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Wilco

by 35 Comments

Venue:

Annexet, Stockholm

Date: 04/11/2016

There is something magical about Wilco’s music – like the Tardis their songs are much bigger and more exciting on the inside, once you get past the unassuming exterior. And when you do so and really hear it, it becomes a companion for life. Good moments become better, and the bad stuff can be borne when accompanied and articulated by Jeff Tweedy and his sensational band.
Having been a fan from the beginning I’ve long regretted my missed opportunities to see them live (“only” managing to catch Jeff Tweedy himself on his solo/Tweedy tour) so seeing the ad in time to get a ticket for this gig made up for a lot of this year’s disappointments. And the actual gig made up for many more, this and all the other years of my life…
What we got was two hours of beautiful, funny and intelligent songs elevated live through some sensational playing from everyone on stage. I’m famously not a fan of guitar solos, put what Nels Cline, backed by Tweedy himself plus Pat Sansone, do to these tunes is really adding extra fireworks to the party. The mayhem of “Via Chicago” is exhilarating, and “Impossible Germany” becomes two sizes larger through the genius of Cline’s guitar. At one point when he’s furiously strumming his guitar he looks rather like the cartoon man on their latest album cover, after he’s been plugged into the electric socket… And as if this wasn’t enough, at one point he pulls out a twin necked guitar; very Afterword:y!
And so it goes on, every tune getting the treatment it needs to grow and soar, creating two hours of absolute bliss for a longtime fan. It takes an hour or so before Jeff starts talking to the audience, and when he does we get so excited and so many strange random shouts (“Show us your pigtails!”) flies back at him that he jokingly replies “See now why I waited so long to talk to you!” He then ask us to sing “the Swedish birthday song” for one of their stage crew, and we do, but one half of us sing it faster than the other to everyones mirth. The atmosphere – which is electric from the start – just keeps getting happier, friendlier and filled with so much love and appreciation for everything they do.
The posted photograph is unfortunately shite – because I managed in my excitement to turn a wheel on my camera and used some strange setting all the way through the gig – and in the dark I couldn’t see what the problem was, suspecting that my camera had been upset by the cold on the way there…imagine my Doh! moment when I got home and had a proper look at the camera… But I was too much in the moment of the gig to really be focused on taking pictures anyway – as it should be.
What else can I say? A wonderful setlist, of course; they’re in no shortage of great material! Five great tracks from the latest album, and classics from all of the others. Starting quietly with “Normal American Kids” and ending their second encore with a blistering version of “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”. Gorgeous performances of “I am Trying to Break Your Heart”, “The Late Greats”, “Misunderstood”, “If I Ever was a Child”, to name but a few that I remember, but really; there was nothing to fault with any of the tracks performed – the only complaint you could make would perhaps be personal favourites being left out of the set, but as Jeff said: “Because we’ve never had any hits, we can never play all of the favourites – because you all have different favourites!”

The audience:

Not enough of them – I don’t know if the halfterm holiday had something to do with it, or if the promotion was lacking (I certainly haven’t seen any posters anywhere, was lucky to spot a small ad in a magazine), but we certainly didn’t fill the hall. But everyone there were obviously mad fans, and very enthusiastic from start to end. From late teens to early 60s, both men and women and lots of couples, and quite a few Finns taking the boat over to Stockholm. Zero fuckwittery.
When I first arrived I thought we’d be even fewer, but I guess they were all hiding in the bar until it started.

It made me think..

Leaving the arena, with snow starting to fall gently down in the cold November evening, I felt warm all the way from my heart and soul out to my skin – the goosebumps were there for another reason.

5

Comments

      • It’s a Jerry Jones Neptune Longhorn with an unusual 12-string and a 6-string baritone neck. It’s the only one ever made and has special planet neck inlays.

        Jerry Jones made copies of Danelectro guitars in Nashville before closing down in 2011.

          • For those with 40 mins to kill, Nels Cline takes us through his guitars here. In true alt rock style all his instruments have been hacked, customised, bastardised and generally messed with. So virtually nothing he plays is what it seems.

            If you can’t handle the full 40 mins you’ll be relieved to know only the first 18 mins or so are about his guitars. After that it’s amps and effects.

