Hey there!
As I've told everyone that I know... if Vic Theatre were to hold a contest whereby the winner got to have any artist fly in to Chicago ("watching the lake turn the sky into blue-green smoke") to perform any album... it would be Liz Phair performing Exile In Guyville, for me. So, in that sense, I've already won. And won big.

I live 5 blocks from Vic Theatre and was wondering if anyone wanted to meet up beforehand to make a day of this event. And make no mistake, an event this is! I even switched my team's flight schedule for a client meeting in Dallas, TX to Wednesday, June 25 at 6:00 AM (we were set to leave on Tuesday, June 24 at 7:15 PM... but not now!) so that I wouldn't miss this. Guess who'll be getting zero sleep for that flight?

I'll do the very best that I can to take as many photos and videos as I can for everyone not able to attend... but you can never tell how the crowd and/or security will play out. Of course, having some fellow Liz Phair Forum members around me could help things a bit. Take a look at some other concerts I've been able to archive:

Flickr Photosets (DCFC, Vampire Weekend, Wilco, etc.)
http://tinyurl.com/5w82u3

YouTube Videos (DCFC, Vampire Weekend, Wilco, etc.)
http://tinyurl.com/5g5z53

Let's make this happen for Liz, too!

So, if anyone is coming in from out of town, or if you live in town, and feel like taking a trip to "Guyville" (today's Wicker Park) for a drink before heading over to get in line early... let me know. Thanks!
Berklie

No one has replied on dime yet. I'm scared.

Are there any ticket still available? I saw it was sold-out.

You are envied.

Look forward to hearing how it went.

Can ANYONE tape any of these shows PLEASE?

I;ll get the SF shw if me tickets don 't fall thew.

Well,
It looks like nobody else from the forum can make it. I'll be going to "Guyville" on Tuesday afternoon to pick my copy of the reissue up at Reckless Records along with my best girl, and then I'll see what I can photo/record from the show with the help of two other friends.

The thing about this show is that I wish I didn't have to record anything and just enjoy it 100%. But, down the road, I'll know that I'll be glad that I took the time to photo/record this event. Wow... still can't believe that it's on!

What I can get posted after the show, and before my flight to Dallas on Wednesday at 6:00 AM, is up in the air. But I'll share what I've got as soon as I can. See ya,
Berklie

have fun and record a lot/take lots of pictures!

Does this mean an audio recording too? Please please please??? I'll pay you.

Hey there,
The only recordings that I'll be able to get, are recorded with my camera (so... it won't be the whole show, unfortunately).

But, like the archives that I linked to above on my YouTube page, I'll do my best to get the sound to a good quality (with GarageBand's help) for the tracks which I'm able to get; before I upload them.

Wish me luck, my day starts now,
Berklie

Just got back from the show. Same setlist as last night (the album in order and Chopsticks + New Song + Polyester Bride for the encore). Band was probably the best she's had since the early days. They nailed these songs. No crappy playing from Dino to ruin things. This is probably the most rockin' Liz show I've ever been to.

A couple other notes:

1.) For Soap Star Joe, she played a guitar that was built with parts of one of Jim Ellison's guitars. She said she missed him and it was nice to have him there in spirit.

2.) Before Dance of the Seven Veils she commented on how she was disappointed that the man she wrote the song about (John Henderson) wasn't there.

3.) She did not play piano on Canary, but did for Chopsticks during the encore.

4.) For the music geeks, the Duo Sonic is back as is the red Music Master(?) She used four different guitars throughout the show. Each one tuned differently. All of the songs were played in the original keys, which hasn't been the case the last few tours.

tell us though, was it as shitty as jim derogatis says it was?

No! This was the best show of hers I've been to. I happened to see DeRogatis walk into the place. Although, he's hard to miss. He was seated in his private box off to the side with his laptop. I'm sure his review was finished before the show was over. He couldn't have looked less interested.

I just came back from the Chicago show too. It was GREAT. Liz rocked, the band was tight and the big bonus, no Dino to fuck everything up.

Here's the new song dedicated to the douche who runs Capitol. Ding dong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP8z5MQD9Sw



Who the hell brings a laptop to a concert? Fucking dork.

Great, great show! Jim DeRo had it all wrong. I liked the new song.

And love the caption on the YouTube video. Nice touch.

Hey there,
So... I got around 100 photos (most are similar, though), 8 audio recordings (not soundboard) and 4 video recordings (a little jittery, as they were kind of tight on security and the crowd was a-swinging). Here's the one that I'm posting before leaving for Dallas in about 2 hours:

Liz Phair "Fuck and Run" at Vic Theatre on June 24, 2008

Hope that it's enjoyable, and I'll have more up over the weekend. Out of curiosity... which would people like to see me convert first (I'm not sure what I've got, truth be told, so just shoot from the hip). Take it easy,
Berklie

* P.S. Jim DeRogatis didn't really write a "review," he wrote filler to act like he worked tonight.

upload the ones she doesn't play often, like shatter or gunshy or dance of the seven veils or strange loop.

