City Maps & Handclaps: The Live Wilco Taper's Compendium
Volume 2: Milwaukee Summerfest Milwaukee, WI 7/4/98
Notes on the tape: This file is not intended to be downloaded as lossless files, but rather is to be intended as a study of the review in context, much like a podcast. I thought it would be fun to present it as a "tape", much like the way I started trading shows all those years ago. For high quality shows, check out the Wilco archive on the Owl & Bear Wilco archive. Remember, don't buy bootlegs and buy as much Wilco music as you can. If you haven't seen them live yet, then I'm not sure what you're waiting for!
Setlist: 1.Forget The Flowers 2.Hesitating Beauty 3.California Stars 4.She's A Jar 5.Christ For President 6.New Madrid 7.At My Window Sad & Lonely 8.Passenger Side 9.I Must Be High 10.Candyfloss 11.I Got You (At The End of the Century) 12.Monday 13.I'm Always In Love 14.Outtamind (Outtasite) 15.Hoodoo Voodoo 16.Casino Queen 17.Kingpin 18.Another Man's Done Gone 19.James Alley Blues
Highlights: This show is solid throughout for both the performance and content. Check it out! Source: SBD Quality: A- Running Time: 78 min.
In this installment of the Wilco Archive series, we focus on another summer festival show, as well as a second show to feature songs from Woody Guthrie. Since this year is the centennial of Woody Guthrie's birthday, what better way to celebrate his birthday than to play some of his songs. At this time, Wilco was at the end of their tour schedule; they had played several dates on the Fleadh Festival in the month of June and had performed songs from the newly released 'Mermaid Avenue' album. Two of the songs from that album, 'At My Window Sad & Lonely' and 'Another Man's Done Gone' made their public debut at this show. In addition, several songs from the album Summerteeth were performed at this show, nearly eight months prior to the release of the album. In more recent years, this is a practice that Jeff & Co. have departed from, much to the dismay of this writer. It does make sense to limit the output of unreleased material prior to public distribution in order to protect the creative process of songs from piracy and unfair public scrutiny. However, for a music geek such as myself, it was interesting to see songs evolve over time from their fruition to their true realization on a new Wilco album. I can remember the excitement of literally seeing a ghost being born over a two year period as songs from the album were given their public debut on the stage. Considering the fact that fans have compiled their favorite live versions of those songs into a "box set", I am certain I am not the only one who feels this way. That being said, the group has still been generous to fans by sharing each new album approximately a week before its release and has played a few of the songs from their most recent album at their own festival, Solid Sound. Also, as the group releases more material and becomes more comfortable in the arrangements of older material, some of which was rarely played in years past, there is still plenty to keep concertgoers happy. I was very pleased to hear 'Spiders (Kidsmoke)' recently in an arrangement that hearkened back to its early incarnation in 2002, with more of an emphasis on the backbeat of Glenn's drumming and the acoustic guitar. But I digress!
By this time, Wilco had been playing a few of the songs that would appear on the album Summerteeth the following year. The demos had been arranged and recorded as early as 1997! They also arranged and recorded the demos for Mermaid Avenue around the same time with Billy Bragg prior to traveling to Ireland to record the proper versions. Mermaid Avenue & Summerteeth were different in style, mood, & theme. But really is that just a surface perception? In a way, the songs on each album almost balance out. 'Candyfloss', a hidden track on the album Summerteeth, gives the listener the impression that it is a bubblegum song about being earnestly in love with someone that the speaker of the song cannot have. Is that really different from a song such as 'At My Window Sad & Lonely'. 'At My Window', on the surface, sounds morose and, well, full of loneliness. However, it also has a sense of hope to it as well. Why would the speaker of the song be still waiting at the window if there was absolutely no possibility that he or she would see the love of their life. 'Candyfloss', on the surface, sounds like a light and bouncy tune when you listen to it, but the speaker of the song speaks of his love interest's current boyfriend, the antagonist of the song, and how he wants him out of the way so he could have the girl of his dreams all for himself. Still, there's a sweetness to the tune as well; the speaker wants the girl of his dreams to know that he has just as much to offer her as her current romantic partner, even emphasizing that he smells pretty good, just like flowers. However, this could also be interpreted as an example of verbal irony, a hint of self-deprecation. He doesn't actually smell like flowers, but his sh** doesn't stink any worse than her current flame's does. Give the speaker a try and the girl of his dreams may find she's in for a pleasant surprise. The speaker's indication of smelling like flowers could also allude to the fact that he's constantly standing on her doorstep, holding a wilting bouquet of flowers and waiting for her to notice and appreciate his sincerity. While not dark in tone, it is not as light in its presentation as the listener may initially perceive. After all, the best sense of self-deprecation comes from not a rosy and romantic view of the world, but from a slightly jaded perspective. It comes from a person with a chip on their shoulder and a desire to show they have the smarts and the determination to pull off something that they have to prove; they just don't need to because they don't have to prove anything to anyone.
