Golden Smog- Live At The First Avenue, April 3, 2022: Night 2

It was another amazing night of music in Minneapolis, as Golden Smog played the second night of their two-night run at the First Avenue. A set similar to the previous night, the band settled in quickly and seemed to be more relaxed and comfortable with their familiar surroundings. Once again, I was content with viewing the concert via: livestream with perfect sound and a clear view of the performers. I can appreciate the technology because now there is a much larger audience viewing this show from pretty much anywhere with the ability to watch the show on replay which would benefit viewers in other time zones that might not be able to watch it live. It was a wonderful concert and if you were lucky enough to view both nights, you were treated to a number of different songs from the night before. Let's cross our fingers it doesn't take another 15 years for the band with Jeff Tweedy to get together. I'm sure fans would love a new Golden Smog album and how about a tour of other cities so more fans can enjoy them in person.

Highlights:

• It's always a bonus when bands play some different songs on the second night and with three albums and an EP to their credit, they have no shortage of good material to play live. The first 6/7 songs in the set were the same (in the same order), as they switched in Making Waves in place of Yesterday Cried from Saturday's setlist. Different songs played on Sunday night: All the Same To Me, Easy To Be Hard (from the On Golden Smog EP), Frying Pan Eyes, Strangers (Kinks cover), Scotch On Ice, She Don't Have To See You).
• The chemistry between Jeff Tweedy and Gary Louris was in evidence again, especially during the acoustic songs they played together. Their guitar interplay was incredible! I knew Gary was an amazing guitar player, but Jeff proved he has some crazy chops as well, his guitar playing is so underrated. The overall musical talent displayed on stage by everyone in the band is a privilege to witness.

• It was also a bonus to have Jessy Greene perform live with the band. She played on Weird Tales and toured with the band previously. Her connection with the band goes beyond Golden Smog as she was a member of the Jayhawks and has played with Wilco and Soul Asylum. In fact, when I saw Wilco, in Minneapolis in 2001, Jessy made an appearance with the band for Jesus Etc. and her band, VioVoom opened.
• Before the encore, drummer, Jody Stephens took the mic to say, how incredible it was so spend time with the guys and "It's more thrilling to see you, thank you so much and incredibly thrilling to see these guys too". Listen for yourself towards the end of track 21.
• Sammy Tweedy once again came out to sing lead on Helpless.  He's a very fine singer and I'd be interested to hear more. He remained on stage for Until You Came Along, singing backup.
  

• Jeff and Gary hugging at the end of the first encore set! Touching moment, indeed. 
  

• Unfortunately, the second encore was cut from the live-stream, so it's not included in this recording. Apparently, everyone thought the show was over, including Nugs.net. To make up for it, here's a video somebody posted to YouTube of Revolution Blues, from the second encore.

Enjoy!! 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

GOLDEN SMOG
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
April 3, 2022
SBD> livestream
Night 2

01. Looking Forward To Seeing You
02. Lost Love
03. To Call My Own
04. V
05. Making Waves
06. Glad & Sorry
07. Red-Headed Stepchild
08. All The Same to Me
09. Easy To Be Hard
10. Frying Pan Eyes
11. Listen Joe
12. Long Time Ago
13. Pecan Pie
14. You Make It Easy
15. Ill Fated
16. Strangers
17. Scotch On Ice
18. She Don't Have To See You
19. Won't Be Coming Home
20. I Can't Keep From Talking
21. If I Only Had A Car

Encore
22. Please Tell My Brother
23. Radio King
24. Helpless
25. Until You Came Along

Jeff & Gary (acoustic) tracks- 11, 12, 22, 23
Sammy Tweedy (lead vocals) track- 24, (backing vocals)- track 25

GOLDEN SMOG- 2022-04-03 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC. rar

(note: There was a problem with the previous link, so I switched back to Adrive. Hopefully it's all good, but let me know if there are any problems...thanks!)

