Wilco- First Avenue, June 30, 2001: 20 Years Ago!

 

 

It's amazing what a year makes. With the vaccines for COVID-19 being distributed as we speak, music tour scheduling is starting to ramp up, especially south of the border in the U.S. Here in Canada, concerts and tours are much more pared down with the restrictions province to province slowly loosening. There are some small shows and bigger tour dates that are proceeding with selling tickets again for concerts in the fall. For a band like Wilco, they have recently added more shows to their schedule with already about 40 dates from August until late October, so far. A lot of those dates are make-up shows for ones that were postponed last spring and a proposed tour with Sleater-Kinney for last summer is going ahead in August. I would love to see Wilco with the Young Fresh Fellows for a bunch of shows in October on the U.S. west coast! Since the Canada/U.S. border is still closed, I don't want to take the gamble of buying a ticket and not being able to travel due a continued closure or a possible 4th wave. I will have to be content this summer watching and listening from afar, hopefully a lot of  live shows will be recorded and shared.

One of my favourite places to travel to for concerts is the closest large city, about a 7 hour drive to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul). I've seen lots of amazing shows at various venues and it's an opportunity to see bands that normally don't make it to my neck of the woods. The last time we made the trek was to see the Posies three years ago at the Turf Club in St. Paul and unfortunately due to this pandemic we haven't been back since. It seems the time of year we end up in the Twin Cities is around this time, June/early July and I've noticed there are plenty of cool shows there booked now. The trip 20 years ago to see Wilco was one of my most memorable concert trips. I normally don't travel alone, but this was one of those pilgrimages I wanted to experience, to attend both nights and indulge myself in record store shopping nirvana that is sometimes best to partake alone.

The second night of the two night stand for Wilco was even better than the night before. The band seemed more comfortable with the new material and the set included a few more songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot they debuted. They opened with the chill, Via Chicago to ease into the show, the previous night they opened with Misunderstood that crescendo-ed with Jeff shouting "nothing" so many times I thought he would blow his voice or a blood vessel. One of the reasons the second night has the potential to be an even better show, is that if the band is feeling good, extra encores are possible. No resting up for the next night. The highlight was definitely the three encores, the band was on fire and the crowd was very appreciative (and polite), they didn't want the concert to end. Wow!

 

A couple more notes:

• Viovoom, a band fronted by Jessy Greene opened both nights. It was appropriate as Jessy has performed with Golden Smog (Tweedy was in that band) and locally was a member of the Jayhawks. It was a treat to see her on stage with Wilco during Jesus, Etc, since she played violin on the recording for YHF. I've always love Jessy, she adds so much to the sound of GS/Jayhawks and her solo material is really good. A very underrated talent! (I recorded their set both nights as well and the sound quality is better thanks to less crowd chatter.)
• This was guitarist, Jay Bennett's last club show. As I mentioned in the last post he played two more outdoor shows including his final show for the 4th of July show in Chicago. I sensed some un-comfortableness with Jay on stage and his interaction with Leroy Bach when they both played keyboards side by side. I thought it was nothing, but...
• The lineup onstage for Wilco these two nights was Jeff Tweedy, Jay Bennett, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche and Leroy Bach. This exact lineup only played 4 shows together. (correct me if I'm wrong)
  
• The First Avenue is one of those venues that is a must-see if you visit Minneapolis. There have been many classic shows there and I've seen a bunch of good ones. The sight-lines aren't great, as I've watched all the shows on the floor, but the sound has always been decent. My most vivid memory (of the shows I've been at 10 years ago and earlier) is that people just drop their beer bottles on the ground, so the floor is covered in pools of beer and broken glass. Is that still a "thing" there? or anywhere else??

Enjoy! 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

See Wilco on tour and buy their records!

 

WILCO
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
June 30, 2001
AUD Master

01. Via Chicago / A Shot In The Arm
02. I'm Always In Love
03. War On War
04. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
05. Hesitating Beauty
06. Remember The Mountain Bed
07. Airline To Heaven
08. Feed Of Man
09. She's A Jar
10. Ashes Of American Flags
11. Kamera
12. How To Fight Loneliness
13. California Stars
14. Red-Eyed And Blue / I Got You (At the End Of The Century)

Encore:
15. Misunderstood
16. Jesus, Etc.
17. Sunken Treasure

Encore 2:
18. Reservations
19. Passenger Side
20. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Encore 3:
21. Forget The Flowers
22. Monday
23. Casino Queen

 

WILCO- 2001-06-30 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC Master. rar 

Wilco- First Avenue, June 29, 2001: 20 Years Ago!

