solo dates in January?
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Michael Scrutchin]

[Monkeypox]

[j miller]

Here's a quote from an article on Billboard.com about the new Wilco album :