Perhaps due to the heavy emphasis placed upon the songs from Mermaid Avenue, an album in the vein of americana and folk influences such as The Basement Tapes, the show kicked off with an country style vibe with 'Forget The Flowers'. As was mentioned in the book Learning How To Die by Greg Kot, Jay Bennett was a driving force behind getting the band to work with Billy Bragg on the Mermaid Avenue sessions. Although Jeff was initially reluctant to work on the project, he obviously had changed his mind over time as to the relevance of the project. Even fifteen years following those recording sessions in Chicago and Dublin, Wilco is still performing songs from those two albums. The songs have certainly resonated with the audiences, 'California Stars' lending itself naturally to a crowd singalong. Jay's guitar playing that day was typically loose, but every note counted. You could hear the excitement that Jay felt being in front of that crowd and being on stage. His greatest joy was playing music; whatever neuroses was consistently plaguing him, when he was focused on the music, he was emotionally there in a positive way. 'Flowers' was followed up by 'Hesitating Beauty' from Mermaid Avenue. It was an excellent transition as it continued the tone and style of the opening song. It has a song that has remained a charming tune and apparently a favorite song that the band likes to play live. 'California Stars' is another song from the Mermaid Avenue album that is performed even to this day, although the song did take a brief hiatus for a period of time in the mid 2000s to give the song some breathing space. 'She's A Jar' followed and actually made its debut at this show. It was one of those songs that would remain a steady inclusion in the group's live canon. Although the arrangement in this performance does not deviate from the eventual studio release, it does have an emotional weight even early on, which is anchored by an emphasis upon the acoustic guitar in the mix. After slowing down on 'She's A Jar', the band picks up the pace again with 'Christ For President', another song from Mermaid Avenue. 'New Madrid', from Uncle Tupelo's album Anodyne felt heavier in this performance than its studio arrangement or even other live performances for that matter. The song had been a part of Wilco's live set since the group began performing in 1994; prior to this performance, the other performances did not sound much different from each other. However, this performance appears to chug along, almost sounding as if Creedence Clearwater Revival might have performed it back in its heydey. 'At My Window Sad & Lonely' was another song from Mermaid Avenue and a second new song to make its debut live. Again, this performance is anchored by the acoustic guitar in the mix; however, the song is made stronger by Jeff's singing performance. It feels as if each word is enunciated to drive home the sadness that the speaker of the tune. 'Passenger Side', from the group's debut, A.M., is a rather sloppy performance and one of the exceptions to an otherwise solid show. It is not that this performance is absolutely terrible; it is just that there have been better or more interesting performances of the song over the years. 'I Must Be High', another song from A.M., picks up the pace. It does not stand out from any other arrangement, but holds together better than 'Passenger Side' did. 'Candyfloss', a hidden track on Summerteeth, has not had an easy performance history. Even on the album, it was relegated to the basement, so to speak. It will pop up here & there in live performances, but never sticks around consistently, doomed to disappear for a year or so before popping up again at a random show. It is a song that deserves more of an existence in the live show; it would even serve as a nice contrast to 'Dawned On Me'. While both 'Candyfloss' and 'Dawned On Me' both have a pop rock sound, 'Candyfloss' is the brooding sibling who spends most of his time secluded and listening to the Cure while 'Dawned On Me' is the hopeful romantic blasting 'Free Falling' in his Camaro as he speeds down the highway, akin to Jerry Maguire. Fortunately, the voice behind 'Dawned On Me' is not tone deaf as Jerry Maguire was. 'I Got You (At the End of the Century)' was another song from Being There that has remained as a constant in the live canon; this was one of the few times following the release of Being There when 'I Got You' was not attached to 'Red-Eyed & Blue'. 'Monday' is yet another live staple that varies in how much it rocks from night to night but is a reliable easy rocker. 