so much going on in my head

Rock tourism may be good for the soul, but this season, it's proving less than beneficial to my health, as I'm sick again after seeing Wilco in New Orleans. Granted, the recent string of local (and semi-local) shows probably didn't help either; it's just as well, then, that I'm sitting tight for the next couple of weeks.

Wilco, Tipitina's, March 5 and 6, 2008: Wilco's Chicago residency, understandably, sated many fans' appetites for the band, but it should come as no surprise that I'm not one of those people. In fact, it was with a somewhat heavy heart that I realized I had to decide between the New Orleans two-night stand and the Tulsa-Des Moines closer.

New Orleans won out for a number of reasons: I've always wanted to visit; the convenience of flying in and out of one city; avoiding yet another potentially freezing Midwestern locale. And am I glad I did--less than 24 hours after hitting the town, drinking up a double helping of the cafe au lait, and taking a couple of leisurely walks through the Garden District, I was fantasizing about living here (easy to say during a relatively temperate spell).



Tipitina's, too, did its part in casting the spell. As promised, it was practically a shack, an unassuming neighborhood bar on a nondescript corner of this otherwise colorful town. Inside, it revealed a balcony and begged to be compared to the other smaller spaces I've seen Wilco play. We thought of several analogous venues, but in the end, the comparison wasn't worth it. Tipitina's is both the bar you already know and a one-of-a-kind establishment.

Tipitina's intimacy turned out to have its pluses and minuses. On the positive side, the tight squeeze added a certain comic touch to the proceedings, as we watched the band duck in around the instruments to get to their spots and the various media crews find their places in the constrained pit area. And of course, it put the audience in closer proximity to the band than is customary these days.

This proximity proved distracting in more ways than one. For example, the level of chatter in the bar was louder than anything I've heard at a Wilco show in several years. Yes, I know it's a bar, and some mutterings are inevitable, and maybe Wilco gigs get a little self-serious at times. I'm also willing to admit that I probably take the matter way too seriously, but it was a nuisance nonetheless.



The discord took a bigger toll the second night, though, when early on, Jeff confiscated a camcorder from a guy near the front rail. Unfortunately, this would not be the end of their interaction, as the same guy and a friend [members of the self-proclaimed John Stirot (sic) fan club] managed to insert themselves in a drunken, extended conversation (?) with Jeff. Add to that the cacophony of voices yelling out requests and the band's off-mic observation that the crowd was "out of control" and we were looking down the neck of a potential full-scale derailment.



Thankfully, the band regained its momentum, and though I can't put my finger on exactly when the show became theirs again, I do recall that "Pick Up the Change" was lovely. That's not to say, however, that the start of the set was all interlopers and hecklers; the opening shot of "(Was I) In Your Dreams" and "Pieholden Suite" with the Total Pros on horns was a gorgeous distillation of what we heard during the residency.

On top of that, over the two nights, there was Nels's epic (even for Nels) turn on "Impossible Germany," Jeff forgetting the words to, appropriately, "Forget the Flowers," and the crowd-pleasing improv in "Kingpin," when Jeff changed the lyric to "living in New Orleans." The band's chemistry spoke volumes as well; as the gig progressed, they were back to their usual hijinks, including Glenn's grandstanding before "I'm the Man Who Loves You," Nels and Mike's ongoing amusements, and Pat's alarm improvs. We tried to help, too, even if it meant we might've been the only two people in the audience contributing backing vocals to "Someday Soon" and "Summerteeth" or hand claps to "Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)."

New Orleans turned out to host another sideshow of sorts, though less distracting than the one in the front row. There were a couple of proud dads, Mr. Stirratt and Mr. Sansone, in the VIP section, and joining them were some celebrities, both notable (John C. Reilly) and not.

John Doe opened the shows, and Nels joined him for a couple of numbers, including the blistering "Gimme Shelter." I also recognized his backing singer, Cindy Wasserman, from her time with Grant-Lee Phillips. I've seen John Doe only once before, during a Largo residency when he played each week with a different musical guest (I wonder who he collaborated with the week I saw him!). In contrast to that show, John seriously rocked with this band. Jeff thanked John more than once during the show, and on songs such as "Too Far Apart," his influence came through loud and clear.

See also:
» i've run out of metaphors
» falling, yes i am falling

falling, yes i am falling

December spawned a monster--though for better or for worse, I'm unqualified to judge.

John Doe plays and presents Jon Brion and Ben Weaver, Largo, March 2, 2006: A mouthful, isn't it? My research turned up no hints as to what the night would entail, and the message on Largo's machine wasn't very helpful either--as if I'd pass up this wisp of an excuse. Even better, Evonne was kind enough to let me crash her reservation (and on her couch).

