i will try to understand

Either way.

Jeff Tweedy, the Fillmore, October 5, 2018

Ahhh, back home, to the show I most wanted to see in the venue that I treasured the most, especially in comparison to the seated shows in Vancouver and Seattle. But fact ended up much stranger than fiction by the end of the night.

The evening started out well enough, the San Francisco's enthusiasm readily apparent. Jeff started with a bunch of new songs, and the crowd was receptive, if slightly more restless than the usual rapt audience. It was a Friday night, after all. I took Jeff's choice of playing unreleased tracks as a sign that he trusted the San Francisco audience enough to give them a chance. I think we did, for the most part, including for the languorous "Remember the Mountain Bed," though the typical interjections flew between songs.



I had brought my friend Dean, who was seeing Jeff solo for the first time. He was an Uncle Tupelo fan, so we were both thrilled to hear "New Madrid" early on. Later, he got to hear "Acuff Rose" during the encore for an extra treat.

I guess I might as well jump into the incident now. About halfway through the show, Jeff got into an extended exchange standing front and center. Believe it or not, I was off to the side, so I didn't quite understand what was happening immediately. Apparently, the man said something in support of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. They went back and forth for a little while, and from what I can recall, the man at one point said Kavanaugh "ratified Roe." Jeff's reply: "You don't know what 'ratify' means." (My aside: And even if he did, he's wrong because there's no way in hell that Kavanaugh will support Roe v. Wade in its current form.)

I can't tell you how long they debated, but it felt like forever, and we could see both Fillmore security and Jeff's tour manager moving toward the man. From my vantage point, I could see the guy doing the classic bully pose of pointing and jabbing his finger in Jeff's direction, as if physical intimidation is his normal go-to strategy. Jeff didn't back down from his own stance, and eventually, the guy was kicked out of the show, though his wife and preteen child stayed. Jeff gave the boy his harmonica and holder as a peace offering, though I don't know if it helped.

After the show, I heard from more than one friend who said Jeff probably let the scene go on for too long and that maybe he could've handled it with his more customary sense of caustic humor. All I can say is I admired Jeff's support and his affirmation. For many of us, the Kavanaugh hearings brought up cutting emotions. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I cried at my desk for many days over the testimony of Dr. Ford and the revelations from women who had gone through their own ordeals. Perhaps Jeff knew those feelings too, and perhaps they were as important to him. It's not often you hear from such a strong ally from his own platform like that.

As you can imagine, the confrontation hung over the rest of the show, though the man was gone. Jeff recovered as best he could, and it was the perfect time to bring out "Let's Go Rain," singalong and all. Even better, he played my request for "Either Way" right after. Yes, I admit I voted a few times on Wilco's website, but after Jeff's reports at the Pacific Northwest shows that people mostly voted for one song each, I figured I could stuff the ballot box a little. For the record, I think I cast a grand total of three votes. Plan accordingly if you want to rig the results on your own!

Also, I'm jaded and I've attended way too many Jeff and Wilco shows, but tonight "Jesus etc." was the perfect choice to follow the heckler, as were all the other songs we could sing along to.

I've seen lots of memorable shows at the Fillmore. Add this one to the list, though maybe not for the reasons I'd like.

See also:
» make something that no one else has
» the old buildings downtown empty so long ago