Everyone’s favorite non-alt-country alt-country band heads back to these United States for a string of 21 shows beginning in the rock powerhouse of Duluth, Minnesota on August 14th. But the month of July saw Wilco head to Europe for a series of festival gigs, playing for crowds in Scotland, England, Spain, Norway, Belgium and countless other places where the currency is shitting on the dollar. Reviews from Europe have been few and far between, so let’s take a look at some of the better videos of the band’s recent exploits across the pond. Up first, Impossible Germany from the Spaziale Festival in Torino on July 17th:
In a related note…is it Turin or Torino? C’mon, let’s pick one or the other.
Welcome to the second edition of our MP3 Boot Camp department, where we bring you the best in live concert mp3s from the bootleg blogs and official podcasts. We’ve got tons of links for ya this week, so let’s get down on it:
Did we miss any killer boots? Let us know with a comment below…
Six days ago I saw Crowded House deliver an incredible performance at the Masonic Lodge in New York City. The show started me thinking about the stuff I listened to two decades back, when Crowded House first broke. I would listen to the Top 40 radio stations and augment that with the cool shit my older sister Rebecca turned me onto. It was an incredible time for music — alternative was still alternative and smooth pop rock still had some soul.
So this week’s Grousing The Aisles looks back at four legendary shows that happened 20 years ago. This time we’ve provided links to high quality MP3 files for those of you who aren’t into the whole lossless thang.
Peter Gabriel 10/??/1987 SBD (FLAC, MP3):
Petey Gabes was riding a huge wave of success as he finished the So Tour in 1987. Sledgehammer and Big Time were both huge hits, critically and commercially. Gabriel put together an amazing lineup for the extensive world tour: Bass player Tony Levin — the guy who plays with drumsticks — kept the music groovin’, while David Sancious played the keys and David Rhodes handled guitars. Gabriel’s band mixed in material from his five solo albums judiciously. A few of the final shows of the tour were recorded for a radio broadcast, and this week someone uploaded the show to a torrent site: It’s a doozy.
The show opens with a massive version of San Jacinto, which originally was released on Security in 1982. Gabriel played all of his big hits in the set including but not limited to Solsbury Hill, Sledgehammer and Shock The Monkey. My favorite parts of the show are the two beautiful ballads: In Your Eyes and Don’t Give Up. Petey was in fine voice throughout the show, and the band was clearly gellin’ (I’m gellin’ like a felon). If you only have one Peter Gabriel bootleg in your collection, make sure you pick this one.
Read on after the jump for three more incredible shows for download…
I just figured out where I’ll be on September 29th: in the cineplex waiting for the curtain to rise on the new Wes Anderson vehicle, The Darjeeling Limited.
Anderson’s latest film, which he co-wrote with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, involves three brothers — played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Schwartzman – who ride through India on a train in order to grow closer together. Well, at least that’s what I’ve read, and what the trailer shows.
Apple posted the trailer for the film on its website, and I already can’t wait to see it. The trailer’s leaked all over YouTube as well, so feel free to add a big pile of cinematically induced drool to your desk (or semen to your undershorts):
If nothing else, judging by the trailer, it looks and sounds as if we’ll all be spared Owen Wilson’s awful accent from The Life Aquatic. Welcome back, Owen, it’s truly nice to not want to punch you in the throat this time.
- While we’re talkin’ September movies, Sean Penn has adapted Jon Krakauer’s amazing Into the Wild book for the big screen — Emile Hirsch stars. Interesting. Don’t fuck it up.
No, not that Shine, although this one also has the potential to be terrible. Starbucks, the overpriced coffeemaker-cum-music label, announced it’s signed the ugly-is-sexy Joni Mitchell to its new Hear Music label and will release her latest album in the fall. Mitchell joins Paul McCartney on the recently launched label:
Joni Mitchell, who had been largely retired from the music business since 2002, has joined Paul McCartney on the roster of Starbucks Entertainment’s Hear Music label. Mitchell’s new album, “Shine,” will be released September 25 through the coffee retailer’s stores as well as traditional outlets.
Corporate America is scaring the shit out of people, and all kinds of companies are sticking their noses where they usually didn’t belong. Shit, Wal-Mart was dangerously close to dominating the banking industry for chrissakes. Now Starbucks is building a serious music label, but strangely, I’m all for it. At least they have decent taste in music, signing Sir Paul and Joni as their first two artists. Baby boomer nostalgia continues, and it actually makes a ton of business sense. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Joni’s Coyote and it’s clouding my better judgment…
Man, they just do NOT write songs like that any more. Watching this, you know what’s missing from so many of today’s artists? Actual talent.
Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival kicks off live from Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL on Saturday at 1:30 pm. But don’t fret if you can’t make it to Bridgeview – MSN will be webcasting the show. Jeff Beck, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and Steve Winwood are just a few of the legendary performers tapped to appear, and we can’t wait to see the pseudo-Blind Faith reunion on the webcast.
As usual we’ve got a heady batch of links to keep you busy:
Anything out there catch your eye this morning? Bring us back the news…
In a pairing reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix opening up for The Monkees, Girl Talk attempted to open up for Widespread Panic in Boston on Wednesday. Girl Talk’s Greg Gillis didn’t even make it through his 45-minute set opening for Panic before having the plug pulled. Gillis vented about the experience on his MySpace blog:
On Wednesday, I had a show in Boston opening up for Widespread Panic. I had never heard this band before, but I knew they were in genre of “jam band.” I don’t know anything about the jam scene really, which is part of the reason why I wanted to do the show. I knew it was going to be weird, which I guess was also part of the allure of doing it. My shows from 2000 to 2005 were oftentimes like this, playing with an unrelated band whose audience could a damn about me and I get it up there and try to have a party.
A few people emailed me prior to the show, wanting to attend but not wanting to pay the ticket price for an abbreviated set. I arranged for some of these people and some friends to join me on stage during the performance. When I arrived at the show, the organizers were completely against having dancers on stage with me, even though there was a ton of space. We agreed to have them jam out in the space between the stage and the audience the barricade.
They wanted me to do two sets, one opening the show and one in between Widespread Panic sets. I always play one extended set so I wasn’t too into this idea, but they said it was the only way I could perform. I agreed to do it. My first set was scheduled to be from 6:30 PM to 7:15 PM. My back-up dancers were pre-gaming pretty hard in the backstage trailer prior to the show, starting at 6:00 PM. The venue could probably fit 5000 people, and when I took the stage, there were about 50 in attendance. I was into the show, on a “this is ridiculous but kind of amazing” level. One of the girls who initially contacted me through Myspace ended up passing out drunk in front of the stage at 7:00 PM. Security tried to help, and she ended up pissing herself. Then, her friend was trying to explain what happened and barfed all over the place. 7:00 PM, so insane! Security then kicked all of my friends out. My set was cut short, and then, they told me that I wasn’t allowed to perform another set.
I wanted to apologize to anyone who was ready to jam out to another set. Thanks for anyone who came out to the show; that was hardcore to pay that over-priced ticket and party at 6:30 PM. I’ll be back in Boston for a real show in September.
Even Spreadheads have to be impressed by the girl who passed out in …
We’re less than two months away from our first trip to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and just thinking about the Texas heat is making my skin feel hotter than a half-fucked fox in a forest fire. We anticipate 100-plus degrees of unrelenting warmth and 100-plus percent of being awed by amazing musicians.
The good folks at ACL have now released the late-night schedule, and it’s gonna be just as fun when the sun goes down (my friend’s bachelor party notwithstanding). There are some decisions to make here, but the list is impressive: The White Stripes and Dr. Dog at Stubbs, Paolo Nutini with Peter, Bjorn and John, Spoon, JJ Grey & MOFRO, Yo La Tengo, and Rodrigo y Gabriela to name a few. Read on after the jump for the full list of goodness in Austin…
Our fabulous friends over at the always on-point Fast Hugs found possibly the greatest ’80s cheesefest on the entire YouTube site.
I’d hate to spoil any surprises here, but I implore you not to turn your attention away from a video that features Bea Arthur, Nell Carter, a wacked out Charlotte Rae, a futuristic Marla Gibbs, a young Carlton and Punky Brewster getting touched by Mammy Nell, perhaps inappropriately, perhaps not. It’s just awesome. Simply awesome. They’ve gotta update this right now. Paging Steve Carell…
We already knew that Rage Against The [Slot] Machine will be co-headlining the third annual Vegoose Festival on the weekend preceding Halloween. Today the festival promoters — Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment — confirmed the rest of the initial lineup, and it’s clear there will be a lot less noodling in Las Vegas.
