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This past Saturday night Wilco gave a strong endorsement over two hours that they are currently the greatest touring band on the planet. Now, to use absolutes when dealing with something as arbitrary and objective as “greatest touring band on the planet” is not something that is recommended, but there are a few times in the history of this thing we call rock and roll that an argument can be made (Led Zeppelin 1973 Tour and Bruce Springsteen & The E. Street Band 1980-81 Tour, to name just two examples) While it is still open to debate, the arguments that these bands made and the one that Wilco is making right now is strong enough for me to break the rules of objectivity and make such a grand statement.

It has been a long and not always easy road for Wilco to get to this place. Forming out of the ashes of Alt-Country legends, Uncle Tupelo, in 1994, Jeff Tweedy struggled with finding the perfect lineup. The fact that only bass player, John Stirratt, remains from the original lineup proves two things, (a) Tweedy was willing to get rid of anyone unable to give him what the songs needed and (b) Stirratt is the prefect bass player for the songs that Tweedy writes. After numerous changes and a decade of searching, the pieces began to fall into place. In 2001 Glenn Kotche replaced original drummer Ken Coomer and then in 2004 came the biggest shake-up as multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, piano/keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and finally guitarist Nels Cline were all brought in to the band. The release of Wilco (The Album) in 2009 marked the first time Wilco had released an album with the exact same lineup from the previous album (Sky Blue Sky, 2007) – while Nels Cline joined the band in 2004 he did not appear on the 2004 album A Ghost is Born. The stability afforded by this, along with Jeff Tweedy overcoming his long battle with his own personal demons, which included stints in rehab to deal with clinical depression and an addiction to painkillers, have allowed Wilco to grow tighter and build upon each other’s strengths. With his band in place and his demons slain, Tweedy has finally found comfort in being “the front man.”

As the sold-out crowd at L’Olympia began to grow restless with excitement for the band to come on stage, the John Williams’ “Olympic Theme” began to play as the six members of Wilco took their places. During a rousing mix of applause, whoops, hollers and giggles the band kicked into “Wilco (The Song)” and the nights’ festivities were under way. Over the next two hours plus, they would play a selection of songs pulled from every studio album they’ve released as well as a couple tracks from the Mermaid Avenue collaboration with Billy Bragg and one DNA altering cover (more on that later). The song selections ensured that fans of every era would be left happy. Summerteeth, A Ghost Is Born, and Sky Blue Sky got four songs each, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Wilco (The Album) each had five songs, with the first two records, A.M. and Being There, having one and two songs respectively. It doesn’t get much more diplomatic than that. It also shows that Wilco has one of the strongest catalogues to pull from when putting a show together.

The ability to shift from style and textures from one song to the next is one of the reasons that a Wilco show is so unpredicitable and allows the listener enjoy the show without ever knowing what is coming next. Seamlessly moving from the avant-garde balladry of “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” to the dark, brooding “Black Bull Nova” and on it went, one gem after another … “A Shot In The Arm” … “Muzzle of Bees” … “Pot Kettle” … all filled with the experimental instrumentation that pushes all of their songs far beyond the limited “Alt-Country” tag of their early days. As the night flowed onward, Tweedy began wooing the crowd further with compliments and his wit. At one point he congratulated us for the amount of Winter Olympic medals Canada had won, and then mentioned that they had been at the Olympic games, “to compete in the six man rock sled” but had to leave “because the event doesn’t exist.” During “Impossible Germany”, at about the mid way point of the opening set, Nels Cline proved that he belongs in any discussion of contemporary guitar gods, with a blistering display that never crossed the line into guitar-wankery. Which should come as no surprise when you learn that he has appeared on over 150 albums ranging from rock, jazz, pop and experimental in a career that is over three decades long. As great as that song was though, the highlight of the first set may have come a few songs later when Tweedy stepped to the mic and told the packed house that it was now their turn to join in. As the band started to play “Jesus, Etc.” he stepped away from the mic and allowed the audience to sing the song, which they did with an overwhelming enthusiasm. Immediately following the song, Tweedy explained that while he has always tried to be polite about it, he has heard many “dog shit versions of that song”, but that one might have been the greatest one yet and “you may have proven yourselves to be the perfect audience.” It was one of those rare moments that make seeing live music such a special occasion and one this fan won’t soon forget. Four more songs before the opening set of nineteen Wilco classics finished with the spotlight shifting to the drum kit where Glenn Kotche started “I’m The Man Who Loves You” with a long drum roll on the gong behind him (that I had been curious of since before the band took the stage) before jumping onto his drum kit, arms raised in the air, drums sticks pointed up, as the crowd went wild and another great sing along was about to begin, this one included Jeff Tweedy.