 

 

It's hard to believe it's been almost 20 years since the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the fourth album from Wilco. The story behind the recording of the album and the complicated mess surrounding it's release was beautifully documented in the film, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco directed by Sam Jones and the excellent book, Wilco: Learning How To Die by Greg Kot. I read and watched both and it gives you the inside story and circumstances behind YHF. A quick recap: the album was recorded in late 2000 and early 2001, Glenn Kotche (new drummer) joins the band for the recording, personality struggles and power battles ensue between Jeff and Jay, Jay Bennett is fired from the band, Reprise Records (the band's label) rejects the album, Wilco subsequently acquires the rights of the record, Wilco streams the entire album for free on their website on September 18, 2001 (the original date the album was suppose to be officially released), the album is officially (retail) released by Nonesuch Records on April 23, 2002. The result: the band's website on September 18 received over 50,000 hits to stream the record, the album was critically acclaimed placing it on many "best of" lists for the year, the decade and all-time, it is Wilco's best selling work and considered by many their "masterpiece".

I was one of those people that streamed the album on Wilco's site, but I had already listened to tracks from file sharing networks, as well as unreleased outtakes and alternative versions of the songs. Reminiscing about this album was special for another reason. I road-tripped it to Minneapolis to see a pair a shows from Wilco on June 29 & 30th, 2001 at the legendary First Avenue club. This was the first show that Wilco performed songs from the album, between the two nights they probably played all the songs that would be on the still-to-be released, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The 29th show was drummer, Glenn Kotche's live debut with Wilco and the show on the 30th was Jay Bennett's last club show with the band, he would play two more outdoor shows in Milwaukee and Chicago. 

 

Wow! Well worth the $20 it cost to attend the concert!

 

I made the trip alone and I obsessively prepared my recording gear which at the time was a Sony cassette recording Walkman (WM-GX35) and a cheap, but decent stealth stereo mic. I labeled and smuggled in extra Maxell tapes and spare batteries into my pockets. Thinking back, I really liked recording with that deck, sure it was a pain in the ass to blindly flip or change the tape within the 45 minute side and try not to move or bump into anyone during the show, but it was no frills, you didn't have to worry about sound levels. It was press record, look at my watch and try not to stress. These recordings turned out sounding not too bad, but there is a lot of crowd noise and chatter as I was smack dab in the middle of the crowd on the floor. It documented the event exactly how it sounded to my eyes. The two nights kind of blurred together, but there was a buzz in the air that made it feel this was something special. I saw a couple members of Golden Smog/The Jayhawks hanging in the backstage area and there was a film crew there (maybe both nights?) that turned out to be the crew for the Wilco documentary. In the film, there is footage shot at the First Avenue and if you watch the DVD bonus special features, a full song is shown from the concert. I'm pretty sure you can see me knee deep in the crowd! This was my first time seeing Wilco live and seeing and hearing the new material for the first time was definitely the highlight and the songs were warmly received. The only negative of the night was during the second encore during the quiet, Reservations that Tweedy performed solo, some idiot in the crowd threw something at Jeff. Not sure what, maybe a crumpled piece of paper (?) or a beer label (?), but regardless the show was over after he finished the song. I believe they planned to play a longer encore, at least a few more songs, but Jeff appeared to be pissed. The next night's encores more than make up for this shorter show. To be continued...

Enjoy!

 

The master tapes from the two concerts. Viovoom (Jessy Greene's band) opened both nights.

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

 

WILCO
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
June 29, 2001
AUD Master (cassette)

01. Misunderstood
02. A Shot In The Arm
03. War On War
04. I'm Always In Love
05. How to Fight Loneliness
06. Hesitating Beauty
07. Blood Of The Lamb
08. She's A Jar
09. Forget The Flowers
10. Airline To Heaven
11. Remember The Mountain Bed
12. California Stars
13. Sunken Treasure

Encore:
14. encore break- crowd
15. Jesus, Etc.
16. Kamera
17. I'm The Man Who Loves You
18. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)
19. Hoodoo Voodoo
20. Casino Queen
21. Monday

Encore 2:
22. Reservations

Wilco- 2001-06-29 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC Master. rar

Wilco- The "Last" Concert Revisited- 2020

 

