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Apples in Stereo The
Holmes Brothers |
Wilco
It’s been over two years since Wilco last performed in Pittsburgh and the live bootleg recording from that show is itself quite good with an outstanding “Sunken Treasure” noisily reigning over the crowd at Point State Park. So on a short break from recording their next album, the band is doing short tour and announces dates in Morgantown, WV and Latrobe, PA of all places. So I figure I’ll go to both. Except Wifey isn’t crazy about the idea but eventually gives her blessing to my heading down to Morgantown alone and spending the night in our new minivan, bought on my blood, sweat and tears. It took just under an hour and a half to get down there and I somehow got kinda lost trying to find WVU and the Mountainlair Ballroom. I ended up on the outskirts and sat down in a decent little bar for a few beers and directions. I make my way to campus, park the car in a business district and go into some sports bar for a few more beers and smoke up a little on the walk to the venue. Well, it turns out this is in a student union and I pass kids studying, eating slices of pizza and a sign for the show saying tickets are still available as I make my way in. I get inside and unfortunately it’s some generic student union ballroom that’s about 3/4th full. Not that I had a problem with the place but I hold these guys on a high pedestal and this room was a little depressing, not to mention the fact that I’d be dry for the rest of the show. A ten minute wait and Wilco comes on and tears right into “Muzzle of Bees.” I’m immediately thinking that the timing couldn’t be better what with me at the height of my being under the influence and all. They don’t let up and follow with a strong “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” and “Handshake Drugs” with Cline’s guitar work, in particular, shining. Now for the crowd. They coulda been a little more into it. Sure, there were your diehard fans but most of the folks towards the back near me seemed like students that were just trying to kill a Wednesday night. The problem for me began right after I secured a decent center spot with a great sightline of the whole band. I decided to change the lens on my camera and the fucking thing wouldn’t work for a second after that. This problem goes back to a rowdy night a month ago following the Wolfmother show while I was with friends at Gooski’s checking out a Serbian folk outfit. Long story short I dropped the thing. Now it’s messed up and I was in a great position to get some wonderful picts of one of my favorite bands and it wasn’t happening. So that was on my mind. Anywho, after playing the new tune “Impossible Germany” Tweedy addressed the audience by making fun of the signs outside the venue. "We don't do too many 'An Evening with Wilcos,’” he said. Later he addressed the audience by saying, “You’re not the biggest audience we’ve had. You’re not the drunkest or most violent either,” referring to the few-nights-ago-over-reported fan punching (or not punching?) incident. The guys slowly built up steam, playing “Jesus Etc,” “I’m The Man Who Loves You,” and “Via Chicago” among other songs before taking their first encore break. I retreated to the hall to take one last stab at getting the camera to work but it was a lost cause. The band came back out playing “Hummingbird” and then followed with the other song I wanted to hear, “Sunken Treasure,” and it did not disappoint. Starting out as a ballad the song slowly devolved into an orgy of sound and noise, wholly enveloping the band and audience as well. At some point Tweedy mentions that “You guys got a nice place here” referencing Morgantown and says he really enjoyed the Core Arboretum to which some in the audience may have taken as a joke but he followed with, “no really, it’s a beautiful place.” “Kingpin” was particularly rocking with a couple of “Morgantowns” thrown in for good measure. A short second encore break and Tweedy comes out wearing a Mountaineers jersey with his name emblazoned on the back. The crowd ate it up. They finished with “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “Let’s Not Get Carried Away.”
So I walk out of the student union figuring I’d hit a bar for some beers before retiring to the van and outside it cops,cops,cops. Cop cars chasing other cars down the street, cops on porches breaking up parties, cops walking amongst the partygoers. And this was a fucking Wednesday for Christ’s sake. I get to the van and there’s a parking ticket on it and I figure that’s it, I’m out of here. The drive took just over an hour and the ticket was only $5 (why bother) and I was home at just before 2 A.M after the obligatory Sheetz chili dog stop. |