As spectacular as the show was, the encore was even better. Returning after a very brief break, the band kick into a wild version of Neil Young’s “Broken Arrow”, which Tweedy stated was their “homage to Canada”. This was followed by a terrorizing version of “Via Chicago”, “The Late Greats” off of A Ghost Is Born was “dedicated tonight and always to Anvil”, “Heavy Metal Drummer”, one of the greatest songs ever written about teenage summers, two classics from Being There, the haunting “Red Eyed, And Blue” and the rocking “I Got You (At The End Of The Century”, the A.M. classic “Casino Queen”, Mermaid Avenue’s “Hoodoo Voodoo” and the final song of the night went to “I’m A Wheel”. Two plus hours later the audience was blissfully spent and we can only hope that it won’t take another five years before we see Wilco headline a show in our city again. Were there any songs I wished to hear and didn’t? Sure, but it doesn’t mean that I wasn’t completely satisfied. Plus I never expected to hear “Casino Queen” or “Red Eyed and Blue”, so like with any band that has so many great songs, it all works out in the end.

Now back for a moment to that idea of “greatest touring band on the planet.” I know that Wilco will never break Led Zeppelin’s attendance records or have a record that sells as many copies as Born in the USA, but things are not the same in this digitally downloadable music universe. You never hear Wilco on commercial radio and only very recently did they even start to garner the proper attention in the mainstream music media.

The music industry is not run by music people anymore, it is run by people with accounting or other business school degrees and they can’t see the forest for the trees (maybe the greatest example of this would be the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot debacle that led to Wilco being dropped by their label only to be picked-up by another subsidiary of the same label and have the album be certified Gold by selling nearly 600 000 copies). Jimmy Page had Ahmet Ertegun and the Boss had John Hammond, music industry powerbrokers and men who saw talent and knew when to get behind a band. Talent is no longer a requirement, and if you don’t believe me then explain why Nickelback was named Band of the Decade for the 2000’s by Billboard magazine. If things were judged on talent then I wouldn’t even need to be writing this article because Wilco would have assumed their rightful place alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like Wilco lives in some sort of vacuum where only a handful of people know about their existence. They have won a Grammy (ironically for their most inaccessible album to date, A Ghost Is Born) and been nominated for two others, they’ve been on Letterman and Saturday Night Live and play to sold out crowds all over the world. Yet it still feels like they don’t get the respect that a band of this caliber should get, and they are not alone. My Morning Jacket, Spoon, and a host of other bands all fall into the same category of bands whose talents far exceed their recognition.

It is easy for those of us who were at the Wilco show to forget that although everyone we hang out with knows who they are, the great majority of people still don’t. However, it is not these peoples fault. If the commercial rock radio station that claims to be the spirit of rock doesn’t even play Wilco when Neil Young hand picks them to open for him at the Bell Centre, like he did in December 2008, what are people who don’t go anywhere else for music to do? Instead they get force-fed watered down version of what passes for rock and roll or pop music so damaged by the American Idolization of music that it may cause brain damage. They are told that nothing compares to the music of the 60’s and 70’s, so they needn’t try to find it. Well if that bums you out as much as it bums me out, don’t worry, we have the greatest touring band on the planet on our side and besides, Wilco will love you, baby.

