That’s not rhetorical—it’s a genuine mystery to me, something I couldn’t understand when the Chicago-based rock band chose to trot out “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” to begin its encore at Arlene Schnitzer Hall last night.
Yes, “Outtasite” is Wilco’s breakthrough single and biggest hit. But, for perspective, it topped out at #39 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart back in March 1997. The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight” stood atop that minor chart, 15 years ago next month.
And yet the double-Grammyed band—or a band that has the same name, the same singer and bassist and a radically different sound than the two sounds it’s had since that initial alt-countryish one—played it for a sold out Shnitz at the show’s peak moment.
Why?
It’s an important question, I think, and perhaps some sort of key to understanding the puzzling career of a band that’s relentlessly confounded everyone’s expectations.
Those confused by Wilco’s choices include, famously, the bros of Warner. (It’s a story that’s always told with Warner as the heavy. This is, however, a label that let the Flaming Lips put out an album that requires four CD players running simultaneously—how dickishly anti-art could it be?)
With all due respect to Sam Jones, it’s possible that Wilco’s career-defining forced departure was born of some barely utterable frustration by a long-suffering A&R man bewildered by everything they handed him.
That frustration is something those of us who’ve followed this band since the Being There tour, or who saw it last night skip over “At Least That's What You Said” and “Hell Is Chrome” to do “Kicking Television,” the punky and rarely-played title track from the band’s old live album, should be able to relate to.
I've wondered if Wilco is trying to break my heart or will they love me, baby? Often, I suspect they just want to confuse the fuck out of all of us.
So why won’t the band prolong what seem to be it’s strongest moments?
Last night, that’d be the barraging Nels Cline solo on “Art of Almost” or the gravid mood during the Jeff Tweedy-orchestrated tip-tap build of the mid-set “Handshake Drugs.” Tweedy will ask Cline, possibly rock’s greatest working guitarist, to strum through the painfully simplistic chords of “Boxful of Letters” while looking like a gorilla in a party hat, itching to loose those mitts and melt yr face off on “Side with the Seeds.”
Then again, what we see as Wilco's strongest moments always pale in comparison to what the band does next. Wilco’s unending evolution has always been for the better—we want them to re-make their last record, they make a better record, which we curse until we appreciate.
Maybe someday I’ll understand why Wilco still plays “Outtasite” every damn night. Until then, while it might not make me love them, I'm obviously still thinking of them. That's OK with me—I guess.
Perhaps you weren't paying attention during Sam Jones' documentary, but at the time Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was being recorded, Reprise had assigned a NEW A&R man to Wilco: Mio Vukovic. How much suffering could he have endured if Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was the first Wilco album he worked on?
And they play Outtasitte (Outta mind) every damn night? According to the link you provided they've played it 26 out of 59 nights on the current tour. For the mathematically challenged, that's 44% of the time, which is significantly less than 100% of the time (or every damn night).
And with about 130 songs in their catalog, it seems pretty unlikely that Wilco will play the exact 25 songs that you personally want to hear the night you attend a show. Hearing a few songs you don't care for is par for the course with a band with this much material. I suggest you get over it or just stay home next time.
We're both oversimplifying the band's YHF A&R situation, JEC. The man who actually set everything up was David Kahne who, yes, was frustrated.
I think you may be missing my larger point about the sets, which is not really about one song, but rather about two and a half albums of stuff that doesn't really work with everything after it. Radiohead doesn't play "Creep" but every few years, ya know?
My personaly opinion, which doesn't mean anything, obviously, is that Tweedy should do the old stuff solo if he feels like playing it and do most of the newest album every night along with whatever Ghost, SBS, WTA and YHF stuff they're feeling. His solo shows are amazing -- better than seeing that stuff with the whole band. If they are gonna do old stuff it's kinda lame to fill the entire encore with little ditties such that Nels might as well shower up and head to the bus.
But I think my main point is that I'll accept whatever Wilco wants to do while sharing my own opinion, which in this case is a bit grumbly, as is required of a critic.