 

As you're probably aware, this week marks the one year anniversary when the world changed. You can interpret this whatever way you want (I don't want to get political), but there is no doubt things changed. Today marks the one year anniversary of WHO's official declaration of COVID-19 pandemic. It also marks the day the NBA put a hold on their regular season and the NHL's Jets played their last game (in Edmonton). This evening a year ago I was attended what would be the last music concert I've attended live. Wilco was playing at the Centennial Concert Hall and this would be the band's last show, the next day the rest of their tour was postponed, then later cancelled. Even at the concert, things felt different, a little uneasy with the news swirling about the pandemic throughout the days leading up to the show, we were lucky the show went on. There was casual joking references to "social distancing" during the show and never could imagine it was so serious. In today's Winnipeg Free Press (*) some of the writers share their stories of the last show they attended before the lock-down, Many were at this same show I was at. They also shared some of their most memorable concerts they had attended (good idea for another post!), so the reminiscing of the lack of live music continues and really highlights how important live music is in people's lives. 

 

(*) You may need to be signed in to the Winnipeg Free Press website to read these articles. I took photos of the newspaper articles and posted them on the TDIT Facebook page. Interesting read.

 

 

I posted a write up and the live recording of the show, (Wilco- Live In Winnipeg March 11, 2020) so I'll spare you a repeat of the details of the evening, but as an encore I am re-posting the link so you can relive the show and fantasize of when we can do this again, at least in this scale of a full-blown concert experience. We can only hope!

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

WILCO

Centennial Concert Hall
Winnipeg, MB
March 11, 2020
AUD Master

Row 7 middle
Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar file

01. Bright Leaves
02. Before Us
03. Company In My Back
04. Can't Stand It
05. One and a Half Stars
06. Handshake Drugs
07. War On War
08. Hummingbird
09. Via Chicago
10. How to Fight Loneliness
11. Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season)
12. Random Name Generator
13. Reservations
14. Impossible Germany
15. Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
16. Box Full of Letters
17. Passenger Side
18. Everyone Hides
19. Theologians
20. I'm the Man Who Loves You
21. Hold Me Anyway
22. The Late Greats

Encore:
23. California Stars
24. Red Eyed and Blue
25. I Got You (At the End of the Century)
26. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

WILCO- 2020-03-11 Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar

 

Wilco- Live In Winnipeg, March 11, 2020

"You guys are killer!", a fan seated a row in front of me and about 5 seats or so over shouted out between Handshake Drugs and War On War.
 
Jeff Tweedy: "That's the kind of individual support we're looking for, applause together means nothing, but the brave soul that reaches out in the silence and says you guys are killer. That's what keep us going, sir. When I'm in my bunk thinking about the show tonight, that's what I'm going to be thinking about. All of your applauses is dogshit, but that shouldn't inhibit you from applausing".

That guy was right, Wilco did kill it. The band was on fire, I've seen Wilco many times in our city and this was probably my favourite show. The sometimes moody Tweedy was in good spirits, smiling and with quick witty banter, definitely feeling it, "ode to joy". It definitely helped that we had sweet seats about 7 rows from the front smack dab in the middle with a perfect view of the stage and possibly the best sound I've heard at a "rock" concert. It was at the plush Centennial Concert Hall in beautiful downtown Winnipeg and hell, this is the home of the world famous WSO (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra) so you bet the sound acoustics are damn good.

Interestingly, the show almost didn't happen. With the threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) hitting North America hard, events, sports and public performances had begun to get cancelled and there was a real possibility this concert might be one of them. On the Winnipeg Wilco event Facebook page the afternoon of the show, there was over 20 posts with people selling tickets at below cost and at discount prices. Clearly, there was mild concern. Then on the Fb YFF fans page, someone posted that the Seattle shows with the Fellows opening was cancelled...oh oh! My hope was the band was already in town, probably arriving in the morning from the show in Duluth, MN the night before. To the relief of me and many many other Wilco fans the show went on, we are so lucky! Unfortunately, Winnipeg would be last show for a while. The next day it was announced all the dates going west, then down the coast to California and Vegas are postponed. That's 17 shows for now, maybe more. Stay tuned.