The atmosphere at La Tulipe was flowing with energy as everyone was so excited to see Renan Luce. An indie rock singer from France, Luce made musical love to an audience of not only Quebecers, but to also a large number of visitors from France. I spoke with a couple from France, who proudly proclaimed that they had seen Renan Luce perform once in the past and that he has toured Montreal four times already.    For me, this concert was truly an experience as I was most probably the only anglophone in the audience. What I found funny was the fact that even though I spoke to everyone in french, all my responses were in english (I guess I can’t hide my anglophonism well) 

The opening act for the show was something I’d never expect to see at a concert. A man with long straightened hair, a silky blue shirt with a matchingly flamboyant vest and tie takes the stage. He introduces himself as Martin Philippe and he begins giving the welcome spiel. I assumed he was the MC for the night, introducing the opening band, but after my slow mental translation from french to english I realized that Mr. Philippe was the opening act. He was a humorist. Sadly, this was the first French comedian that I have heard so I did not know what to expect. “I am really bad with cars,” he began to say. “On my way to Montreal, my car ran out of gas. While I am stranded in the middle of the road, a car approached. I figure it was a man driving and he would be able to fix my car. Instead it was four women, but I didn’t complain. (audience chuckles) They take me in their car and tell me that they are driving me to the nearest garage. We end up in a dark abandoned road full of trees. We get out of the car, and one of the women pulls a knife on me and says that I better sexually please each of them or they will kill me. Philippe takes a short pause and says “ it wasn’t a problem as you can see, I made it here tonight.” Another joke he had was about how he enjoyed reading the obituaries and then crossing out the names of the deceased in the phonebook. I found his dark and dirty humor rather amusing. These jokes really broke down the thoughts I used to have that French and English humor was completely different. 

Renan Luce and his band brought the essence of France to Montreal through their songs. A man with amazing stage presence, Luce is extremely passionate about his music and you can see that by just looking at the way he closes his eyes at times when he sings. What really impressed me about this band, was the fact that they introduced each song by talking about the subject. For example, the third song that Luce sang “Les Voisines”, he declared how he enjoyed observing his neighbors in the old apartment that he lived in. 

Song after song, I really felt connected to Renan Luce and his band and from the way the crowd was vibing and receiving Luce, I knew I wasn’t the only one with this feeling. Renan Luce shares a part of himself in every song that he sings. In some of his songs, like “Repentir” , Luce was constantly tearing and seemed he was holding back from crying. 

The audience liked Renan Luce because he is real, he doesn’t lie to the audience or pretend he is someone else. When he is on stage, he is humble and shows genuine care to the audience. Not only did he entertain his audience with his dashing looks and witty humor, but he gave the audience four encores. I have never been to an anglophone concert that has given four encores. Not only did the crowd swarm him with applause, but he sincerely looked surprised by the warmth that he was receiving from the audience. He even blushed in front of everyone and expressed true gratitude to his fans. All in all, it was a fabulous experience.

The Wu-Tang Clan is a vast army of slang-slinging, an enterprising group of hustlers who have no lost love for each other. But brotherhood is brotherhood and as such, they've managed to put out collective albums that have lasted beyond the ages. Hell, even their last record wasn't that bad. But their vast wealth of solo material available continues to boggle the mind as all 9 members (even Ol' Dirty Bastard, from beyond the grave) continue to put releases out that vary vastly in quality, so in that spirit we'll be looking at some of the great (and downright terrible) records members have put out.

