Wilco, Liam Finn @ Massey Hall in Toronto (October 15, 2009)

At last Thursday's Wilco show at Massey Hall, the second night of a two-night stint, for much of the night I was waiting for Mr. Jeff Tweedy to call us a bunch of motherfuckers like he did back in 2006 at the same venue. To put in more in context, the reason Mr. Tweedy resorted to cussin' us out back in 2006 was that he was trying to get us to all stand up, which we eventualy did. So when the band returned to Toronto to play Massey Hall in June 2007, there was a visceral energy within the audience, with many standing up right from the start of the show. As appreciative as the audience was for Wilco's show last Thursday night at Massey Hall, there seemed to be a level of restraint in the crowd, and from my fairly central balcony seats was quite apparent. A few expletives from Mr. Tweedy might have jarred some from their catatonic state.

Missed opener Liam Finn's set entirely, although I'd had every intention to catch it. Not realizing that road construction had closed off some of my usual parking spots on Queen St. and every other parking in the vicinity of Massey Hall taken, eventually I'd found a spot a little further away but only at the price of walking in to Massey Hall just as Mr. Finn's set concluded and everyone was filing out for a bathroom break. Ran in to Chromewaves, who I'm sure'll have his review posted tomorrow. Looking on the bright side, me missing Mr. Finn's set means less to write for this review. (In any case, Liam's back for a show at Lee's Palace on October 29 with opener Miracle Fortress.)

Last Thursday's show was my second Wilco show this year. Earlier in the year during my vacation trip to Barcelona, I capped off my nine days in the city seeing Wilco at Barcelona's opera house, L'Auditori. Terrific venue, terrific enthusiasm from the crowd, and terrific energy from Mr. Tweedy and the band, it was a wonderful way to spend my last night in Barcelona. So while last Thursday's show, paled in comparison as an experience(for me), a Wilco show's a Wilco show, and it turned out to be a satisying musical evening.

It took Jeff about eight songs into their set before he'd offered a greeting to the crowd, and part of me imagines if he'd said anything sooner to the crowd, the crowd would have been more energetic. From my vantage point from my fairly central balcony seating, it seemed much of the balcony was pretty catatonic remaining seated while the gallery seating crowd had pockets of people standing, and from what I could see of the floors there seemed to be more energy down there. And there was the crux. The non-uniformity of the crowd energy was a drag. Not to say that I'm the most extroverted person but at least I was nodding my head and whooping it up at some key musical points, which is more than many around me in the second-level balcony seats had done.

Cutting out "Summerteeth" entirely yet even reaching back to "A.M" during the encore, the setlist focused on the new album "Wilco (The Album)" as well as their previous three efforts "Sky Blue Sky", "A Ghost Is Born" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". So the initial disappointment of not hearing usual "Summerteeth" inclusions like "Via Chicago" or "A Shot In The Arm" was shortlived as the rest of the setlist touched on many Wilco favourites, new and old. There were the singalongs like the soulful "Jesus, Etc"(which had Jeff letting the audience sing the first half of the song by themselves before Jeff and the band joined in later) and the main-set closer piano bounce of "Hummingbird". There were the Nels Cline-guitar workouts on songs like "At Least That's What You Said", "Handshake Drugs" and "Impossible Germany", with Nels monumental guitar solo on the last mentioned song at least awakening some momentarily. Some of the most satisfying songs were the straigt-ahead rockers like "Wilco (The Song)", "Kamera", "Walken" and "Casino Queen". Of the new songs, the folk-rock ambiance of "Deeper Down" with Nels on pedal steel was particularly effective.