'I'm Always In Love' had already been part of the band's live act for a time prior to this show, but would not see a studio appearance until Summerteeth was released the following year. In the years following, it has taken on different tones depending upon the "theme" or common mood of each show, but is another dependable rocking song, one of the lighter songs in mood and tone on Summerteeth. 'Outtamind' continues the list of songs that have remained the core of the band's live set from night to night. It may not appear in every show, but you can depend upon it to be called on when needed, just as that ace sitting in the bullpen in the ninth inning who can be relied upon to save the game. 'Hoodoo Voodoo' is another song from the first volume of Mermaid Avenue that had already been part of the live set, but had only recently appeared on the studio album. In more recent years, the song has featured a guitar solo trade-off between Nels Cline, Jeff Tweedy, and Pat Sansone, akin to the alternating guitar solos in 'The End' by the Beatles. When performed in this way, it always gets the crowd going and clamoring for more. A year prior, 'Casino Queen' had taken on a life of its own in the live sets, many times featuring an improvisational bit in the middle. However, by 1998, it had returned to the structure of the studio arrangement. It would continue to be performed regularly, but would not appear as often as songs like 'Outtasite' or 'Monday'. 'Kingpin', another song from Being There, was introduced as a song written for festivals. Whether this is based in truth or merely a myth matters not; the song rocks! In the first few years following Jay Bennett's departure from the band, Kingpin all but disappeared from the nightly set list. However, in the band's homecoming shows at the Auditorium in 2003, the song was brought to life again. Since then, it has continued to appear from time to time and is always a crowd pleaser, typically incorporating the call and response in the vein of blues artists, which always gets the audience involved. 'Another Man's Done Gone' made its live debut at this show. Though this song is one of the shortest in the Wilco catalog, it is not without its emotional depth. I know every time I hear this song, it brings a tear to my eye. It appears on the Mermaid Avenue album, and it is one of the songs Woody Guthrie wrote in the twilight of his life, before the disease that completely overwhelmed his mind took hold. It is in the voice of a man who has no time to dwell any further on past regrets but to accept his lot in life. It is such a gravitating song for having nothing musically besides a voice and a piano. Every once in a while, it appears in a Wilco show, but then again is gone for several years. Perhaps the emotional weight of the song makes it difficult to perform on a regular basis. In many ways, it reminds me of 'It Makes No Difference' by the Band in both theme and tone. 'It Makes No Difference' is from the perspective of a narrator who has lived life, cannot look upon life too heavily with regrets, and is looking to the setting of the sun, the end of life. In Learning How To Die, Jeff described the approach to recording the Mermaid Avenue was similar to how the Band and Bob Dylan had recorded the Basement Tape sessions in Woodstock. It was very much about looking to past influences not to steal or copy but to be inspired by the artists and the voices of musical poets who had come before. I would not be surprised at all if 'It Makes No Difference' did influence Jeff's reading of Woody's lyrics; the song did not come from the Basement Tapes. However, Wilco has obviously been deeply influenced by the Band over the years, even going as far as including the Band's arrangement of 'I Shall Be Released' in their shows from time to time. In fact, Wilco performed the song with the Levon Helm Band at Wilco's own music and arts festival, Solid Sound, in 2011. Another connection between Wilco, the Band, and Woody Guthrie is the fact that the Band itself performed their own arrangement of Woody's 'I Ain't Got No Home'. Just as the show began on a note of an attitude stemming from americana, it comes full circle in the final tune, 'James Alley Blues', a song that had appeared on the tribute to Harry Smith, the producer of the Anthology of American Folk Music, with collaboration from former Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn. However, this tune would not continue in the setlist beyond the beginning of the new millenium.