Top 5 solo albums

5. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
ODB, bless his heart, was at his very core a man always struggling in-between being the designated wildcard of the group and trying to find some semblance of artistic integrity. Joe Bananas tiptoed that high-wire very deftly on this, his first record. Released in the aftermath of the ultra-successful 36 Chambers album (as well as Method Man's platinum-selling debut) and with production duties largely handled by Wu architect RZA, Russell Jones starts his album off with an eccentric 5-minute intro that sees him quoting Blowfly and pretending to emote through a series of feelings he can't seem to properly project. At first glance a strange left-turn, it makes perfect sense for a man known mostly for his comic-like antics. From then on ODB manages to bring the ruckus all on his own with the piano-driven 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya', before moving on to the vastly under-rated 'Raw Hide' (which features great verses from Meth and Raekwon). The album continues to astound with stellar track 'Brooklyn Zoo' (and its sequel, Brooklyn Zoo II) as well as several posse cuts. The real winners here are the beats RZA constructs for Big Baby Jesus: playful, vibrant, resonant with the personality spitting lyrical on it. An album that steps out of the standard rap pattern and delivers a product that is full of unforeseen twists and turns, engaging the listener far more than typical rap fare.

4. GZA - Liquid Swords
The first Wu member to wrangle himself a record deal prior to the group's debut album, the Genius jumps outta the gate as part of the first-wave of post 36 Chambers releases. The RZA once again comes to the rescue on this album, orchestrating a collection of dusty beats that feel as if they were laying dormant decades prior to being utilized by the GZA. The intro sample, lifted from 1980's Shogun Assassin, sets the mood for the rest of the album: rapper as warrior, man as a creature constantly seeking conflict. Spiritual, introspective and laid back, the record brings the goods consistently, the GZA's almost-mumbled prose definitive, his aim sure. The RZA and the GZA both hit the mark on this one.

3. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Ghostface Killah is perhaps the most soulful of the Wu-Tang set. His albums have always been chock-full of soul-based, string-laden beats that find the Wallabee Champ perpetually living in a '70s haze. Ghostface is also gifted with the inate ability to tell stories with such gusto and a keen eye for detail that following Ghost down the lyrical rabbit hole as he spits is no easy task, but rewarding if done right. Dude is more enthralling than most suspense flicks and it feels as though he finally combines his most gangster moments along with some grasps at his ladies man persona, careful to appear thug even through his most difficult moments. It doesn't hurt that the stellar production on the album brings out the best in Ghost, as he comes full circle, combining the best parts of his prior albums. Debut solo album Ironman was too hard on the gangster tip, and follow-ups Supreme Clientele, Bulletproof Wallets and Pretty Toney Album found Ghost relying a bit too much on the soulful atmosphere he so loves, creating an uneven output that finally coalesces into a complete package on this album. Oh, and just for kicks, the album ends on one of the best posthumous Biggie collabs you will ever hear, as if the album couldn't get any better.

2. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Raekwon is definitely one of those 'practice what you preach' fellahs. The man, who during his tenure in Camp Wu, has allegedly spent his free time involved in various illicit activities (as corroborted by the RZA), helped pioneer the mafia gangster genre. Along with Jay-Z's debut album and albums by Nas and AZ, this strictly New York phenom quickly spread to the rest of the country, inspiring many. This landmark, street-tough release found Rae living up to his chef moniker. The dude was on fire, enlisting the help of Ghostface Killah throughout most of the disc as his lyrical cohort, extolling the virtues of a drug-dealin', mafia-inspired, enemy-hating lifestyle. Raekwon's subsequent output has been far inferior to his debut release, marked by repetitive lyrics and boring production, rarely living up to his abilities to enthusiastically come at the genre as he should. Rae himself has acknowledged this fact and OB4CL2 ended up slaying, despite the fact that we've all been waiting 15 years for a proper follow-up.

1. Method Man - Tical
Bring The Pain. Meth Vs. Chef. All I Need. Release Yo Delf. Case closed.
Actually, not so fast. The dirty and down-low production (the beats had to be reconstructed in a matter of days by the RZA after an accident destroyed the originals) add a distinctive flavour. Meth as a street hustler, bringing in the ladies with promises of growing old together. Lots of great guest spots and Meth definitely shows up to play on every track. Simply mesmerizing, musically and lyrically. To understand is to listen. Over and over.

