i've never heard wilco

[Dalton]

I have seen Wilco a few times (once opening for REM) and they have not impressed me as a "performance band", but they are certainly and incredible live band if that makes any sense at all....

 

[Zoomerang96]

no, that makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[Dalton]

no, that makes no sense whatsoever.

Hold on while I grab a big crayon so I can draw you a picture.....


Ok, here we go. Wilco are an amazing live band in the sense that their songs sound amazing live. They are truly world class musicians, but if you go to the show expecting a spectacle (a la U2) you will be disappointed. They are a fairly static band on the stage without a lot of crowd interaction. Now if you are a musician and love their music, you probably don't have a problem with that. I loved them live, but my friends who I took (both love the albums) did not like the shows because they "didn't want to just sit and watch some guys play music". They don't have an "performance."

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Well i'm not a Wilco fan (yet, see post above, sorry EP, but Radiohead + Arcade Fire are very addicting at the moment), but I thought the entire point of concerts are to watch a bunch of guys play music. Anything else is extra.

I think Zoomerang may put it more succinctly though.

 

[Dalton]

Well i'm not a Wilco fan (yet, see post above, sorry EP, but Radiohead + Arcade Fire are very addicting at the moment), but I thought the entire point of concerts are to watch a bunch of guys play music. Anything else is extra.

I certainly have no problem with that, hence I said that they are a great live band.

I do, however, believe that there is a distinction between being a great "live" band and a great "performance" band.

Example:

U2 is a better "performance" band than a "live" band. They are a very good live band, but you will hear bono miss notes and the band will be off cue at times. But their "performances" are always top notch.

Radiohead is a better "live" band than a "performance" band. In the few times that I have seen them, they have been PERFECT musically (quite a feat with their tunes btw), and while I loved their stage presence you could argue that they do not try to "perform" at their shows outside of their music.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Well's it kind of ridiculous to compare Wilco, not even close to being a household name and gets zero radio play, to U2, biggest band in the world. But I get what you're saying. Still, I disagree. Tweedy interacts with the audience quite a bit, tells stories and flirts with the ladies in his own way. They have been known to play for hours, but not in a Grateful Dead stoner jam way, but more in the Springsteen tradition of loving what they're doing so much they can't stop.

I don't know if you've seen the new Wilco play live but they are extraordinary to watch, kinda along the lines of watching Radiohead. As I've said before, they've got that mad scientest thing going on onstage.

I saw Wilco about two weeks before I saw REM last year. The difference was that I wasn't leaving Wilco until the lights came on and I was certain they weren't coming back. I was ready to leave REM to beat traffic when the first encore started. Now that's saying a lot about Wilco given that they opened for REM just a couple of years ago, and REM are one of the biggest bands in the world.

No, you're not going to get bells and whistles and Tweedy throwing himself into the audience and camping it up, but you'll get solid rock & roll and and one of the tightest bands you'll ever see.

 

[Dalton]

Tweedy interacts with the audience quite a bit, tells stories and flirts with the ladies in his own way. They have been known to play for hours, but not in a Grateful Dead stoner jam way, but more in the Springsteen tradition of loving what they're doing so much they can't stop.

I don't know if you've seen the new Wilco play live but they are extraordinary to watch, kinda along the lines of watching Radiohead. As I've said before, they've got that mad scientest thing going on onstage.

I like Tweedy, but I Jay Bennett stole the first show I saw. He was all over the stage.

I haven't seen them play for a few years, so things may be different, but even if they weren't I don't think it would be a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with not being a "performance" band.

BTW the night I saw them open up for REM, Wilco were by FAR the superior band. Amazing.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I like Tweedy, but I Jay Bennett stole the first show I saw. He was all over the stage.

I haven't seen them play for a few years, so things may be different, but even if they weren't I don't think it would be a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with not being a "performance" band.

BTW the night I saw them open up for REM, Wilco were by FAR the superior band. Amazing.

The guy that replaced Bennett is just amazing, and there is another guitarist/keyboard player that has a lot of energy and adds a lot to the show, too. Bennett kinda annoyed me but that's just me (maybe it's because of the documentary, lol). I would say that most bands aren't 'performance' bands like U2; they are the exception and very special.

yertle > Wilco take time, especially when in competition for listening time with other good stuff. I have faith you'll come around.