Wilco In Brooklyn

  Wilco 6/26/07 
  Originally uploaded by muzikspy.

Wilco is one of my top ten bands based on any measure you want to use. Its been that way for the past six or seven years

When Jeff Tweedy comes to town, I go see him play. And he never lets me down

This week Wilco played two shows in NYC, last night at The Hammerstein in Manhattan and tonight at The Warsaw In Brooklyn

Even since Jackson told me about eating perogies, drinking polish beer, and listening to Paul Westerberg, I've wanted to see a show at The Warsaw

Tonight it happened courtesy of Basquali, the owner of a hipster cafe in fort greene brooklyn called Smooch. You see the Warsaw show sold out in about five nanoseconds. You don't get to see Wilco very often in a venue that small

But thankfully Basquali makes the best coffee in Brooklyn and as a result he knows a few people. One of whom got him and a few friends into the show. I was fortunate to be one of his friends

The current Wilco lineup is the best yet. Nels Cline and Glen Kotche in particular are master musicians

The version of Ashes of American Flags that Wilco does these days is vastly superior to any other simply because Nels Cline lays down a mesmerizing solo, ala Jerry Garcia, at the end

But as strong as the band is, I couldn't help but think that Tweedy may never write songs like the ones he wrote on Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Writing songs that intense and personal could kill a man and maybe it almost did. Jeff's a happier person now and his songs reflect it. I enjoy the new stuff for sure, but it doesn't give me the chills like the those two amazing records, the ones his label hated, btw

Wilco played something like eight encores tonight and ended with Woody Guthrie's Hoodoo Voodoo and The Replacement's (actually Wilco's) Outtasite (Outta Mind)

They rocked and I loved it. Like every other Wilco show I've been too

I've been seeing a lot of 20 something bands lately and often am among the oldest people in the room. It was nice to be back among my generation. The Wilco generation that still loves rock and roll.

Misunderstood - Wilco - From Kicking Television They opened with this - a gift to all of us who still love rock and roll

Thanks to muzicspy for the photo that decorates this post. That was taken last night at the show, a bit closer to the front than where I was. Here's the whole photoset from the show.

Comments

[MrBradshaw]

It's amazing that a band that good was dropped by Warner Bros. back in 2001.

It took Wilco 4 years to find themselves, break out of their alt country sound and deliver Summerteeth (6 if you include their first incarnation as Uncle Tupelo). They were just blooming into what we see now. But, the major label was ready to drop them even then.

It took another label with vision, Nonesuch, that isn't bound by quarterly revenue goals to allow them to grow and release their albums. Fortunately for Warner Nonesuch was distributed by them as well. They got lucky.

That's why the major labels are in such trouble now. They are under so much pressure to deliver hits because of revenue targets that they can no longer follow thier gut, listen to that inner voice and say, "you know what... I love this band. Let's stick with them and see where they take us."

You have to give TRUE artists that you believe in like Jeff Tweedy time to develop. That's why labels like Capitol, Elektra & Atlantic in the old days gave us so much catalog that we still enjoy today. They knew how to balance art and commerce. They cranked out the cheap hits to keep the lights on sure, but when a band like Pink Floyd came along they knew they had something. Even if took years to get a hit record they stuck with it. That gave us The Wall which is one of the top 3 selling catalog albums to this day. I'm willing to bet it's outselling a lot of newer hit albums on ITunes as we speak.

If more labels were allowed to follow their gut over the past decade we would have a lot more music we truly love instead of the cheap hits on the radio today that no one wants to hear again in 2 years. That would obviously be good for the business.

We can't be too hard on them though, thanks to going public and being bought by PE money they have to deliver profits at all costs QUICKLY.

It's kinda hard for anyone to follow their gut longterm when they feel like they may be fired at any time.

Oh well. The cat's out of the bag now. Let's see if the Myspace/YouTube/Ad-Supported-Music world will give us the next Tweedy.

[Chapell]

Yes, GREAT show last night. Just moved around the corner from Warsaw a couple of weeks ago, and am really digging the music over here. Violent Femmes on Sat, Wilco last night, and heading to Luna tonight.

[Paul]

I nearly traded my Ryan Adams tickets in Philly for this show. I'm becoming a bigger Wilco fan everyday, but I still prefer the alt-country stylings of Mr. Adams.

[Jake Parrillo]

Give the new record more time, Fred. It's pretty personal, too. Give track 8 a few listens - great organ. It's a pretty great record.

[jackson]

How were the perogies and keilbasa?

[david hyman]

i love wilco. they are probably my favorite active american band. i cannot wait for shows at the greek theater in berkeley (basically, my back yard).

[lawrence]

Fred, couldn't agree more with your take on Wilco. Here's a review that I wrote recently of Sky Blue Sky:

"Another nice record from Wilco, but I feel like that they might be losing that dark, hissing, undercurrent that made their music so unique. It still sounds pretty, but it feels like the edge is softening in favor of a bluesy, easy going style that is easy on the ears, but less powerful..."

[Lids]

I've never heard of this band as I'm in Sydney but your description makes me curious about them...talented song writers are hard to come by.

[Geof F. Morris]

Hey Fred:

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=508308 has a bootleg of the show to grab via BitTorrent. Looks like a good rig, so I'm betting it's a solid recording.