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

you are blessed

Rocktober is a magical time in the Bay Area, but I'm not the one to report it, as my concert calendar has shrunken over the years. But give me a gig in a tiny venue with a talent like Tom Brosseau, and I'll be there, no problem.

Tom Brosseau, the Lost Church, October 4, 2018

I'm a little embarrassed because I'm going to report right away that I can't name a single song that Tom played at the show. This is what I get for not taking notes and not writing my reviews immediately! So if you don't mind that little confession, I'll proceed with my post as normal.

This gig has been a long time coming for me. I've been able to see Tom Brosseau many times at Largo, including when he opened for Jon Brion. He's also a frequent guest of the Watkins Family. In fact, if you get the chance to watch the Largo movie, you'll be treated to see at least one song from him. I feel that I've seen him many more times, even if I can't point to the posts that prove this.



In any case, I love his voice, but I've failed to see his shows in the Bay Area. As I recall, he often plays at house gigs or not quite in San Francisco -- or maybe I simply haven't been on top of proceedings. Bottom line: I finally got to go.

The Lost Church is a tiny space a couple of blocks from the BART station at 16th and Mission. A hostess welcomed me at the door and informed me (and other attendees) that I was blessed. Inside, it's warm and cozy, seating no more than 50 or 60 people in a semicircle around a slightly elevated stage. You couldn't have asked for a better environment.

Tom hit the stage with only an acoustic guitar and a few pages of notes. As you can imagine, he stuck with the troubador formula. A good chunk of his performance featured stories about Lou Curtiss, a folk music aficionado in San Diego who recently passed away. Tom told of the many songs that Lou had taught him, and he even played a few of them, including one from the Carter Family. My favorite aside was Tom's comment that all Carter Family tracks started the same.

Tom ended up reading from the notes he carried onstage. He didn't say what they were. They might've been lyrics to a new song, though they also sounded substantial enough to be a short story of some sort. I guess we'll have to tune in to see how they turn out.

And of course, along the way, he told a few stories about growing up in North Dakota, and he talked a little bit about what he felt were his duties as an artist (i.e., not necessarily being political, yet trying to reflect the times). I don't know the audience's familiarity with Tom, but when he mentioned Largo, a handful of people clapped, and when he asked for requests from his catalog, one person offered a suggestion. Overall, we were attentive and respectful, and I hope he appreciated our high regard for his performance.

A local artist named Meredith Axelrod opened the show. She sang a number of standards, joking that every song was from 1902 or about the 1930s. I don't know if it was a matter of training or her innate abilities, but her voice was a perfect throwback to that time, one you could imagine coming from a Victrola. She and Tom sang a song about a horse together (sorry again for the lack of titles). They were a lovely match and hinted at the possibility of touring together in the future.

Now that I've finally seen Tom play in the Bay Area, I can happily report that I'll be back whenever he is.

See also:
» i was dreamin' when i wrote this
» blue christmas

the old buildings downtown empty so long ago

Seattle ended up as the whirlwind portion of this quick trip, serving mainly as a gateway to Vancouver, but there was the matter of attending Jeff Tweedy's show at the Moore Theatre between arrival and departure.

Jeff Tweedy, the Moore Theatre, September 30, 2018

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't venture to the Pacific Northwest often, though it's such an easy trip from the Bay Area. It should surprise no one that my last two trips to Seattle coincided with my last two trips to Vancouver. Funny how that works out! But at least we managed to hit Salumi and a Dave Rawlings Machine gig in 2010.

If you're planning to hit both Seattle and Vancouver in a weekend, keep in mind you can anticipate a three-hour drive between the cities, not including however long it takes to get through the border crossing. For various reasons, it made sense for me to fly in and out of Seattle, but it might not work for everyone.

The compressed time frame meant that I didn't do much in Seattle other than see Jeff's show, but that was more than sufficient because it was a good one. I can't explain what changed, except that the Seattle gig was an improvement over Vancouver. Maybe it was the venue, which was much more comfortable than the Vogue. Maybe it was the American audience. Maybe it was Jeff. In any case, it felt different from the get-go.

Shortly before the show, someone informed us that Jeff had asked for requests for the night's show, via his Twitter account. Because I was driving, I had missed the message. I guess enough people had come through that Jeff brought a small pile of papers to the stage with the compiled songs. As he explained, the website had gone down, and they had to assemble the list by hand. As usual, Jeff quipped that the range of requests proved that he had yet to write a trademark hit, but we all know it means that we dig into the deep cuts all across his career.

Perhaps as a sign of his comfort with the crowd and the market, Jeff started with a couple of new songs. No reason to lull us into a false sense of security with the hits, I suppose! But the truth is Jeff (Wilco, too) works from a core setlist, then adds and subtracts, based on the audience and vibe and so on. Thus, "Remember the Mountain Bed" (a good choice in this landscape), "New Madrid," "Passenger Side," and "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" all showed up, but Jeff sprinkled "Lost Love," "Sky Blue Sky," and "Hate It Here" into the performance as well.



Also following his blueprint, he talked trash about the Canadians too. It's a sign of love, I promise. Funny enough, our three nations had agreed to the new NAFTA agreement that day, and Jeff joked about his role in the negotiations.

I've been out of the rock tourism circuit long enough that I've kind of forgotten what it's like to see the same artist in more than one town in successive nights, but it doesn't take long to realize a different energy between shows. Seattle simply felt more relaxed, on both the performer's and the audience's side. From this fan's point of view, it was a welcome reminder of why I go to these gigs time and time again.

See also:
» waiting for a postcard
» i believe in locomotion
» make something that no one else has
» his old rain's just about soaked through