Ima Robot Forums

Wilco

draconian - 6-14-2003 at 06:24 AM

Saw Wilco last night, they put on a great show however it was an outdoor concert so you know how that goes. Too many people crammed into a parking lot and long lines at the grilled turkey leg stand. Still, a nice evening to listen to some of my favorite Wilco tunes, including "Heavy Metal Drummer," which is played on my local college radio station just about every hour on the hour.

A pleasant surprise came in the form of The Bad Plus, a jazz trio from New York/Minneapolis who are both highly skilled instrumentalists and super-creative compositionally. They did some wacked-out covers of Sting and Aphex Twin, very angular style. They frequently play smaller jazz clubs so it was fun to see thim in this larger setting.

The opening opening act was a band called Fog, they had a definite They Might Be Giants feel to them, also adept at playing twisted covers.

seacaptain - 6-14-2003 at 12:50 PM

I'm going to see them in a few weeks on their joint co-headliner tour with Sonic Youth. I'm a bigger SY fan, but I'm excited to see Wilco too. I just wish they'd gone all out and added Loose Fur as the opener!

draconian - 6-14-2003 at 02:44 PM

Yeah, that tour sounds amazing anyway. Sonic Youth turns it up, they are one of my favorite acts. I just got back from the store, went intending to rent/purchase the Spinal Tap special edition, they didn't have it...then looked around for the Wilco documentary, they didn't have that, either. I have been hearing about the Wilco doc for so long, it's become a goal to finally see it this summer.

seacaptain - 6-14-2003 at 05:46 PM

Me too about SY. One thing I've always liked about their shows is that they're such a visual band. They're just really fun to watch play! They all get in the same wavelength and it's brilliant.

Is that Wilco movie on video already? Or were they just sold out? I'll have to look for it, I missed it in the theaters too. Oh I saw Spellbound! That was a pretty cool documentary, but again I'm a big fan of the spelling bee and kids who can do that.

draconian - 6-15-2003 at 07:13 AM

The site wilcofilm.com says the DVD is out now. I checked out the screenings page, but it looks like they were mostly late last year.

I was really gunning for Harry to win the spelling bee, what a peculiar kid.

Daniel Star - 6-23-2003 at 07:36 PM

I visited NYC earlier this year and saw posters for the SY/Wilco show all over the city. I was really tempted to tear one down and keep it for myself :)

I wish I could see it. I love both Wilco, and Sonic Youth.

I wonder who the opening act is...
Seems to me Wilco would make the better opening act, as a sonic youth show would probably involve alot more jumping around and general craziness

seacaptain - 6-23-2003 at 08:10 PM

I just got back! Unfortunately, Sonic Youth had to cancel their performance at the last minute. (It was on their website yesterday or today.) They were replaced by Mission of Burma. (Sonic Youth was to have gone first, but I'm not sure they're considered an opener.)

Mission of Burma was a blast... they're basically legends around Boston, and got an amazing reception from the crowd, especially considering they were last-minute replacements and weren't in front of their fans!

But I really missed SY... I've seen them enough times and know their music better than I do Wilco's, and the only thing I think was missing from the night (for me) was a strong familiarity with the music. That's not always necessary, but when it's there, it really helps.

Not that I wasn't excited to hear Wilco, and they didn't disappoint at all. I guess they played a few new tunes, one of which was probably my favorite song of the night. "I'm the Man Who Loves You" was pretty cool, so was "California Stars."





[Edited on 24-6-2003 by seacaptain]

draconian - 6-24-2003 at 05:24 AM

Sounds like fun! I would get a big kick out of hearing Mission of Burma, I really thought they had dropped off the face of the earth. Sonic Youth will be playing for another thirty years, I get the feeling, so hopefully you'll catch them soon enough.

PetXEunuch - 9-19-2003 at 07:42 AM

Wilco is great stuff. Probably one of the best rock bands touring today.

I know most people heap praise on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but Being There is a must-have album. It sounds like folk demos of YHF almost. There are some great rock songs on it, specifically Dreamer in My Dreams

car539 - 11-1-2003 at 09:24 AM

I love Wilco. I just saw their DVD a month ago. It was great. It got me into a lot of their other stuff. I love the part where they sing Be Not So Fearful. Overall, it was interesting to see what the whole process of making an album was like for them. Plus, it showed all the conflict within the band with the label and Jay. I love YHF. I just bought Summerteeth last week. It has so many great songs...Pieholden Suite, Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again), She's A Jar, How to Fight Loneliness. I really have to get Being There next.