one sunday morning

Now we're talking -- this is a place I know well, where I've fostered lots of great memories, and am bracingly familiar with all the rules about lining up and getting in. If you don't mind the (euphemism alert!) colorful foot traffic around 6th and Market, the Warfield is a prime spot to catch a show, and it's about time Wilco played once more within San Francisco city limits.

Wilco, the Warfield, January 29, 2012: How has it been 10 years since Wilco last played the Warfield?! A lot has changed since then -- er, in the world at large, I suppose, but you don't come here for socio-political analysis, so let's bring it back to a narrower focus. Not only has the band undergone well-documented shifts among its personnel in that time, but I've experienced something similar in my own insignificant way. Where I once had to drag kind, generous, well-intentioned but ultimately indifferent friends to the shows, I can now look forward to joining a roster of self-selecting nutjobs braced for this choice slab of Mid-Market. The dream is real!



Then again, maybe the differences aren't so dramatic. For one thing, the fully functioning smoke machines brought me right back to the hazy photos I took with my film camera back in 2002; it's probably a good thing the band now enforces a no-camera policy. Also, I thought the "Sunken Treasure" opener sounded familiar. I brushed it off as a blurred memory from more recent gigs at the Greek Theatre, but the Internet has confirmed my suspicions -- according to Wilcobase, the band had kicked off with the same title back in 2002.

After the lively show in San Jose, I was surprised by Wilco's moodier presentation for San Francisco. We were remarking on it among ourselves when Jeff spoke up and admitted to a "morbid" set. Not that he disavowed it, nor did we expect the band to suddenly turn into a pop machine -- they wouldn't be Wilco and we wouldn't be fans if it was all sunshine and light. Still, it wasn't what I expected of the group's return to one of its most faithful and long-standing fan bases outside of Chicago.

Despite this slightly downtrodden setlist, the band managed to pull out a bunch of tunes I wanted to hear, including "Either Way," which is one of my favorite titles from the current lineup. Once more, the audience chimed in beautifully; trust me, when you live in San Francisco, it's not unusual to tell yourself maybe the sun will shine today and the clouds will roll away. I always hope "Either Way" will enjoy a more regular spot in the rotation and not become a forgotten track -- I'll take this as a good sign.

From a purely selfish standpoint, "Misunderstood" came a day late, but I liked that they threw in a couple of A.M. tracks for the longtime fans surely among the throngs. Additionally, the "Laminated Cat"/"Impossible Germany" combo could be a masterclass in fantastic guitar licks.

The rocking tracks came out later in the show, but once again, "The Lonely 1" iced the evening. It was a lovely touch at the Palladium, but it better matched the mood of this often gray and foggy town.

See also:
» my mother's sister's husband's brother
» so flattered by fate

my mother's sister's husband's brother

After an up-and-down week in Los Angeles, it was time to come home for the second half of Wilco in California, starting out with my roots and the San Jose Civic Center.

Wilco, San Jose Civic Center, January 28, 2012: I'm a Bay Area girl at heart, and my life experiences were primarily shaped by my time in three cities, San Jose chief among them. It's where I grew up, met some of the most influential people in my life, and indulged in my first ridiculous inclinations as an overzealous music fan. (Ask me how many buses we took to get to Tower on Bascom!) My family still lives there, along with good friends. I grow defensive about its reputation as a bland suburb -- never mind I plotted my escape from the age of 12 or so -- but San Jose also offered a steady stream of record shops, college radio, and arthouse cinema when I was growing up. Now, for the second time in eight years, Wilco was in town for a gig.

Back in 2004, Wilco played the San Jose Center for Performing Arts, a site I know well, thanks to all the Vietnamese cultural events I watched there. It wasn't necessarily one of the band's best shows, but it was a memorable night for me. After all, Wilco in San Jose?! Shut up! But I also got to hear "Misunderstood," very much in my old neighborhood, and my friends came over for my mom's amazing -- if I do say so myself -- pho.