Perhaps due to the heavy emphasis placed upon the songs from Mermaid Avenue, an album in the vein of americana and folk influences such as The Basement Tapes, the show kicked off with an country style vibe with 'Forget The Flowers'. As was mentioned in the book Learning How To Die by Greg Kot, Jay Bennett was a driving force behind getting the band to work with Billy Bragg on the Mermaid Avenue sessions. Although Jeff was initially reluctant to work on the project, he obviously had changed his mind over time as to the relevance of the project. Even fifteen years following those recording sessions in Chicago and Dublin, Wilco is still performing songs from those two albums. The songs have certainly resonated with the audiences, 'California Stars' lending itself naturally to a crowd singalong. Jay's guitar playing that day was typically loose, but every note counted. You could hear the excitement that Jay felt being in front of that crowd and being on stage. His greatest joy was playing music; whatever neuroses was consistently plaguing him, when he was focused on the music, he was emotionally there in a positive way. 'Flowers' was followed up by 'Hesitating Beauty' from Mermaid Avenue. It was an excellent transition as it continued the tone and style of the opening song. It has a song that has remained a charming tune and apparently a favorite song that the band likes to play live. 'California Stars' is another song from the Mermaid Avenue album that is performed even to this day, although the song did take a brief hiatus for a period of time in the mid 2000s to give the song some breathing space. 'She's A Jar' followed and actually made its debut at this show. It was one of those songs that would remain a steady inclusion in the group's live canon. Although the arrangement in this performance does not deviate from the eventual studio release, it does have an emotional weight even early on, which is anchored by an emphasis upon the acoustic guitar in the mix. After slowing down on 'She's A Jar', the band picks up the pace again with 'Christ For President', another song from Mermaid Avenue. 'New Madrid', from Uncle Tupelo's album Anodyne felt heavier in this performance than its studio arrangement or even other live performances for that matter. The song had been a part of Wilco's live set since the group began performing in 1994; prior to this performance, the other performances did not sound much different from each other. However, this performance appears to chug along, almost sounding as if Creedence Clearwater Revival might have performed it back in its heydey. 'At My Window Sad & Lonely' was another song from Mermaid Avenue and a second new song to make its debut live. Again, this performance is anchored by the acoustic guitar in the mix; however, the song is made stronger by Jeff's singing performance. It feels as if each word is enunciated to drive home the sadness that the speaker of the tune. 'Passenger Side', from the group's debut, A.M., is a rather sloppy performance and one of the exceptions to an otherwise solid show. It is not that this performance is absolutely terrible; it is just that there have been better or more interesting performances of the song over the years. 'I Must Be High', another song from A.M., picks up the pace. It does not stand out from any other arrangement, but holds together better than 'Passenger Side' did. 'Candyfloss', a hidden track on Summerteeth, has not had an easy performance history. Even on the album, it was relegated to the basement, so to speak. It will pop up here & there in live performances, but never sticks around consistently, doomed to disappear for a year or so before popping up again at a random show. It is a song that deserves more of an existence in the live show; it would even serve as a nice contrast to 'Dawned On Me'. While both 'Candyfloss' and 'Dawned On Me' both have a pop rock sound, 'Candyfloss' is the brooding sibling who spends most of his time secluded and listening to the Cure while 'Dawned On Me' is the hopeful romantic blasting 'Free Falling' in his Camaro as he speeds down the highway, akin to Jerry Maguire. Fortunately, the voice behind 'Dawned On Me' is not tone deaf as Jerry Maguire was. 'I Got You (At the End of the Century)' was another song from Being There that has remained as a constant in the live canon; this was one of the few times following the release of Being There when 'I Got You' was not attached to 'Red-Eyed & Blue'. 'Monday' is yet another live staple that varies in how much it rocks from night to night but is a reliable easy rocker. 