 

Golden Smog- Live At The First Avenue, April 2, 2022: Night 1

When Golden Smog opened their two-night stand at the First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis with Looking Forward To Seeing You, you knew the feeling was mutual for fans that have been waiting a long time to see the band. The band was to perform two years ago for the First Avenue's 50th birthday celebrations, but...you know what happened. The pandemic prevented plenty of live concerts from taking place and the First Avenue was no exception, but the hope was that Golden Smog would eventually comeback to  perform. I remember a few months ago, when this show was announced, I desperately wanted to travel stateside, but common sense told me it wasn't a good idea. The restrictions of travel to the US had loosened, but for how long I wasn't sure. I didn't want to risk buying a ticket with the possibility I couldn't travel to Minnesota (or the concert was cancelled), so I hoped for the best. I didn't have a chance anyways because the demand for tickets was high and it sold out quickly with a show added the next day. As luck would have it, Nugs.net would live stream the concert so I could watch the show in the comfort of my living room. You could purchase tickets for one or both shows, I opted to watch both shows because I didn't want to miss anything. I couldn't decide which night would be better, the first night would be the first reunion of the group in years and that would be cool to see or the second night could have different songs, a longer set or maybe a special guest. Well, it turned out the set structure was similar both nights with a couple different songs switched out, the second night had one more song and there were no special guests besides Jeff Tweedy's son, both nights (more on that later).

Highlights

• This was Jeff Tweedy's first show with the band in 15 years. You don't realize how many great songs Jeff contributed to the Smog, but his contribution is sorely missed from the set when he doesn't perform with them. He was relaxed and in great spirits both nights and it looked like he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. When he mentioned numerous times he was happy to see them and he missed these guys, I truly think he did, which hopefully translates to more possible appearances with Golden Smog. He's a busy man with numerous projects and arguably has been the most successful outside of the Smog, but he was gracious and really funny.

• The line-up was "Weird Tales"-era with Jody Stephens on drums, Tweedy and the addition of Jessy Greene on violin and backing vocals. Nice to see Dan Murphy since he's not with Soul Asylum any longer (I can't listen to Soul Asylum since he left) and he sounds good. I always thought Kraig Johnson's best work is in Golden Smog and Jayhawk-ers, Gary Louris and Marc Perlman are the heart and soul of the group.
• Gary and Jeff did a couple mini acoustic duets together and they sounded wonderful together. Their harmonies and guitar interplay was beautiful and I'm wondering about the possibility of a collaboration together on record or shows. They're interaction throughout the shows was definitely a highlight.

• They played some familiar live covers (Signed D.C., Glad & Sorry, Love and Mercy, Starman) and during the encore, Jeff Tweedy's son, Sammy Tweedy did lead vocals on the Neil Young classic, Helpless. The youngest Tweedy son did a very commendable job in a special moment that must have made dad proud. Definite WOW moment!

• They closed the show with "Until You Came Along", which I consider their best song. A warm comfy, feel-good moment that ended as triumphantly as it started. Welcome back!
  

The recording is audio-only and the sound quality is amazing! I don't know if anyone recorded the show from the crowd, but it would be interesting to compare, as sometimes on the floor it captures the ambiance differently. There are a couple of glitches (towards the end of the first song and especially the last song), that appear on the replay of the video, so it is what it is. A thoroughly enjoyable concert that I still wish I was there to witness live, but this will do just fine!

Enjoy!

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from the recording!

Please do NOT convert to lossy formats

Please share!

*I will respect any requests from the band (please let me know) if they don't want the audio shared.* 

The Current has a real review of the show!

 

GOLDEN SMOG
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
April 2, 2022
SBD> livestream
Night 1

01. Looking Forward To Seeing You
02. Lost Love
03. To Call My Own
04. V
05. Yesterday Cried
06. Glad & Sorry
07. Red-Headed Stepchild
08. Starman
09. Walk Where He Walked
10. He's A Dick
11. Pecan Pie
12. Ill Fated
13. Long Time Ago
14. Signed D.C.
15. I Can't Keep From Talking
16. Won't Be Coming Home
17. You Make It Easy
18. Love And Mercy
19. If I Only Had A Car
20. Corvette

Encore
21. Radio King
22. Listen Joe
23. Helpless
24. Until You Came Along

Jeff & Gary (acoustic)- tracks 13, 21, 22
Sammy Tweedy (lead vocals)- track 23

GOLDEN SMOG- 2022-04-02 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC. rar

 

 (note: Having problems with OneDrive, so I've reverted back to Adrive for the download. Please let me know if there any problems downloading, opening and playing...thanks!)