Yes, I agree that Nels Cline is an amazing guitarist underutilized on their older material.
However, it's nice they play their old stuff because, while I'm sure you disagree, many people feel that since the shakeout post Foxtrot, Wilco has become a technically dextrous band but has forgotten how to write songs.
While I love Nels and think he is a fantastic guitarist, he is not the lead, Jeff is and he was there before Nels. Wilco is Jeff's band and they put out songs before Nels came along so not everything is going to have a solo for him to rip. Oh, and Nels wasn't even in the band until AFTER they recorded AGIB.
I had to see Wilco play six times (going back to 2004 and having seen them 8 times now) before I heard "OuttaSite".
Moreover isn't it churlish to base your enjoyment of a show on one song? You want challenging? I'd say starting a set the way they did in Portland wasn't exactly pandering with fan favourites.
Go online and you'll see they play more varied setlists than just about any band I can think of.
Just because Nels Cline could do an elaborate fill or solo on any song isn't a reason to only play newer or more complex stuff.
As someone already stated with such a rich and diverse catalog of songs you'll never hear everything you want any given evening.
But Wilco do take requests (via their website) and I know a couple of people who were thrilled to hear "Kicking Television" in Portland.
Perhaps you weren't paying attention during Sam Jones' documentary, but at the time Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was being recorded, Reprise had assigned a NEW A&R man to Wilco: Mio Vukovic. How much suffering could he have endured if Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was the first Wilco album he worked on?
And they play Outtasitte (Outta mind) every damn night? According to the link you provided they've played it 26 out of 59 nights on the current tour. For the mathematically challenged, that's 44% of the time, which is significantly less than 100% of the time (or every damn night).
And with about 130 songs in their catalog, it seems pretty unlikely that Wilco will play the exact 25 songs that you personally want to hear the night you attend a show. Hearing a few songs you don't care for is par for the course with a band with this much material. I suggest you get over it or just stay home next time.
We're both oversimplifying the band's YHF A&R situation, JEC. The man who actually set everything up was David Kahne who, yes, was frustrated.
I think you may be missing my larger point about the sets, which is not really about one song, but rather about two and a half albums of stuff that doesn't really work with everything after it. Radiohead doesn't play "Creep" but every few years, ya know?
My personaly opinion, which doesn't mean anything, obviously, is that Tweedy should do the old stuff solo if he feels like playing it and do most of the newest album every night along with whatever Ghost, SBS, WTA and YHF stuff they're feeling. His solo shows are amazing -- better than seeing that stuff with the whole band. If they are gonna do old stuff it's kinda lame to fill the entire encore with little ditties such that Nels might as well shower up and head to the bus.
But I think my main point is that I'll accept whatever Wilco wants to do while sharing my own opinion, which in this case is a bit grumbly, as is required of a critic.
Yes, I agree that Nels Cline is an amazing guitarist underutilized on their older material.
However, it's nice they play their old stuff because, while I'm sure you disagree, many people feel that since the shakeout post Foxtrot, Wilco has become a technically dextrous band but has forgotten how to write songs.
While I love Nels and think he is a fantastic guitarist, he is not the lead, Jeff is and he was there before Nels. Wilco is Jeff's band and they put out songs before Nels came along so not everything is going to have a solo for him to rip. Oh, and Nels wasn't even in the band until AFTER they recorded AGIB.
I had to see Wilco play six times (going back to 2004 and having seen them 8 times now) before I heard "OuttaSite".
Moreover isn't it churlish to base your enjoyment of a show on one song? You want challenging? I'd say starting a set the way they did in Portland wasn't exactly pandering with fan favourites.
Go online and you'll see they play more varied setlists than just about any band I can think of.
Just because Nels Cline could do an elaborate fill or solo on any song isn't a reason to only play newer or more complex stuff.
As someone already stated with such a rich and diverse catalog of songs you'll never hear everything you want any given evening.
But Wilco do take requests (via their website) and I know a couple of people who were thrilled to hear "Kicking Television" in Portland.