Out with the shakedowns, in with the mosh pits: Daft Punk joins Rage as the Vegoose headliners, and they’ll be joined by Muse, Cypress Hill, Queens of the Stone Age, Public Enemy, the Shins, the Battles and a slew of other bands whose fans consider ‘jam’ a four letter word.
“Superfly and AC Entertainment don’t care about jamband fans”
Only Umphrey’s McGee, STS9 and the obligatory Michael Franti appearance will represent the so-called community that built this festival. That’s not to say this isn’t a top-notch lineup and a smart business decision for the promoters, and I can see many of you saying, “Open your eyes, hippie.” Sorry, we’re just still getting used to the idea that festivals are for the hipsters and ragers now. Here’s the full lineup:
Rage Against The Machine
Daft Punk
Iggy & the Stooges (performing the album Fun House)
Muse
The Shins
Cypress Hill
Queens of the Stone Age
Public Enemy
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Umphrey’s McGee
Thievery Corporation
STS9
Ghostface Killah & The Rhythm Roots Allstars
Blonde Redhead
Gogol Bordello
U.N.K.L.E.
Ghostland Observatory
Pharoahe Monch
Battles
As always, there will be late-night shows as well. The House of Blues hosts Thievery Corporation on 10/26, Umphrey’s McGee on 10/27 and STS9 on 10/28. The Joint at the Hard Rock plays host to Franti & Spearhead on the 27th and The Shins on the 28th, with more shows to be announced. So let us know: Are you headed out to Vegoose? Love the new-look lineup? Loyal to the jambands? Fill a brotha in.
If taking 11 years off helps a band’s sound as much as it did for Crowded House, perhaps every band needs to take an extended hiatus.
Crowded House returned to New York City for the first time since 1996 on Thursday night for a brilliant performance at the Masonic Lodge. The band played in the stately Grand Lodge, a room better known for housing meetings of the usually secretive Free Masons than as a venue for a rock band.
The private show was being filmed for a concert series called Artists Den, which features musicians playing in small beautiful rooms that aren’t usually associated with music. High-definition cameras were everywhere, but I never felt they hindered the performance. There were probably 200 people in the space that holds 1,200, leaving plenty of room for everyone to dance.
Read on after the jump for more of Scotty’s review and Adam’s photos…
To be quite honest, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest would’ve attracted us to Coney Island more easily than the lineup at this weekend’s seventh-annual Siren Music Festival, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a heck of a time in the shadow of the Cyclone. This year’s lineup seemed a little weak on paper, but that didn’t stop the New York Times today from publishing a review more glowing than Mike Scioscia at the Springfield Power Plant.
Our resident photographic genius Danfun headed down to Coney Island on a sunny summer Saturday for a taste of M.I.A., the New York Dolls, Dr. Dog, Voxtrot, Elvis Perkins in Dearland (above), The Detroit Cobras (below) and the rest of the artists on the bill, and he’s got a whole slew of photos up on his Flickr site.
So click here to check out Dan’s great shots, and then move on to this link to read all about the hipster happenings on the southern tip of Brooklyn.
We like to dip our crooked toes into the SugarMegs waters from time to time, mainly to remind ourselves of how amazing a resource their streaming server can be. There ain’t a better place on the Albert Gore Information Superhighway to find what you’re looking for, and at the simple click of a mouse you too can stream any number of ridiculous shows from rock’s past. Today, we’ve cast our line and reeled in this five’r of guitar-driven concerts for your listening pleasure:
Forget about doing an actual work and just listen to this sweetness today…
Rumors were flying this weekend about a potential Yardbirds tour, one that’d feature Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty. Rolling Stone reported the tour was a go, though Beck’s manager denies his client’s involvement. The original Rolling Stone report states that Eric Clapton has no plans to participate. Alright, I guess we know there’s one band Clapton won’t reunite.
And as always at the start of the week, read on after the jump for our full roster of setlists from this great weekend of music…what else you got?
This post comes to you live from Washington Square Park, where the usual weekend-warrior group of old hippies is serenading an enormous crowd with songs like Night Moves and [tune written before 1977] while a quartet of ol’ black soul singers just 20 yards away can’t get an ear or a dollar. I blame Imus.
Let’s take a look back at the busy week that was around these parts…
The hippies are playing Lean On Me…now I’m just sittin’ here confused.