            WARNING: contains guitar talk.

            • Thanks for posting that Johnny. I bloody love a Rig Rundown. I can happily listen for 20 mins to some bloke talking about the rig of a guitarist whose records Id turn off before the second verse.

              • Me too. I don’t own a single track by Wilco, but I loved every second of that. And it’s unusual to find the artist in question doing the Rig Rundown. They usually leave it to the guitar tech to do the talking

                • As I keep saying, and now say to you Conch, have a listen to Impossible Germany and the simply marvellous inventive soloing of Nels Cline. I don’t like his experimental white noise stuff but harnessed in Wilco he is sublime

                  • Wow! Three guitarists

                    I must admit, that was really rather special.

                    AND he’s playing the 1959 Fender Jazzmaster which opens the Rig Rundown clip above.

                    I think I’d enjoy seeing that live, even though it’s from a world I’ve seldom visited: heavy strings, making bending almost impossible and a kind of laidback Jerry Garcia approach to his soloing.

                    Some nice interplay between the three guitarists at the end though.

                • If you haven’t seen it, have a look at Daniel Lanois’ RR. One guitar, one pedal steel, one effect and some amps, but a fascinating insight into a musician building a sound.

  2. The first time I properly listened to Wilco was in Sweden. I was wintering in Ljungby at the turn of the century and among the bag of tapes I’d taken with me was a dub of my mate’s then-recent Summerteeth. I fell in love (in the key of C) and hearing Tweedy’s voice makes me think to this day of the smell of woodsmoke in the streets, the taste of filmjölk and the omnipresence of beeches.

    There – Sweden and Americana in one post, How Afterword is that?

    Thanks for the review Locust.

  5. Wonderful review Locust. Which got me kicking myself because I could have been there too.

    (But then again I did see Regina Spektor on Monday night (who was magnificent) and an avant garde Estonian film on Tuesday . There are just too many things to do in Stockholm!)

    And thanks to your marvdelous review, I at least get an idea of what I missed. Can not help wondering though whether I would have “recognised” you if I had been there. Those GCU GreyArea T shirts are a dead give away.

    • I’m glad you enjoyed Regina Spektor, like I said on the Blogger Takeover thread the reviews I read were rather grim. But it wouldn’t be the first time that a reviewer’s opinion differed from most of the rest of the audience…the picking of nits seems to be irresistible!
      But looking up the few reviews in for the Wilco gig just now, I see that both were enthusiastic (if not quite as fangirly as me)!

      You’d probably have scared some poor innocent woman, walking up to her and babbling insanely about insects and final chapters of books…Security would have thrown you out in no time!
      (It was like an airport getting in at the arena, I’ve never seen so many metal detectors before – but it’s been a while since I was at Globen.)

      • The security at Cirkus on Monday night also surprised me. Every single punter was bodysearched and no liquids of any kind were let into the building. (The friend I was with was livid about that as she always has a water bottle with her: she went off and hid hers in the bushes). I was so taken aback that I asked what it was they were searching for. Was it video cameras? (Could it be that RS’s management were afraid of bootleg filming?) That and other things: I was told. I was going to see a lass play the piano and sing some quite gentle ballads and I was getting the Full Airport Security Monty.

        Is this a Stockholm or a Swedish thing? Or can one expect to be frisked at every big gig one goes to?

        I bet they don’t body search everyone attending a classical music concert. Can you imagine them getting the metal detectors out at Berwaldshallen, Locust? Those feisty old ladies from Östermalm would not put up with that. They’d give the security a good sloshing with their handbag!

  6. I forgot to add that William Tyler was their support act, funnily enough since I bought his album Modern Country just before the Wilco album, so it sits just ahead of them in my 2016 playlist…
    I haven’t really warmed that much to the album however, the tracks he played were much better live but it clicked when he said “I do three kinds of songs; driving music, ghost stories and love songs” (it’s all instrumental, so bar the title you wouldn’t really know if any of them are love songs…) – it’s definitely music designed to listen to while looking at passing landscapes through a windshield. Listening at home while staring at your computer they make much less sense, even if they do have a slightly eerie charm.
    He’s not a bad guitarist, if you’re into that sort of thing (and I know quite a few of you are).