4 Wu albums that disappointed

4. Wu-Tang Forever
Now I know I'm gonna catch some shit, but damn. The second group album (a two-disc marathon) was wildly inconsistent, spreading material thin and giving the world subpar solo joints. Stand-out cut (and first single) 'Triumph' sets itself apart from an album of boring, forgettable raps. Concise is the key to victory in the land of the Wu, and this album is a product of excess, of celebrity and an unsureness about where to go next on the part of the RZA, who applies a 'throw it against the wall and see what sticks' approach, trying to cater to whoever will listen.

3. The World According to the RZA
The RZA decided to use his clout as an industry figure to put out, for all intents and purposes, what one would consider a compilation album of rap acts from around the world. Label politics forced him to release this as a solo record, and he does sporadically show up to spit, though he leaves that largely up to the contributors. A strange pele-mele of various styles and languages that is nothing beyond a novelty, unfortunately. Stick to Bobby Digi releases and we won't have a problem. Also has the fuckin' worst album cover ever. 1994 called, they want their shitty fonts and halo effect back.

2. Raekwon - Immobilarity
From riveting gangster accounts to overdone and droning. This follow-up to OB4CL finds Rae trying to display the fact that he can go out on his own, eliminating one of the features that made his debut memorable (the exclusion of Ghostface), utilizing other guests sparingly over RZA Lite beats from producers who studied the Wu Architect and tried their best to sound like him. It goes nowhere quickly, and is worth barely a second listen. The Chef keeps the drug element around but is unsure about how to best talk about it, instead just relating hood stories in a tone that makes him sound bored. Also, it has the worst Method Man guest appearance I've ever witnessed. Meth, sounding thin and haunted, delivers line after line in an off-putting cadence.

1. Method Man - Judgment Day
Bloated, skit-loaded, boring. The follow-up to Tical fails in every respect, barely containing any of the memorable tracks that made Tical a classic. A truly sad moment. No keepers. Who the fuck wants to listen to a skit that's merely an 8-second phone call from Donald Trump? No one. That shit ain't gangsta in the least, it's tacky and shitty. Fuck. Thankfully, Meth's recent output has changed the current of my feelings towards his work.

3 solo collabs that make you say "hold up"

3. Beyonce feat. Ghostface Killah - Summertime

2. Shaquille O'Neal feat. The RZA and Method Man - No Hooks

1. Mariah Carey feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Fantasy

2 Wu-Tang members that should forever work together

Ghostface Killah and Raekwon. Have appeared together on countless songs, and continue to collabo to maximum effect to this day. The ying and the yang, the sun and the moon, the obvious and the metaphorical. They complement each other, almost like rap's Hall and Oates. Good apart, stellar together.

The most consistent Wu member
Without a doubt, Ghostface. Even his lesser albums feature engaging production and several rough gems to enjoy. Ghost is fearless, flirting with pure R&B tracks and guesting on tracks that you wouldn't normally associate him with. There is something for everyone on all of his tracks, and he's usually engrossing, lyrically-speaking. Also, he has a song all about being Santa-like. Who can't get behind that?

Who are the Residents? Except for those close to band, no one really knows. To be honest, I’m not sure I ever want to find out.

Since 1969, the Residents have been performing their unique brand of avant-garde (a fancy term for weird-ass) music and visual art. All the while, the members of the band have been concealed by costumes and masks. The most famous of these costumes being giant eyeball heads, top hats and tuxedos.

Their music is odd. Dissonant, seemingly out of tune and unpredictable in that the next note in any song is not the note you would expect to hear.

I would not consider myself a hardcore fan of the Residents. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever sat and listened to an entire album in one sitting. What I love is the concept of a band that has managed to maintain their anonymity for over 40 years. Well... and the eyeball/skull imagery is pretty damn cool too.

My first exposure to the Residents was through the band Primus and their covers of “Sinister Exaggerator”, “Hello Skinny” and “Constantinople”, all from the Residents 1978 album Duck Stab/Buster & Glen. I have bought one album by the Residents; the 1997 career-spanning compilation Our Tires, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses, somewhat of a greatest hits album.

All this to say that I’m what you would call a casual Residents fan.

