Tripping Out In The Blue Skies

Sonic Youth, Central Park Summerstage 6/26/2003

Peace Attack / The Empty Page / Rain On Tin / Plastic Sun / Eric’s Trip / Disconnection Notice / Karenology / Mariah Carey and Arthur Doyle Handcream / Catholic Block / Making The Nature Scene / Sympathy For The Strawberry // Sugar Kane

For me, the whole Murray Street album, “Rain On Tin” and “Disconnection Notice” in particular, is very closely associated with hot, muggy summer weather, and so I think that this setlist was perfectly suited to the weather and venue. I was only slightly disappointed that a few songs currently in rotation were not played, mostly because all of the songs that I had in mind except for “Expressway To Yr Skull” wouldn’t have been appropriate under the circumstances. “Peace Attack” is a new Thurston number, and it is very similar in feeling and structure as the Murray Street songs, but maybe a bit more mellow, not too far off from Experimental Jet Set Trash And No Star‘s “Sweet Shine.” It has an instantly ingratiating melody, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being the single for the next record. “Mariah Carey…” is a new Kim song which is on a split single with Erase Errata. I hadn’t heard it before – it is a fairly typical Kim Gordon-style punk tune, pretty similar to her more rocking songs from the Goo/Dirty era. “Karenology” was a major highlight of the show, and the improvisational instrumental section was extra long and featured some very amusing guitar abuse.

Wilco were okay. I left after their main set concluded, I didn’t feel any need to stick around after they had played a majority of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. They took their sweet time getting started, and opened with three consecutive extremely boring songs before playing “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.” After a second lull following that song, they finally started to play what I like to refer to as “the good songs.” Unfortunately, it was sort of hard to fully appreciate their performance since Wilco has some of the most obnoxious fans I’ve ever encountered. I’m fairly certain that they were Wilco fans – I really doubt that the people in question were Sonic Youth fans who were sticking around. Wilco fans do not shut up. They have conversations through the songs as though the music were just a cd on in the background at a bar. They make calls on their cell phones during quiet numbers. They bring their laptops to the gig with them. They are overly fond of concession stand french fries. There was one guy singing along loudly in a droning bass monotone several octaves off key. Nevertheless, it was good to see Wilco play “Jesus, Etc,” “I’m The Man Who Loves You,” “Poor Places,” “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “Ashes Of American Flags,” “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” and “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” so it was worth waiting through the boring parts. Fun fact: Jeff Tweedy sort of looks like Jimmy Fallon from 50 yards away.