It was the encore that was perhaps the most successful and invigorating segment of the show, motivating some of us like myself to finally stand up and enjoy ourselves. A band theme song like no other, the encore lead off with the scruffy guitar squall of "Wilco" (The Song), leading into the goosebump-inducing melancholy of "Misunderstood". Liam Finn and band mate would join Wilco on a charming rendition of "California Stars". Undoubtedly it was the next song "You and I" featuring a guest appearance from hometown girl Leslie Feist that had everyone in rapture as audibly could be heard as Feist walked onto the stage, performed the song dutifully then left the stage. Such a treat it was for us to see her since she hadn't made an appearance the previous night. The show could have perhaps ended on that high note but as if to expend us of all our new-found energy entirely, the band ran through the next three uptempo songs, "Casino Queen", "Kingpin" and "I'm A Wheel" forcefully before bidding goodnight and promising to return for a cross-country Canadian tour in the new year. No Toronto date on that leg but that Hamilton date [February 23, 2010 at Hamilton Place Theatre] is looking mighty tempting.

There's more discussion of that show over at the Via Chicago forums.

The National Post and BlogTO have reviews of the show. Eye has a review of Wilco's Wednesday night show at Massey Hall.

Photos: Wilco @ Massey Hall in Toronto (October 15, 2009)
MySpace: Liam Finn
MySpace: Wilco
Video: Wilco (w/ Feist) - "You and I" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of lubicon)
Video: Wilco (w/ Feist) - "You and I" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of cabinboy15)
Video: Wilco (w/ Feist) - "You and I" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of tigsy23)
Video: Wilco - "Jesus, etc" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of tigsy23)
Video: Wilco - "Impossible Germany" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of tigsy23)
Video: Wilco - "Bull Black Nova" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of mediapartyvideo)
Video: Wilco - "California Stars" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of mediapartyvideo)
Video: Wilco - "Casino Queen" (live @ Massey Hall, October 15 2009) (courtesy of the2scoops)

Wilco @ L'Auditori (Barcelona, Spain) - June 4, 2009

  Wilco @ L'Auditori (Barcelona, June 4 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


I was fortunate enough, on the last night of my recent trip to Barcelona to see Wilco at a the city's beautiful opera house L'Auditori. The set list was picked by keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen whose birthday it was that night (and who the band had given him a cake with trick candles and got the audience to sing 'Happy Birthday' to) and Mikael picked some great tracks spanning many of their albums wiyh highlights including 'Kingpin'(off "Being There"), 'A Shot In The Arm' & 'Via Chicago'(from "Summerteeth"), 'Heavy Metal Drummer', 'Kamera' & 'Jesus, Etc' (from "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", 'Hummingbird' & 'At Least That's What You Said"(from "A Ghost Is Born"), and 'Impossible Germany' (from "Sky Blue Sky", with Nels Clines' guitarwork during the latter half of the song really getting the crowd going). Though the majority of the attendance seemed to be locals, Americans apparently punctuated the crowd, with one person declaring "I miss Chicago". But it was the Spaniards who showed some local flair at times with much of the crowd chanting at times the soccer "Ole, Ole" song, with Jeff Tweedy even challenging Americans in the crowd to bring that chant back to America. The enthusiasm of the Spaniards was contagious and made for a very enjoyable show, satisfying my Wilco fix for the moment (since my last time seeing them was late last year at the cavernous Air Canada Centre from the nosebleed section and I doubt I'll be making the trip to Lewiston, NY when the band play ArtPark on July 19). At various times, there were duelling guitars with Nels and Pat, drummer Glenn Kotche standing over his drumkit, and Jeff running in one place and swinging his mic incessantly (during 'Hummingbird'), a very active show all around. The band's new album "Wilco (the album)" is out June 30 through Nonesuch and you can stream the album here.

Photos: Wilco @ L'Auditori (Barcelona, Spain) - June 4, 2009

The National, Colin Stetson @ Kool Haus (May 21, 2009)

concert review: The National, Colin Stetson @ Kool Haus (Toronto, ONtario) - May 21, 2009

The National @ Kool Haus: photo by Michael Ligon


Stepping out from their mini-hiatus The National stopped in at Kool Haus to kick off their summer tour stint, an honour for Torontonians in some ways although the polish of previous shows had somewhat been lost. Ok, that's all a matter of personal opinion but I'm sticking to it.

