Kicking Television Live In Chicago (live album) by Wilco

From EyeKanFly 07/25/2021 16:39

I've had the pleasure of seeing Wilco live as part of a set that also included Beck and Bob Dylan. I was really there to see Beck and Bob Dylan, but Dylan sucked and Beck's best songs were played with Wilco. They also had a special guest Sean Lennon play a couple songs with Beck and Wilco. Wilco really stole the show though. At the time I was familiar with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and a bit of Summerteeth, but that's it. in the time since then, I've listened to a lot more Wilco, but nothing has ever captured the feeling of seeing them live. So Kicking Television was a no-brainer for me, and it's a shame I haven't listened to it before.

Right off the bat, Wilco is NOT messing around. On "Misunderstood" they go from their folksy roots to an incredible rock crescendo at the end of the song. And the concert just keeps on being incredible from there. After a few more songs, we get to the first songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Summerteeth: "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" followed by "Shot in the Arm" which is my absolute favorite Wilco song. Neither disappoints, both are amazing live. But then followed up by "At Least That's What You Said" from A Ghost Is Born, and WOW that guitar solo is stellar. These three tracks are the best sequence so far.

After that, there's another few stellar songs, though mostly softer or at least not as hard-hitting. The title track rocks a little harder, it's a surprise to me that it never made it on an album. Later on, "Radio Cure" in particular was extremely pleasant. But then shortly after that, we get to "Heavy Metal Drummer" which is absolutely masterful. Following that, "Poor Places" and "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" both have fantastic crescendos alike to the first track, with "Spiders" taking over 10 minutes to finally reach the conclusion. These three tracks are now the best sequence. Capped off by the encore, this is an incredible set.

4.5/5, this is one of the best live albums I've ever heard. Emphatic performance, excellent recording quality, perfect mixing. Absolutely wonderful.

From spigelwii 04/26/2020 21:36

A stellar, glimmering portrait of a band at the height of its powers. Tweedy and Wilco captivate and command the attention of the Chicago audience in a way that I have failed to witness on just about any other live recording. Superb.

From Sandrof1969 02/20/2018 21:39

Un live d'altri tempi, di quando cioè il disco dal vivo ( per di più doppio ) non era solo una raccolta fatta per monetizzare bensì momento cruciale della crescita di una band. I Wilco qua sono al top: vengono da due album straordinari ( "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" e "A ghost is born" che difatti riempiono buona parte della scaletta ) ed hanno appena assunto quella formazione che non per niente sarà la più longeva della loro storia, arrivando fino ad oggi. Grandi versioni di grandi canzoni ( basterebbe l'iniziale "Misunderstood" a fare di "Kicking television" un must… ), qualche inevitabile calo qualitativo per una media comunque eccellente, soprattutto una sensazione di coinvolgimento che è una caratteristica proprio dei grandi live.

The more I listen to this album , the more I grow to love it.