The crowd at Largo was much sparser than I expected. In fact, there were still a few empty tables at the start of the show--a nice change of pace from a bustling Friday night. First up was Ben Weaver, a "new friend," according to John Doe. He was a big Midwestern guy, with extremely earnest tunes. Largo tends to be the perfect place for such performers, and the crowd gave him its undivided attention. But after the third song, the tunes started to sound very much the same. For one song about a friend's affair with a married man, he could've been reading a student's short story straight from the page, as far as I could tell. He has potential, but based on the tunes we heard, he has some way to go.

Next up was John Doe, and two songs in, I understood why he's been respected and lauded for so long, not least because of the contrast with Ben Weaver. He knows how to tell a story, and he has at his disposal a wide range of styles, from simple and passionate to rocking and ironic. About five or six songs in, he called on wee Jon Brion to join him.

Jon started on piano, daintily feeling out the first song; maybe he doesn't know every song in existence, but he's certainly willing to try. He was more familiar with the second tune, which got his full backing vocals and thundering accompaniment. Not a shock, "Revolution" opened up the audience and maybe the musicians too. Jon switched to lead guitar for the last two numbers; his confident, variegated playing was a lovely complement to John Doe's rhythm work, and they looked like they were having tons of fun.

After a short break, John Doe rolled out an awesome introduction. He talked about how he's known Jon for a long time and how everyone who plays with Jon eventually reaches the "Jon Brion moment," where a big grin shows up on their face. I think I've been lucky enough to see that look--though usually preceded by glassy-eyed fear--a few times. He joked that Jon can sense a chord change from 10 miles away, which elicited a Karnak impression from Jon. (He also mentioned that Jon would be on TV with Rhett Miller that night, but that's another story.)

Jon started on piano and eventually arrived at the Solipsistics' "Someone Else's Problem Now," though with a slightly different ending than usual. At this point, Jon mentioned a discussion with John Doe about setlists. Jon, of course, is famous for never using one, but he admitted that it sometimes leads to him playing such things as the Little Rascals theme, which is exactly what followed; it drew big laughs from the audience (and the performer). During this song, it occurred to me that it could use some celeste, then I realized how bare the stage was, shorn of Jon's usual toys.

For the next three songs, Jon jumped to guitar, and it was only on "Love of My Life So Far" (featuring a longer than normal instrumental bridge) that I came to a realization: Jon had no loopers onstage. I couldn't see the floor of the stage from where we sat, but I didn't hear many--if any--effects either. In a sense, we were getting Jon Brion unplugged. On a typical Friday night, you get a lot of "naked" songs, but tonight, Jon had no other choice. And it was incredible. Stripped of its usual layers, "I Was Happy with You" was a revelation as well.

Jon called John back to the stage for "Dylan-o-thon '06," for the purpose of getting rid of Dylan wanna-bes; John took the vocals for the first selection and Jon on the second. To my delight, they next went with "Not Ready Yet," which had come up on my MP3 player earlier that day. It's been a long time since I've heard it at Largo, and I might've requested it on Friday night. Fortunately, they beat me to the punch. For the last song of the main set, Jon started on guitar but switched to piano, which worked out much better for the rollicking tune.

They finished up the night with more great covers. By coincidence (or not), Jon happened to have the lyrics of the Hank Williams song in front of him; no, it wasn't a spontaneous moment, but it was a glorious rendition. And for the closer, they traded vocal duties and added a slight twang to the venerable Beatles song. If every Largo show I attend ends with a Beatles song, I won't complain.

backing John Doe
--"sweet and still I'm holding you/Your breath is soft under my neck" [piano]
--The New World/Revolution [piano]
--Forever for You [piano]
--"Walk around this downtown/Send a thousand letters down the drain" [guitar]
--Beat Up World [guitar]

Jon Brion's set
--Someone Else's Problem Now [piano]
--Little Rascals theme [piano]
--I Cried for You [guitar]
--Why Do You Do This to Yourself [guitar]
--Love of My Life So Far [guitar]
--The Way It Went [piano]
--Knock Yourself Out [guitar + harmonica]
--I Was Happy with You [guitar]

with John Doe
--I Threw It All Away [guitar]
--Positively 4th Street [guitar]
--Not Ready Yet [guitar]
--Money [piano]

encore
--You Win Again [piano]
--I've Just Seen a Face [guitar]

See also:
» top 5 Largo memories
» get a load of the lengths I go to
» the Book of Brion 2 has landed