'I'm Always In Love' had already been part of the band's live act for a time prior to this show, but would not see a studio appearance until Summerteeth was released the following year. In the years following, it has taken on different tones depending upon the "theme" or common mood of each show, but is another dependable rocking song, one of the lighter songs in mood and tone on Summerteeth. 'Outtamind' continues the list of songs that have remained the core of the band's live set from night to night. It may not appear in every show, but you can depend upon it to be called on when needed, just as that ace sitting in the bullpen in the ninth inning who can be relied upon to save the game. 'Hoodoo Voodoo' is another song from the first volume of Mermaid Avenue that had already been part of the live set, but had only recently appeared on the studio album. In more recent years, the song has featured a guitar solo trade-off between Nels Cline, Jeff Tweedy, and Pat Sansone, akin to the alternating guitar solos in 'The End' by the Beatles. When performed in this way, it always gets the crowd going and clamoring for more. A year prior, 'Casino Queen' had taken on a life of its own in the live sets, many times featuring an improvisational bit in the middle. However, by 1998, it had returned to the structure of the studio arrangement. It would continue to be performed regularly, but would not appear as often as songs like 'Outtasite' or 'Monday'. 'Kingpin', another song from Being There, was introduced as a song written for festivals. Whether this is based in truth or merely a myth matters not; the song rocks! In the first few years following Jay Bennett's departure from the band, Kingpin all but disappeared from the nightly set list. However, in the band's homecoming shows at the Auditorium in 2003, the song was brought to life again. Since then, it has continued to appear from time to time and is always a crowd pleaser, typically incorporating the call and response in the vein of blues artists, which always gets the audience involved. 'Another Man's Done Gone' made its live debut at this show. Though this song is one of the shortest in the Wilco catalog, it is not without its emotional depth. I know every time I hear this song, it brings a tear to my eye. It appears on the Mermaid Avenue album, and it is one of the songs Woody Guthrie wrote in the twilight of his life, before the disease that completely overwhelmed his mind took hold. It is in the voice of a man who has no time to dwell any further on past regrets but to accept his lot in life. It is such a gravitating song for having nothing musically besides a voice and a piano. Every once in a while, it appears in a Wilco show, but then again is gone for several years. Perhaps the emotional weight of the song makes it difficult to perform on a regular basis. In many ways, it reminds me of 'It Makes No Difference' by the Band in both theme and tone. 'It Makes No Difference' is from the perspective of a narrator who has lived life, cannot look upon life too heavily with regrets, and is looking to the setting of the sun, the end of life. In Learning How To Die, Jeff described the approach to recording the Mermaid Avenue was similar to how the Band and Bob Dylan had recorded the Basement Tape sessions in Woodstock. It was very much about looking to past influences not to steal or copy but to be inspired by the artists and the voices of musical poets who had come before. I would not be surprised at all if 'It Makes No Difference' did influence Jeff's reading of Woody's lyrics; the song did not come from the Basement Tapes. However, Wilco has obviously been deeply influenced by the Band over the years, even going as far as including the Band's arrangement of 'I Shall Be Released' in their shows from time to time. In fact, Wilco performed the song with the Levon Helm Band at Wilco's own music and arts festival, Solid Sound, in 2011. Another connection between Wilco, the Band, and Woody Guthrie is the fact that the Band itself performed their own arrangement of Woody's 'I Ain't Got No Home'. Just as the show began on a note of an attitude stemming from americana, it comes full circle in the final tune, 'James Alley Blues', a song that had appeared on the tribute to Harry Smith, the producer of the Anthology of American Folk Music, with collaboration from former Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn. However, this tune would not continue in the setlist beyond the beginning of the new millenium.