The show had many great highlights. Some of the individual solo performances within the band is always top notch. I've always said drummer, Glen Kotche is one of the best drummers today (fun fact: I saw Kotche's debut Wilco show at the First Avenue in 2001). During the live performance of
Via Chicago there's a a crazy part when the lights strobe on Kotche and he appears to be super-sped up, while the rest of the band are at regular speed, it's hard to describe, but it was cool and wow, what a drummer! There's no doubt Nels Cline is an incredible guitar player and his signature song with Wilco is the epic, Impossible Germany. Live and in person he dazzles effortlessly, his large frame manipulating all the sounds coming from his guitar. Sit back and really listen to this song, amazing! I was impressed, Wilco actually played the song I requested on Wilcoworld (you can request a song for every show), maybe my favourite song, Box Full Of Letters from the first Wilco album, A.M. Multi-instrumentalist, Pat Sansone was in the spotlight playing lead guitar and he proved the depth of talent within Wilco. I also considered requesting, Steely Dan's, Any Major Dude, a song Wilco has covered before.  The encore was great, the always pleasing, California Stars and a trio of Wilco classics from the Being There album, a terrific way to close the show.

I was impressed how good the sound quality turned out on the recording. Crisp, clear and balanced, about as good as you can ask. Of course, being part of an audience there is the usual hooting and hollering close by and some loud clapping from the guy beside me, but it isn't an issue. This is the sixth time I've seen (and recorded) Wilco and definitely this live recording sounds the best. If you ever have an opportunity to see the band live, see them! Oh yeah, after this current tour which also takes them to Europe (hopefully), in August they begin a tour with Sleater-Kinney through the states...hmmmm, what are my summer plans?
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell of profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)
Please share!

WILCO
Centennial Concert Hall
Winnipeg, MB
March 11, 2020
AUD Master

Row 7 middle
Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar file

01. Bright Leaves
02. Before Us
03. Company In My Back
04. Can't Stand It
05. One and a Half Stars
06. Handshake Drugs
07. War On War
08. Hummingbird
09. Via Chicago
10. How to Fight Loneliness
11. Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season)
12. Random Name Generator
13. Reservations
14. Impossible Germany
15. Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
16. Box Full of Letters
17. Passenger Side
18. Everyone Hides
19. Theologians
20. I'm the Man Who Loves You
21. Hold Me Anyway
22. The Late Greats

Encore:
23. California Stars
24. Red Eyed and Blue
25. I Got You (At the End of the Century)
26. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

WILCO- 2020-03-11 Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar

Ho Ho, Wilco Is Coming Back To Town! Day 8: Live From The Horseshoe 1997

It's been over ten years since I've seen Wilco live and a lot has happened since 2008. They have since released 5 albums as Wilco and Jeff Tweedy has 3 solo records, a memoir book and an album as Tweedy, a side project with his son, Spencer. The band personnel is pretty much the same (which is good!) and they sound as strong as ever especially on their brand new album, Ode To Joy. I somewhat regret not buying tickets to their shows in St. Paul last month, but ode to joy they announced new tour dates for the new year a couple weeks ago. I was lucky enough to purchase tickets within the first few minutes of the first presale for the show in Winnipeg in March. They are prime seats close up (not too close) and dead centre. Looking forward to seeing the band closeup with the excellent sound quality at the Concert Hall.

Another interesting option to see Wilco live starts tonight for a four night run (Dec. 15, 16, 18, 19) at the Chicago Theater in their hometown of Chicago. The setlist of multiple night shows often unearth some deep cut gems and the band has such an expansive song selection it would be worth attending multiple nights.

An even better road trip would be in January when Wilco hosts, Wilco's Sky Blue Sky, a series of shows at the Hard Rock Resort Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. What better way to get away in the middle of winter than to enjoy sand, sun and Wilco! Not to mention all-inclusive which includes accommodation, food, drinks and the concerts with Yo La Tengo, Courtney Barnett, Calexico, Sharon Van Etten, Autumn Defense, Tweedy solo and Wilco three times. As tempting as this sounds, I'll pass as my funds will be running a little dry during this month, but hopefully this might become a semi-annual event? If so, I'll start saving soon!

