Wilco putting shows on the record

 

May 4, 2005

BY JIM DeROGATIS POP MUSIC CRITIC

Wilco fans shut out of the group's sold-out stand at the Vic Theatre this week should not despair: The four shows, which begin tonight and conclude Saturday, are being filmed and recorded for a combined DVD/CD package due this fall from Nonesuch Records.

"[Bandleader] Jeff Tweedy has been outspoken about the fact that he feels the band's current lineup is extraordinary, and this is a way to document that," the group's spokeswoman Deb Bernardini said Tuesday.

The four concerts are expected to feature different set lists every night, but the band won't be debuting any new material. The shows will be shot by photographer-turned-filmmaker Sam Jones, whose documentary about the band, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," garnered widespread critical acclaim in 2002.

Wilco released its most successful album yet, "A Ghost Is Born," in 2004, and the current lineup of guitarist-vocalist Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt, drummer Glenn Kotche, guitarists Nels Cline and Pat Sansone and multi-instrumentalist Mikael Jorgensen capped an extraordinary year with a powerful show at New York's Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve.

Wilco will not have an opening act at the Vic this week. The doors open at 7 p.m., the shows begin at 8, and if you absolutely have to be there, scalped tickets are selling for an average price of $150.

 

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