I Was There: Jeff Tweedy, 1/31

[Jeff Tweedy and Great Lake Swimmers at Foellinger Auditorium on 1/31/09]

Click the jump for a review, photos, unbelievable videos and an OverUC first — a download of the entire show!! Click, click!!

Great Lake Swimmers:

Photos by: Donald Rasmussen

Their quiet, adult lullabies translate into a certain sort of bedroom music, the type that’s created in warm and familiar spaces, without intention to be performed in cavernous places. Foellinger, with its, well, cavernesque build, left the members of Great Lake Swimmers looking kind of like the place was eating them alive. Luckily, it had no effect on their performance, which started exactly on time — a shock, for anyone who has seen most other shows in the venue — and highlighted their music’s defining quality of having fragility without being weak.

A band that seems to play extended versions of one boyfriend’s love songs is just what you’d expect it to be — folky, homegrown, and endearingly enjoyed. Interesting, though, is how frontman Tony Dekker’s voice is more of the frontman than his physical self; soothing with a classic tone, it’s sealed by a natural talent. It’s just luck, it seems, which makes you wonder how he discovered his grandfatherly folk voice. When all the other kids were in metal bands? When he was trying out for show choir? Either way, its perfect for this genre, a niche they comfortably fit and perfectly fill.

Video:

Great Lake Swimmers performing “Your Rocky Spine” at Foellinger on 1/31:

Jeff Tweedy:

Photos by: Donald Rasmussen

Video:

“I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”:

“Fake Plastic Trees” (Radiohead cover):

“Acuff Rose”:

The big test of playing in Foellinger — especially with just guitars and especially, especially alone — is overcoming. Overcoming the seats, the dark upper level and the unbearable lecture memories embedded in those warm bodies staring back at you.

For Tweedy, of course, it’s never a problem.

Sitting in front of what seemed to be the entire extended family — his boys, slumping in the seats, his wife, attempting to go unnoticed, his more “mature” relatives, if you may, sniffing throughout the show’s first half — I noticed early on that there was already an odd sense of intimacy unlike most shows. But, not counting those who share his last name or the fact that I was half-mistakenly sitting in the second row for the performance’s entirety, the unspoken rapport between man and audience was apparent and, well, didn’t stay silent for long.

Let’s just put it this way — that crowd could not keep it in their pants for the man. Could not. Somewhere between “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” and Jeff’s self-deprecatingly sarcastic banter, the audience slowly erupted into a chorus of song-title shouts, ranging from typical to obscure to who the hell knows what, which resulted in a ton of hilarious commentary.  Luckily, Tweedy edited down the options, choosing to pass on Pet Shop Boys (one of a handful of odd, balcony-screamed suggestions) and instead go with a cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”, performed during his memorable second encore at the front of the stage.

But, back to the actual show. It was Jeff Tweedy, live in concert, so it was obviously good — “Jesus, Etc.”, “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”, “I’m The Man Who Loves You” and a tip of the hat to Stephen Colbert were all included — though the most entertaining were the ones tied into the performance’s non-musical aspects, the best being his own son yelling out “Dad – ‘Hummingbird’!”

“Did my own son just yell out “Free Bird?” Tweedy confusedly mused, attempting the self-proclaimed difficult Wilco song and after goofing on the whistling and high notes, announcing that his child will have to work his way through college due to the mistake.

If you missed this one…well, you missed out. But, courtesy of Matt Fender‘s twitter and rhinowing’s posting, here’s a link to download the show:

Jeff Tweedy, 1/31 at Foellinger Auditorium <- – - (click to download)

01. One By One – 3:40
02. I’m Always In Love – 4:08
03. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart – 4:22
04. Muzzle of Bees – 5:41
05. Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard – 2:14
06. Radio King – 4:25
07. Wait Up – 4:51
08. Hummingbird – 4:23
09. Jesus, Etc. – 4:21
10. Everlasting Everything – 4:32
11. Airline to Heaven – 5:01
12. Wilco the Song – 3:40
13. Henry & the H Bombs – 3:22
14. The Ruling Class – 4:44
15. Spiders (Kidsmoke) – 4:32
16. encore break – 2:56
Encore One:
17. Remember the Mountain Bed – 6:55
18. Fake Plastic Trees – 6:22
19. I’m the Man Who Loves You – 2:58
20. encore break – 2:04
Encore Two:
21. A Shot in the Arm – 4:48
22. Someone Else’s Song – 3:31
23. Acuff-Rose – 3:51

Live Vicariously:

Great Lake Swimmers’ website

Great Lake Swimmers’ MySpace

Wilco’s website

Wilco’s MySpace