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

Uncle Tupelo- Denmark 1993

Video still from Uncle Tupelo's last ever concert.

 With all the hoopla on this blog about the upcoming Replacements shows in Toronto, Chicago and Denver, it had me fantasizing about what other bands I would like to see reunite for a concert or tour. I started compiling a list of bands I would love to see reform and I would try to be there to witness this event. This list is by no means official in any way and the chances of any of these bands getting back together are remote at best, it's just a personal dream list in no particular order. Please feel free to add your two cents and suggestions.

• Uncle Tupelo
• The Kinks
• The Jam
• Plumtree
• Rockpile
• Brinsley Schwarz
• Modern Lovers (original line-up)
• Husker Du
• Mr. T Experience (classic lineup with Jon Von)
• Whiskeytown
• Bum

In the coming posts (or weeks), I'll explore some of these bands in more detail and hopefully I can find a show or two to post.

A reunion that would be near the top of my list is Uncle Tupelo. It's no secret Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar don't like each other and neither has any interest in playing together again, but it would be sure nice!

When they broke up (last show): Uncle Tupelo's last concert was May 1, 1994 at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis.

Why They Split: Egos, jealousy. Jay might have felt threatened by Jeff taking a more active role in the band. Also Jeff stroking Jay's girlfriend's hair caused further tension to an already disintegrating relationship.

Post Breakup: Tweedy and the rest of Tupelo formed Wilco, while Farrar started a new band, Son Volt. Wilco has gone on to be quite successful both commercially and artistically. They have taken their sound beyond the genre of No Depression alt-country to creative heights that make Wilco one of the most interesting American bands now. Jay Farrar has stayed closer to his roots with a sound steeped in Americana.

Odds of a Reunion: Doesn't look good right now, but you never know. I honestly believe this will happen eventually, maybe if Wilco takes a long break or if the right opportunity or a common cause brings them together. Many bands have buried the hatchet for a one-off or two if the money is right, but I don't believe this would be about money. I don't think Farrar wants to be upstaged by Tweedy and it would probably have to be an even split setlist (similar to their last show).

This is a great sounding recording that is sourced from a FM broadcast. This show features many tracks from the forthcoming album, Anodyne that was released later in the year. Tweedy and Farrar were still on speaking terms at this time.
Enjoy!

UNCLE TUPELO
Roskilde Festival
Denmark
July 3, 1993
SBD

01. Grindstone
02. Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down
03. True To Life
04. Chickamauga
05. Watch Me Fall
06. Anodyne
07. The Long Cut
08. Slate
09. Atomic Power (Louvin/Louvin/Bains)
10. New Madrid
11. Sandusky
12. Acuff-Rose
13. Steal The Crumbs
14. Looking For A Way Out
15. Nothing
16. Fifteen Keys
17. We've Been Had
18. Give Back The Key To My Heart (Sahm)
19. No Depression

UNCLE TUPELO- 1993- 07-03, Roskilde Festival, Denmark, FLAC. rar

Uncle Tupelo Demos Part 1- Colorblind And Rhymeless

For the next installment of my on-going series, "Before They Was Famous", I give you part one of a three part series, the Uncle Tupelo demos. All three of these self released demo cassettes were recorded before the first Uncle Tupelo album, No Depression (1990) was released. These rough and ready versions of many of the songs that make up the first album provide a good indication of things to come as their sound combines a fine blend of alternative rock and country, played with a punk attitude. They were considered the first alternative country band whose energy and authentic ability to teeter both genres have been a influence of the many "alt-country" bands that have followed. If you're a fan of bands like the Jayhawks, Bottle Rockets, Drive By Truckers or Tweedy and Farrar's bands, Wilco and Son Volt, these tapes (and all their official releases) will open your eyes to one of the greatest influential bands of the nineties. I've been wanting to share these demos for a while, so please have a listen and leave a comment. Enjoy! UNCLE TUPELO Colorblind And Rhymeless (1987) Before I Break I Got Drunk Screen Door Blues Die Hard Pickle River Download: Uncle Tupelo-Colorblind and Rhymeness .rar