My Date with Jeff

On Wednesday (18/4) I went to the Palais theater to see Wilco. It was really easy to get there on the 16 tram. The theater was on the beach in St. Kilda.

There was a little mix up at will-call and it took me a few minutes to get in. Once I got in I went upstairs and started looking for my seat. I was getting all frustrated because I couldn’t find it and I thought the show was about to start. I finally found an usher who told me to go downstairs. Down there, I found another usher, who walked me all the way up to the 6th row, dead center, middle aisle. Perfect seat. Perfect. Could not have been better. Aisle is key so you can lean around a tall person if necessary. (It was a little weird to see them in a theater with seats, rather then just general admission. There was less dancing and the crowd was pretty subdued.)

The show was incredible. I think it was the second show of the world tour. (They were in Brisbane last night). Jeff was really funny. He kept making jokes about starting a show in the southern hemisphere where no one knows who they are. For some reason he thinks all Australians are pirates and led the audience in a call and response of “Arrrr!” [You would have excelled here, LP.] I did not get all the pirate jokes. He talked a good bit through the set.

They went on at 9:06 and left the 3rd encore at 11:36. That is the longest I have ever seen them play. I kept some notes about the set list for a while and then I got sick of that, so here’s some of the songs that were played (The new album is pretty well represented*):

1. You are My Face*
2. I am Trying to Break Your Heart
3. How to Fight Loneliness
4. Impossible Germany*
5. Remember the Mountain Bed
6. Side With Seeds*
7. War on War
8. When the Roses Bloom Again
9. Jesus Etc.
10. Hate it Here*
11. Theologians
12. Walken*
13. I’m the Man who Loves You
14. Hummingbird
15. California Stars
16. Late Greats
17. Heavy Metal Drummer
18. Poor Places

The show was so good that I did not really mind that the Australian guy sitting next to me called a different friend every song on his cell phone to let them listen to part of the show. He also sang along pretty loudly and hugged me every time they played a song off YHF or Summerteeth. You know how I feel about human contact (strongly con).

[ Special to Marc - I suggest you burn all these tracks onto a cd or playlist for Paige and put it on one night after O goes to sleep and you guys can relive the show.]



Here’s a couple of terrible pictures I took at the show. There were signs everywhere that said “No Photos. Violators will be Ejected”, and you know me, I follow authority. I do not want to be ejected. Still I tried to snap a few, but I guess I can’t work my camera in the dark and I couldn’t figure it out there for fear of getting caught. You can sort of get the idea. (Jeff looked great. He was wearing some kind of Johnny Cash goes hiking outfit with black pants, a black polo shirt and a black jean jacket.)

Anyway it was a great show. Be sure to check it out when it hits your hemisphere.