From the first notes of opener Colin Stetson's experimental saxophone sonic excursions I wasn't entirely confident. Granted while there was an impressiveness in his sheer performance stamina, the music was avant-garde enough that I'd imagined it'd gone over most people's heads or at least in one ear and out the other, if the chatty crowd was an indication. On closer liste, there was a structure to his instrumental concoctions, rapid-fire mantra-like at times, or with an infusion of groove/percussive elements at others. Surprisingly, he did ultimately connect with at least those who were listening, prompting a favourable response from the crowd with each song. As an opener, he wasn't the best choice, but neither was he without merit. I hope he doesn't smoke, because I couldn't imagine him having such a high-level of cardiovascular endurance if he did. If his own set wasn't enough, he also joined The National as part of their 3-member horn section.

Its understandable The National had to take a breather from touring 8 months(?) ago, having been on the road for months at the time touring their most recent album "Boxer", having only taken the time since then to play a few charity shows, especially the Dessner-brothers curated "Dark Was The Night" AIDS fundraiser indie-rock compilation. While Toronto had the pleasure of being first to see The National return to playing live after their mini hiatus, it was understandbly expected that they'd come off a little rusty. Things weren't being helped that the band had stepped up to playing Kool Haus after playing relatively more intimate(and ultimately better) shows at The Opera House in June 2007 and Phoenix Concert Theatre in October 2007 over the last several years. Even with my stage-left, front row spot, I could tell the boys were off. A few forgotten lyrics(during 'Fake Empire'), a dropped mic stand or two, and the less than perfect venue acoustics aside, while the musicianship was overall tight, it didn't have the oomph they'd displayed in past performances. Other than Matt and Scott who displayed some energy, the rest of the membership seemed too sedate although during more fierce numbers like 'Mr. November' things did pick up. I was particularly disappointed in the drumming - Bryan just wasn’t hitting the drums hard enough for my liking (for example - the louder drum parts during 'Fake Empire' didn't have the impact I'd hope for from the record). These are a few specifics although in general my slight disappointment was really only a gutteral reaction. Maybe it was just my vantage point(front row, left side of the stage) that the crowd seemed to be lacking any consistent enthusiasm(I'm curious how the crowd was at the back - anyone?). Perhaps, my slight disappointment was due to my more favourable memories of their past shows - my first time seeing them live was at The Opera House a few years ago and it was a stunning show. Good on you if it was your first time seeing them(at Kool Haus last week) and you absolutely adored it.

Photos: The National, Colin Stetson @ Kool Haus (May 21, 2009)

More reviews/photos of the show at Chromewaves, It's Not The Band I Hate..., and chartattack.

MySpace: Colin Stetson
MySpace: The National
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Sorry, for the lack of updates, but I'm off to Barcelona, Spain today and'll be returning June 5. Looking forward to Primavera Sound Festival from May 28-30 and Wilco at L'Auditori on June 4. Yes, I do plan on exploring the city itself, taking photos, eating some good meals, and hopefully meet good people. Perhaps, I'll squeeze in some train travel to some nearby cities while I'm there. Ultimately, it'll be a good reboot. I do plan on hitting up internet access while I'm there and I'll try posting a few words or photos whenever I can. Otherwise, if anyone has recommendations for things I should check out while I'm there, please leave a comment. Later.

Ragged Glory

concert review: Neil Young, Wilco, Everest @ Air Canada Centre (Toronto, Ontario), December 4, 2008

Neil Young @ Air Canada Centre (December 4, 2008)


The large arena/stadium concert is something I haven't experienced very often in my years of going to shows. I can only two large arena shows I've gone to - The Cult at Skydome in the late 80's(my 1st concert ever), and U2 at Exhibition Stadium during their Zoo TV tour in the early 90's. (I guess you can also count Sloan at Varsity Arena in the mid-90's in promotion of "One Chord To Another" but that was a smaller arena from what I recall.) I guess I was only waiting for the right artist to come along before I'd venture back to hockey arena or stadium for a concert and that artist was Neil Young. Who better else.