I missed the Residents the last time they came to Montreal, at Le Spectrum (RIP) in 2001 for the Icky Flix tour where the Residents projected a recently-released DVD of the films they had created throughout their career and played the music live behind screens. I regretted not going to that show, so when I heard that they were coming back, I did not hesitate.

Then I read something on their site that got me worried; that this 'Talking Light' tour would “be an experiment in new directions deviating rom the more “band” productions”. What had I gotten myself into...

"What are ghosts?" ask The Residents - spirits of those no longer inhabiting the flesh, but unable to leave their lives behind? Or could ghosts be a manifestation of something even less tangible, like loneliness, unfulfilled desire or isolation? In a world where nearly everything has become defined and categorized, how do we fill our obvious, purely human need for the fuzzy , vague and supernatural - with TV commercials?

The ghost of a morbidly obese woman haunts her lesbian lover, filling the void of death with food commercials and Dr. Phil. A man becomes obsessed by the spirit of an executed serial killer who stuffed the mouths of his victims with Pudding Roll Ups, an extinct kid's food from the 1980s. A dead boa constrictor named Leonard (after Leonard Cohen, of course) plagues the mind of its former owner, currently consuming Oscar Meyer hot dogs by the dozen. These are just a few of the "ghost stories" told through the magic of The Residents' Talking Light.

After all, even in death, will you ever forget that COCA COLA ADDS LIFE?

The above description from the band’s site summarizes the show very nicely.

The stage was made up to look like a living room. There was couch, and a fireplace with a small TV displaying a constant static and a draw-string lamp on the mantel. The band arrived on stage to the tune of the Coke jingle “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)” which then segued into a pastiche of what sounded like manic advertisements. There was “Randy” on vocals, a balding old man with bizarrely hairy ears, in his pajamas. Chuck (on keyboards) and Bob (on guitars) were dressed all in black, with what looked like dreadlocks sprouting from their heads, and wearing large dark goggles. As “Randy” explained during his banter after the first 2 songs, the Residents were a 4-piece, but Carlos retired and is back in Mexico taking care of his mother. They miss Carlos, but they didn’t miss his long drum solos.

That was the first of many genuinely, and surprisingly, funny bits from the show.

“Randy” then got to the heart of the show, the first of many ghost stories told/sung and interspersed by videos of the characters within the story. “Randy” used a small hand-held projector to move the video between the three circular screens setup on the stage. He also warned us that the stories may be a little “spoooooooooky” (add echo effect)

My favourite was the “Unseen Sister” featuring a warped video of women chain smoking recounting the story of how her mother tripped, fell into the stove, spilling a hot pot of christmas themed pasta on her head (in July). Later in the song, she explains how her mother then trips over the toaster and electrocutes herself. With a slight pause she then remembered the time when her goldfish died.

A recurring element of the show was “Randy” telling stories about the mirror people that would appear to him. This culminated to a manic moment late in the show where “Randy” showed us the mirror people in a small hand mirror that suddenly lit up with a jolt of music from the band. This was a very effective shock moment in the show.

The music was uniformly excellent, with some fine guitar by “Bob”, sometimes a lot heavier then I was expecting the music to be. The keyboards were appropriately atmospheric, and the vocals has some very interesting effects added for drama.

The only song I recognized during the show was “Semolina” (from Duck Stab/Buster & Glen). This is not my favourite song off of that album, but it was nicely updated with a jungle beat in the background.

The last song of the main set was a very intense and heavy song that could pass as industrial. A vertically rotating red spotlight lit up the room in a way that I wished I had been on some sort of hallucinogen. The band returned for a 2-song encore, and after about 2 hours, the show was done.

In the end, my original fears were unfounded as The Residents put on an amazing show. As any good concert should, I now have renewed appreciation for the band and will be revisiting their prolific catalog in the near future.

By the way, at some point later in the show, “Randy” introduced the band again and with a slight pause, added: “Fuck Carlos”.

As a sidenote, the Residents are recording each of the shows and making them available for sale on their site. The Montreal shows is available here and is well worth picking up.