To get you in the mood, I'm posting a Wilco show from over 22 years ago when they were touring their then new album, Being There. This was the album that broke Wilco to a mainstream, a masterpiece that landed on many critics "Best of" lists. Personally, this is the album that confirmed to me that Jeff Tweedy was the real deal as a gifted songwriter and dependable performer. I previously knew of Tweedy as a member of Golden Smog and of course, Uncle Tupelo, but he proved he could be a frontman with Wilco. This concert from the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto was broadcast on CBC radio is an excellent of a Wilco show from that era which included Bob Egan on pedal steel that gave the band a country-rock sound. The "Dueling Banjos" segment during Casino Queen is priceless. The show is edited for time, it omits 5 songs from the concert (Why Would You Wanna Live, Kingpin, Outtasite, The Lonely 1, Gun), but the sound is impeccable and the performance is amazing! Seeing Wilco in such a intimate venue would be something to see, they were on the verge of future greatness at the time, so this is a very memorable show! A must-hear!
Enjoy!

#13yearsoftrouble
Please do NOT sell!
Do NOT trade this in lossy format
Convert to lossy for personal use only

WILCO
Horseshoe Tavern
Toronto, On
February 19, 1997
CBC-FM Broadcast

01. Misunderstood
02. Far, Far Away
03. Forget The Flowers
04. That's Not The Issue
05. Someday Soon
06. New Madrid
07. Pick Up The Change
08. Red-Eyed And Blue
09. I Got You (At the End of the Century)
10. Someone Else's song
11. I Must Be High
12. Passenger Side
13. Hotel Arizona
14. Monday
15. Box Full Of Letters
16. Casino Queen / Dueling Banjos
17. Outtro

63:42

WILCO- 1997-02-19 Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON FLAC. rar

Minus 5- Lounge Ax, January 9, 2000

Hey music fans, this Saturday, April 19 is the seventh annual Record Store Day! (RSD Canada) Its purpose is to celebrate the culture of the independent record store. Just to clarify, I mean independently owned, no corporate chain stores, not Starbucks, not iTunes or Apple Store, but the once dying breed, the record store. In the past several years, there has been a revival in vinyl, which is a good thing because so many people nowadays listen to their music on their phones or other "smart" devices more for the convenience than for the music listening experience. The sound quality of these pathetic "music listening" devices is so crappy sounding our perception and standards of quality music have been lowered. Many are clueless to the low fidelity and many don't care. Blame mp3's, blame iTunes, blame the internet, blame American Idol...these are all part of the problem and Record Store Day is about the awareness of good music, getting back to how music was bought and listened to in my day (yes, I'm sounding old!). The memories of hanging out at the record store, browsing through the racks and discussing new releases and must-haves with staff and friends is the culture of what RSD is trying to recreate. Think of the record store as the organic food version of music, it tastes and sounds better and you'll feel better about yourself for caring about your health and well being.

One of the highlights of RSD is the exclusive releases sold at stores. A pdf list of what's available is here. One release that caught my attention is the Minus 5- Scott the Hoople In The Dungeon Of Horror. It will be only released on vinyl (5 record set) and limited to only 400, the price is somewhere in the $89 dollar range. I haven't been on the ball enough to request it from my local stores and I'm not sure if it will be in stock here. Also I'm working this Saturday so I won't be able to shop in person, if anyone has any ideas or help about purchasing a copy, let me know. This record should be crazy good (5 discs?!!) and I'm such a hardcore Scott McCaughey fan this is a must-have.

To get you in the mood, I'm posting a Minus 5 show from 14 years ago. This was recorded during the final days of the Lounge Ax, a cool intimate club in Chicago, with Scott McCaughey and members of Wilco (with Jeff Tweedy on bass) as his backing band for a make shift version of the Minus 5 opening for Summer Teeth (Wilco). Most of the songs during the set were new songs written for the occasion that had never been performed before and the band played them without a rehearsal, some of the songs were eventually recorded and later appeared on the In Rock album. This remains one of my favourite Minus 5 live recordings, loose, fun and some amazing musicianship.
Enjoy!

MINUS 5 (w/Wilco)
Lounge Ax
Chicago, IL
January 9, 2000
SBD

01. Courage Is The Smallest Bird
02. In A Lonely Coffin
03. I'm Not Bitter
04. Dear Employer
05. Lies Of The Living Dead
06. The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 1
07. Disaster Nurse Fan
08. I've Got A Lyrical Stance
09. The Night Chicago Died Again
10. Last Call For Corporal Barry
11. I Still Miss Someone *
12. Home Of The Blues *
13. I Wish I Was Your Mother

Minus 5: Scott McCaughey & Wilco with Kelly Hogan and Jon Langford*

MINUS 5- 2000-01-09 Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL FLAC. rar

Wilco- Live On Letterman Webcast, September 21, 2011

photo by Heather Wines/CBS 2011

I promise this will be the last Jeff Tweedy-related for a while, but this show was too good to pass up. This is the live webcast concert for Wilco's performance on the Letterman show as the band played a mini-concert, that I assume was broadcast live over the web, as well as the taping for the song that would appear on the show that night.  Anyways, the sound quality on this is almost perfect and could easily be officially released (let me know if this is commercially sold) with the band performing songs from their (then) forthcoming album, The Whole Love. I've included the audio tracks from the show and at the bottom of the post the video of the "Live On Letterman" broadcast.
Enjoy!