Whether there was any sort of egoistic element in picking the openers remains to be proven, but it's hard to deny Neil Young's influence in the music of Californian Americana outfit Everest nor his sonic influence that runs through at least some of the music of Wilco. In the end, both bands were deeply happy to be playing with one of their musical heroes. Although Everest were completely unknown to me except for the fact that their debut album "Ghost Notes" was released earlier this year through Mr. Young's boutique label "Vapor Records, that managed to convince me of their talent wit their lovely, robust folk rock melodies, jammy at times, but completely enjoyable. It's a shame they only played to only a 1/3 full arena. In the excitement of the anticipation of getting to see Neil Young for the first time, it was easy to forget that one of my faves Wilco were also on the bill. My previous times see Wilco were at the much more intimate(and hence better) venue Massey Hall and it was a discombulating experience to see Wilco play an arena with me sitting in the nosebleed section. Of coure there was a little bit of a disconnect, added to the fact that Wilco weren't playing a full set. However with Wilco's setlist leaning towards some of their most soothing songs("Via Chicago", "Jesus, Etc", "California Stars", "Impossible Germany"), in some respect, sitting in the 300 section was an ideal way to experience some of Wilco's loveliest melodies as they wafted through the arena. I don't mean to give you the impression they were slick as say The Eagles(no we don't want that)....guitarist Nels Cline tore up the guitar solos with fiery skill and the sudden noisy collapse of instruments that occured during points in "Via Chicago" (like Neil's excursions into feedback) showed that Wilco have an edgier side to them.

I've had an on and off relationship with Neil Young's music over the last 20 years, my earliest introduction probably being a cover of Neil Young song by another artist but through the years, as a music fan, it was almost impossible to ignore his influence on popular culture nor let his songs seep into my musical concsciousness. Whether as a forebearer of grunge and alternative music (going so far as to tour with the likes of Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam in the 1990's), or bringing his acoustic folk to a new generation with his appearance on MTV's Unplugged, or bridging the gap between music fans(particularly youth) and noteworthy social or political issues with his songwriting and involvement with causes like The Bridge School and Farm Aid, his influence is far-reaching. But now seems like the time where Neil has nothing else to prove and he feels comfortable looking back his career as his two shows at the Air Canada Centre last week (the first of which I attended) in Toronto showed him to be.

With his wife peggy and his Electric Band, the Mr. Young played a setlist stacked with many of his most well known songs, coming off like a rough and tumble aging rocker who hasn't lost an ounce of grit since his younger days. Though all my previous times at the Air Canda Centre have been for Raptors games, and in better seats, it wasn't until I ventured to my seat in the 300 section, row 16 (practically near the ceiling), that I realized how large Air Canada Centre is. Looking down upon the mass of people that had filled the venue for Neil, when Neil and company finally filed onto the stage, it was a jubilant response that greeted them, not only as a sign of respect but also of appreciation for his contribution to popular music over the years. Granted there was almost no possibility of the 300 section feeling the electricity that the crowd on the floor must have been feeling during Neil's set, but a few rounds of handclapping and pockets of people standing at times kept the spirits up in the nosebleed sections. Taking the 'greatest hits'(with a few detours) approach he touched on various aspects of his career playing electric ("Powderfinger', "Hey Hey My My", "Cortez The Killer")), acoustic ("The Needle And The Damage Done") and almost bordering on accappella(if not for the sombre pipe organ accompaniement) with a serene reading of "Mother Earth"(off of "Ragged Glory"). I'm reminded of a day back in my youth(man, do I feel old) when my family and I were at the Canadian National Exhibition and I could hear Bruce Springsteen playing live from within Exhibition Stadium, the enormity of the experience as The Boss' vocals echoed through the grounds, but on the other hand the music was deeply invigorating and personal. Really, that was exactly the same experience I had seeing(for the first time) Neil Young play live and one I won't soon forget.