::::::sigh.... dreams about chicago at night:::::

Out the door... but, enjoy:



Berklie

ditto



nice picture by the way, she looks good!

I'm really glad she back to playing her vintage guitars. I prefer to forget whatever she toured with in 2005

STRANGE LOOP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnHuGcsdgY

Thanks for the video. However, despite what Liz said, that was not the first live performance of Strange Loop. I have a few bootlegs from the 93-94 tour where it was played, as well as ones from the 1995 solo tour. Liz's memory isn't the greatest!

Hell I believed her. First time I've ever heard it live anyway. Speaking of a bad memory, she also forgot the words to Polyester Bride. The crowd helped her out though.

I know, I was there too. You wouldn't happen to have video of that, would you? Or anything else from the show?

Thought it was weird, of all the songs to flub. She legitimately forgot. If she was nervous, I could not tell. I do have more. Will upload some more soon.

thanks for the video.
how'd she do with shatter?

SHATTER was OK I guess. It's not a great live song, IMO. I don't have a video of it.

She said something about coming back on July 4th. I wonder what the deal with that is?

hmm maybe she did practice. just watched the video for strange loop. man, she's electric. pixelated or not, she seemed to be having fun. she even jumped when jamming in the end. nice. why do those critics said she was barely awake. maybe it's her voice. but have they heard eig because that's one of her good traits. thank fuck it's back.

Best Liz show I've ever attended. DeRogatis is an ass clown.

ha

Hey there!
Just getting back from Dallas now... here's another from the Vic:

Liz Phair "Divorce Song" at Vic Theatre on June 24, 2008

I'll see what else I've got later today (I'm going to make slideshows out of the tracks that I just audio recorded, when we were too busy to try and get a steady shot). See ya,
Berklie

Here's my Flickr set of that night:

"Letters and Sodas" and Liz Phair
http://tinyurl.com/4mmdvx

And, by the way, she said that she'd be back in Chicago "on the 4th of July, just fucking off on the North Shore." Enjoy,
Berklie

* P.S. If you want a high-res version of any of them... all you have to do is ask.

Chicago show was awesome!! DeRogatis was just there punching the clock. I got nearly the whole thing on digital audio. I say nearly because it' everything from Never Said on. My brother and I got to the show about 7:45 and who would think that it would start on time!?! Anyway, we were getting our tickets ripped and I hear Dance of the Seven Veils going and I'm thinking "SHIT" I missed THAT MUCH already!! We hung out after the show, and Liz came down the alley in an SUV thing, stayed in the car, but signed some autographs (I got my EIG vinyl signed) and got a picture. I asked her to sign my arm so I could get it tattooed, she turned me down (very sweetly) saying "No, you don't wanna get a tattoo!! You'll only regret it later" What a night!!

ReverendB

excellent!

Berklie,

Those pics are fantastic man!! I was off to the left, standing on my toes in order to see anything. But it was a great show!!

Hey... thanks! I got the the Vic extra early with my peop's to grab the best rail and angle (the initial photos and vids were a bit shaky... until security loosened up near the end of the show). Again, if you want any of them in 8 megapixel goodness, just let me know.

See ya,
Berklie

Yes please the higher def the better. Any more video?

Here are the videos that I was able to get, and post so far:

Liz Phair at Chicago's Vic Theatre: June 24, 2008

You'll see that I've only got 4 true "videos," and that I'm making a couple of slideshows for myself. The slideshows will be: 6'1", Help Me Mary, Explain It To Me, Mesmerizing, Girls! Girls! Girls!, Flower, and Gunshy. I just didn't have the latitude to sit there with the Berkcam® up the whole time... security were being kind of dick-ish. So, I ended up just pointing the Berkcam® straight up in order to at least capture the audio for some. And for those not listed... truth be told, I just wanted to mellow and enjoy.

Not saying that my slideshows will interest anyone else, and it's nice that true audio recordings are surfacing, but I thought that I'd capture at least the audio just in case nobody else had a chance.

I'll post a link to a .zip with the photos in high-res in a day or two... hopefully someone can do the same with the FLAC versions of the NYC show (I can't get a Dime account, as it's maxed-out). See ya,
Berklie


* P.S. My "Fuck and Run" was picked up by three music blogs the next day:

Pitchfork
http://tinyurl.com/4vkzqp

The Daily Swarm
http://tinyurl.com/4z4jtz

Stereogum
http://tinyurl.com/5u2tfb

post of a person with the dates confused.

ban please. ban this person. erase his posts immediately. all of it.
christ.

like that will solve anything. they need to find a permanent fix to this problem.

Yes ban WLY from the board permanently, even he know we need a permanent fix!

Did I see a big fat nasty discolored overused coot earlier this week in this thread?

^I hadn't thought you had posted, no....

I just thought I'd share this YouTube clip that I just came across from Ryan Adams to Jim DeRogatis, in regards to DeRo panning his show:

Ryan Adams angry message to Jim DeRogatis

Good stuff,
Berklie