Balancing
Really weird week in the sense that there was no balance to it. It was either really great or really awful. Work was just terrible and stressful all week. However a couple of really, really great things happened to make up for the bad stuff. At least for the most part. Let's just focus on the good.
Saw Jeff Tweedy in Charlottesville Wednesday night. Really killer show. I've seen Wilco a million times, but never a Tweedy solo show. First the venue was the newly renevated and beautiful Paramount Theatre. Great lighting and acoustics. I was in the balcony, but still felt like I was up front. In fact, Tweedy started off and finished off without using the PA. He just stood up front with no mic and no pickup in his guitar. Seemed a little strange at first, but hearing the sound bounce around the theater was very unique.
Some great moments during the show. He was very chatty, but still very Tweedy. I can't remember being at too many Wilco shows without being berated by Tweedy at some point. Plenty of that at this show, but the berating very loving.
Plenty of great songs that I'd never heard live before. "Remember the Mountain Bed" was just beautiful. Great mix of pretty much every Tweedy project. I pretty much lost my shit when I heard him go into "Radio King." I never thought I would hear that song live.
All great, very intimate. The crowd was very silent, just transfixed. Except for the big dude next to me with bologna breath that kept trying to talk to me. Wait, only focusing on the good things.
Here's the full setlist (via WilcoBase):
01. Someone Else's Song (without PA)
02. Spiders (Kidsmoke)
03. Be Patient With Me
04. Remember The Mountain Bed
05. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
06. She's A Jar
07. Chinese Apple
08. Black Eye
09. One By One
10. What Light
11. The Ruling Class
12. In A Future Age
13. Cars Can't Escape
14. Wait Up
15. Theologians
16. Jesus, Etc.
------------------------
17. Heavy Metal Drummer
18. Radio King
19. New Madrid
20. A Shot In The Arm
------------------------
21. California Stars
22. I'm The Man Who Loves You
23. Acuff-Rose (without PA)
By the way the opening act, Tin Cup Prophette, was fantastic. In a nutshell: looped violins, many bells and chimes, sounded like an Aronofsky soundtrack.
The other really cool thing happened this morning. We had Richmonder David Lowery (Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven) on our morning talk show I direct. I was pretty excited about that. Before the show, I was in the control room helping with sound checks. Not really expecting to get an answer, I asked the PA helping to ask him to play "Take the Skinheads Bowling" (one of my favorite songs). After a few weird glances and him asking, "Who wants to hear that?" he went ahead and did a little acoustic performance of it. At that point, I sprinted out of the control room for the studio to sit next to him as he played it.
Pretty fucking sweet. A little performance of one of my favorite songs just for me. After he finished he said, "Was that good enough for your sound check? You know I'm not playing that during the show." I replied, "We already got the sound check. I just really wanted to hear that song." So cool. Nice guy too.
So strange week. Don't know if I would do away with the normal weekly balance and have either dramatic bads and goods, but it was okay for this week.
Saw Jeff Tweedy in Charlottesville Wednesday night. Really killer show. I've seen Wilco a million times, but never a Tweedy solo show. First the venue was the newly renevated and beautiful Paramount Theatre. Great lighting and acoustics. I was in the balcony, but still felt like I was up front. In fact, Tweedy started off and finished off without using the PA. He just stood up front with no mic and no pickup in his guitar. Seemed a little strange at first, but hearing the sound bounce around the theater was very unique.
Some great moments during the show. He was very chatty, but still very Tweedy. I can't remember being at too many Wilco shows without being berated by Tweedy at some point. Plenty of that at this show, but the berating very loving.
Plenty of great songs that I'd never heard live before. "Remember the Mountain Bed" was just beautiful. Great mix of pretty much every Tweedy project. I pretty much lost my shit when I heard him go into "Radio King." I never thought I would hear that song live.
All great, very intimate. The crowd was very silent, just transfixed. Except for the big dude next to me with bologna breath that kept trying to talk to me. Wait, only focusing on the good things.
Here's the full setlist (via WilcoBase):
01. Someone Else's Song (without PA)
02. Spiders (Kidsmoke)
03. Be Patient With Me
04. Remember The Mountain Bed
05. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
06. She's A Jar
07. Chinese Apple
08. Black Eye
09. One By One
10. What Light
11. The Ruling Class
12. In A Future Age
13. Cars Can't Escape
14. Wait Up
15. Theologians
16. Jesus, Etc.
------------------------
17. Heavy Metal Drummer
18. Radio King
19. New Madrid
20. A Shot In The Arm
------------------------
21. California Stars
22. I'm The Man Who Loves You
23. Acuff-Rose (without PA)
By the way the opening act, Tin Cup Prophette, was fantastic. In a nutshell: looped violins, many bells and chimes, sounded like an Aronofsky soundtrack.
The other really cool thing happened this morning. We had Richmonder David Lowery (Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven) on our morning talk show I direct. I was pretty excited about that. Before the show, I was in the control room helping with sound checks. Not really expecting to get an answer, I asked the PA helping to ask him to play "Take the Skinheads Bowling" (one of my favorite songs). After a few weird glances and him asking, "Who wants to hear that?" he went ahead and did a little acoustic performance of it. At that point, I sprinted out of the control room for the studio to sit next to him as he played it.
Pretty fucking sweet. A little performance of one of my favorite songs just for me. After he finished he said, "Was that good enough for your sound check? You know I'm not playing that during the show." I replied, "We already got the sound check. I just really wanted to hear that song." So cool. Nice guy too.
So strange week. Don't know if I would do away with the normal weekly balance and have either dramatic bads and goods, but it was okay for this week.
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