Photos: Neil Young, Wilco, Everest @ Air Canada Centre (December 4, 2008)

MySpace: Everest
MySpace: Wilco
MySpace: Neil Young

The Thanks I Get

concert review: Wilco @ Massey Hall (Toronto, Ontario), June 30, 2007



At Wilco's last show at Massey Hall in 2006, Jeff Tweedy ended up calling the audience motherf*ckers for sitting down for more than half the set and being so comatose. However, it didn't help that the set consisted a lot of slower tunes and Jeff hadn't bothered to say anything to the audience for much of it. He subsequently apologized for his comment and said he should have invited the audience to stand up sooner. In response to those circumstances it seems, much of the audience for this past Saturday night's Wilco show at Massey Hall were on their feet right from the beginning of the show and Jeff and the band appreciated it wholeheartedly. Toronto was the last date of Wilco's eastern seaboard tour and in return we got a rousing show that was worthy of that honor.

The musicianship was tight and the band's enthusiasm definitely shone through. Nels Cline was on fire on guitar, particularly on solos and several guitar freakouts but was also quite adept on adding subtle touches like his pedal steel which graced the beautiful country-esque 'Sky Blue Sky'. I never paid particular attention to the drumming in the past, but this time I realized how tight Glenn was on the drums as well as other percussive instruments like xylophone. Multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone was dynamite on a range of instruments like guitar, keyboards and a few handheld percussive instruments. The double guitar assault of Nels Cline and Pat Sansone during encore number 'Hoodoo Voodoo' was a highlight of the evening. Jeff broke out into a stationary running man dance during 'Hummingbird' which got the crowd absolutley giddy. The band's new album "Sky Blue Sky" was represented with a few tracks including the breezy Impossible Germany', and the aforementioned 'Sky Blue Sky'. Much of the set(thankfully) did rely on "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "A Ghost Is Born" with a few favourites from "Summerteeth" thrown in. In between Wilco's set and opener Low's set(I missed their set unfortunately), I chatted briefly with a girl next to me who I remember said she was from Chicago and going to school up here in Toronto and I could have sworn that during 'Via Chicago' she wiped away a tear. Their set opener reached back to "Being There" with the lonely beauty of 'Sunken Treasure'.

The following(and not in the exact order necessarily) are some of the songs I recall Wilco performing[the ?'s I'm not as sure about though]:

Sunken treasure / Impossible Germany / Sky Blue Sky / Via Chicago / Ashes of American Flag / I am Trying to Break Your Heart / Kamera / Jesus, etc. / I'm the Man Who Loves You / Shot in the Arm /
The Thanks I Get / Spiders (Kidsmoke) / Hummingbird / Handshake Drugs / War on War / Hoodoo Voodoo (encore) / Hell is Chrome (?) / Either Way (?)

Update: Set list here. Thanks to Thierry for the heads up.

Here are my photos from the show. [You might notice I'm now using Flickr!]

Chromewaves reviews the show favourably and has some great photos. The Toronto Sun and The Globe and Mail also review the show.

MySpace: Wilco

Pre-order Madness

The Cowboy Junkies' new album "At The End Of Paths Taken" is officially released April 17 in North American(April 9 the rest of the world) and you can currently pre-order it over at Maple Music - every preorder will receive a link to download exclusive Cowboy Junkies demos from this recording.

MySpace: Cowboy Junkies

Wilco's new album "Sky Blue Sky" has it's official North American release on May 15 through Nonesuch Records but the definition of 'pre-order madness' can definitely be seen here where you can pre-order the new album with a bunch of different goodies(vinyl, t-shirts, tote bags, multimedia downloads, etc) in a variety of different combinations.

MySpace: Wilco

And was anyone else disappointed with The Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" preorder through Merge Records which had only come with a poster and a sticker(which I believe was indicated on the website at the time), although if I remember correctly the Merge website had alluded to the possibility of other additional goodies which never materialized?