As for the Civic Center, I had my doubts about this show. For one, I was completely unfamiliar with the venue, other than the fact that my cousin's high school graduation took place there. Also, though Wilco's San Francisco and Oakland shows sold out almost immediately, tickets remained available for this gig for several weeks. Finally, it'd been a long time since I've seen a concert in San Jose proper (not to be confused with Saratoga, despite Jeff's comments about wine-related tweets); I had no idea how the crowd would welcome them.

As it happened, my concerns were for naught. The fans roared from the outset and didn't let up for the whole gig, the band was incredibly in sync with one another, and they maintained a good tempo with the setlist. I didn't get "Misunderstood," but then again, I put in one vote about a month ago. The top ballot choice turned out to be "(Was I) In Your Dreams" -- no offense to the song itself, but it's not an obvious choice, even among die-hard fans. I loved "Art of Almost," even more than the already impressive versions I heard earlier in the week. In San Jose, thanks to the expert placement of a speakers for the audience, I felt the electronic drum beats coming from Glenn's kit. I only wish I had a kidney stone or two that needed dislodging! Jeff's shout-out to Jane Smiley's boyfriend -- in attendance that evening -- was a sweet touch too.

Here's the key to understanding this gig: San Jose is in many ways a tertiary market. Though it's the third-largest city in California and gets plenty of huge shows at the HP Pavilion, midlevel bands like Wilco don't come along often. And if you live in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Gilroy, and further points south, a gig in San Jose is a treat compared to the trek to San Francisco or Oakland. I don't expect many artists to add San Jose to their itineraries, but I always hold out hope that my overlooked town will get more attention.

After an anticlimactic end to the L.A. shows, it was great to kick off the Bay Area mini-residency with a fantastic gig. There really is no place like home.

See also:
» when nobody gives a fuck
» can't stand it

can't stand it

There was some question on whether to attend this show or another engagement on the other side of town, but not so much for me. It'd been too long for my tastes since I'd seen this band (er, the previous two shows notwithstanding), so off to the Los Angeles Theatre it was for Wilco's last night in the Southland.

Wilco, Los Angeles Theatre, January 27, 2012: Finding information on the Los Angeles Theatre was far more difficult than you could imagine. Try Googling "LA theatre" and you'll find a bunch of links to the general theater scene in Los Angeles, but almost nothing on the classic movie house downtown. In fact, the guy at the Garlin/Tweedy conversation at Largo on Monday night who claimed that his great-grandfather designed the theater probably offered more information on the locale than anything you could find in a Web search. It's kind of a shame because the Los Angeles Theatre is worth knowing, with an incredible history and a breathtaking design. We heard from several people that we should check out the bathrooms, and I can assure you they deserve a look.

As for the show itself, well, you might know my bias toward seated versus general admission gigs, but they have their time and place. Truth be told, I didn't particularly feel like standing up for much of the first half of the show, despite the urging of various audience members. Maybe it was the choice of more mellow album tracks such as "Black Moon," "Open Mind," and even the magnificent acoustic full-band version of "Spiders," but I was perfectly happy to warm my seat for a while. It took "Can't Stand It" -- and a small admonition from Jeff -- before the room united in the decision to stay on our feet for the rest of the gig.

On the other hand, it was the first time I was able to take in the band's more multimedia presentation, including the full context of projections and other aspects of their light show. And it sounded great from my vantage.

Jeff referred to the Grammys and the band's upcoming appearance at the show, but if anyone's votes are still out, the band may have a lost a few points on a couple of details: (1) Jeff's flubbing of the lyrics on "Radio Cure," and (2) his admission that the version of "Red-Eyed and Blue" on Monday night was a fiasco. If any song can take on a little roughness around the edges, "Red-Eyed" is it. Besides, it's not like I'm about to refuse the chance to hear a welcome rocker on any day.

Next up: Back home!

See also:
» so flattered by fate