    The Wilco fans might be interested in the setlist. This is the official one that I can find, and it was printed by one of the newspapers as well; however another newspaper review also mentioned another song not on that list, and I can’t remember with absolute certainty if they did play it or not, so I can’t say this list is 100% correct, but yes; they did play these ones:

    1. Normal American Kids
    2. If I Ever Was a Child
    3. I am Trying to Break Your Heart
    4. Art of Almost
    5. Pickled Ginger
    6. Misunderstood
    7. Someone to Lose
    8. The Joke Explained
    9. Via Chicago
    10. Bull Black Nova
    11. Reservations
    12. Impossible Germany
    13. We Aren’t the World (Safety Girl)
    14. Jesus, etc
    15. Locator
    16. Box Full of Letters
    17. Heavy Metal Drummer
    18. I’m the Man who Loves You
    19. Dawned on Me
    20. Hummingbird
    21. The Late Greats
    First encore:
    22. Random Name Generator
    23. Theologians
    24. I’m Always In Love
    Final encore:
    25. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

    And the track probably in there with the encores was I Got You (At the End of the Century).

  12. Great review

    Off to them for the 6th time in a couple of weeks. I remember one review of a previous gig being ‘2 hours of middle-aged musicians playing for their own self-indulgent pleasure’ – and the problem is??

  13. They were fantastic in Paris last night, didn’t decide to go until 2 or 3 days before (hence the “2 or 3 times” in my post above) but I’m really glad we did. I’ve seen them many times but this is the first time with a stage set and light show – it really added to it. If you’re going along to Manchester on Friday or Brixton on Saturday I’ll see you there!

  14. Tickets on sale today for “Winterlude” late Feb in hometown Chicago. 3 shows. Am seriously tempted to fly down for them, these shows have been fairly “legendary” in the past, especially for the diverse setlists. They once played all songs they have ever recorded over 5 nights.

  15. Was at the Manchester gig last night and they absolutely smashed it. Nels solo on Impossible Germany was jaw dropping and Jeff’s voice was great throughout. Highlights for me were a terrificopening Normal American Kids, Via Chicago and a climactic Spiders.

    • The stage was too small last night for the stage dressing and lightshow that has been a feature at other gigs, the problems with the sound for the first 20 minutes didn’t help but once that was sorted it rocked. Impossible Germany, as you say, a standout but loving the new treatment of Misunderstood. My first gig at Manchester Albert Hall, that’s a high stage isn’t it? Last show of the tour tonight at Brixton.

    • I too was in Manchester last night for the majestic Wilco. The comments above say it all, the only thing I will add is that Jeff T and his mates were well up for it, f%@king superb!

      That was also a superb review Locust, Mr Tweedy was in a very good frame of mind last night but again only spoke after about 60 minutes.

      I was sat upstairs at first which was packed out then went downstairs for the last 30 minutes. The downstairs floor was packed tight, it must have been a full house. Jeff Tweedy had the crowd singing on several occasions. The young folk knew all the lyrics which was encouraging for a band over 20 years old.

      • It’s funny – when I saw him play on his Tweedy tour he talked a lot, almost between every song. Lots of interesting and funny anecdotes, random jokes, conversations with the audience. But I guess he doesn’t want Wilco gigs to turn into “The Jeff Tweedy Show” and focuses on the music and the band getting equal time in the spotlight.
        It seems they’ve been on excellent form everywhere, I’m green with envy of Mr. Tufnell getting a third chance to see them tonight. Hope it’s a great ending to a great tour!

  16. In case it differs from Sweden here is the setlist from last night:

    Normal American Kids
    If I Ever Was a Child
    Cry All Day
    I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
    Art of Almost
    Pickled Ginger
    Misunderstood
    Someone to Lose
    Pot Kettle Black
    Via Chicago
    Bull Black Nova
    Reservations
    Impossible Germany
    We Aren’t the World (Safety Girl)
    Box Full of Letters
    Heavy Metal Drummer
    I’m the Man Who Loves You
    Hummingbird
    The Late Greats
    Encore:
    Random Name Generator
    Jesus, Etc.
    Spiders (Kidsmoke)
    Encore 2:
    A Shot in the Arm

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