WILCO
Ed Sullivan Theater, NYC
September 21, 2011
"Live On Letterman" webcast
Soundboard

1. Intro
2. Art Of Almost
3. I Might
4. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart>
5. One Wing
6. Born Alone
7. Whole Love
8. Handshake Drugs
9. Jesus Etc.
10. Impossible Germany
11. Dawned On Me
12. War On War
13. Shot In the Arm
-----------------------------------------------------
14. Born Alone #

#="Late Show With David Letterman" 5pm taping

Jeff Tweedy - guitar, vox
John Stirratt - bass, b.vox
Nels Cline - guitar
Glenn Kotche - drums, percussion
Pat Sansone - multi-instrumentalist
Mikael Jorgensen - keys

WILCO- 2011-09-21 Letterman webcast FLAC. rar

I was also considering posting the WXRT-FM live broadcast of the Wilco concert from Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Geneva, Illinois from this past Sunday, but it's a large file so instead here are the links where you can download the concert.
WILCO- Geneva, Illinois, July 8, 2012, WXRT-FM broadcast
Dimeadozen- (members only)
bt.etree.org

The Minus 5 Gets Down With Wilco- September 15, 2001

Actually, it was more like Scott McCaughey and Wilco, on this night 9 years ago, today. Four days after the horrific events of 9/11 at the World Trade Center, the Minus 5 and Wilco performed a show at the Abbey Pub in Chicago to try out some new material they had just recorded together that would later surface as, Minus 5-Down With Wilco. During the first set, Scott fronted the Minus 5 with the members of Wilco as the supporting band (usually the band consists of Scott with Peter Buck and a rotating cast of band members which sometimes includes, John Ramberg, Ken Stringfellow and Bill Rieflin). They were more than a regular backing band, as earlier in the week that had been in the studio working on this collaborative album. The band showcased "never before performed" songs that would be on the album. One of the songs they recorded and performed on this night, I'm Not Bitter was in fact recorded on 9/11, which included the ironic line, "But I'm not bitter, I'm not bitter, not at all, just a lot". This song was written by Scott and Tad Hutchison (from the Fellows) 10 years earlier and Scott recorded it originally with the Young Fresh Fellows as a b-side to I Hate Everything, released in 1991.

The second set of music was Jeff Tweedy and Wilco, performing several songs from their yet to be released album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as well as earlier material. Scott returns for the encore with a few more songs from the Minus 5/Wilco band. An amazing night of music and it was probably a good break for the band after days together in studio and their it gave their fans a night to let loose after the intensity and devastation of the previous days events. This is a great sounding recording and one of my personal favourite shows!!

MINUS 5 and WILCO
Abbey Pub
Chicago, IL
September 15, 2001

Set 1
The Minus 5:
01: Intro: Wilco #2
02: Life Left Him There
03: Retrieval Of You
04: Where Will You Go?
05: Daggers Drawn
06: That's Not The Way That It's Done
07: Days Of Wine And Booze
08: I'm Not Bitter
09: View From Below
10: The Night Chicago Died
11: (I've Got) A Lyrical Stance

Set 2
Wilco:
01: I'm Always In Love
02: War On War
03: Pick Up The Change
04: Should've Been In Love
05: I'm The Man Who Loves You
06: Ashes Of An American Flag
07: Hesitating Beauty
08: Passenger Side
09: Shot In The Arm
10: She's A Jar
11: California Stars
12: Outtasite (Outtamind)
13: Sunken Treasure

Encore:
Minus 5/Wilco:
14: Break/Crowd Noise
15: Modern World
16: I Wish I Was Your Mother (Tweedy vocal)
17: Lies Of The Living Dead

MINUS 5- Live At The Abbey (set 1) 9-15-2001. rar
WILCO- Live At The Abbey (set 2) 9-15-2001. rar