Customer Reviews

Ashes of American Flags

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Ashes of American Flags" documents a short concert swing from about a year ago, with Wilco playing such classic small Southern venues such as Tipitina's in New Orleans and the Ryman Theatre in Nashville. They filmed five shows in their entirety, and picked out the best performances from them. The result is a 90 minute document of the current Wilco lineup at the their very best. The film-work is great, but mostly importantly, the performances are astoundingly good, and they cover a wide range or materials, from the super-rocking "Monday" from "Being There" to material from "Sky Blue Sky," including an absolutely remarkable version of "Impossible Germany." This is certainly a "must have" for any fan of Wilco, and I think even those who only know a little about the band will be moved by the powerful and profound performances.

what's cool is that through the dvd, you can register and go online and download the performances as a live 20 song cd (which includes the bonus tracks), then do what you want with the audio tracks.

This document is very well recorded and shows this great, tight, professional band in a couple different sized venues doing their thing.
I just had the opportunity to see Wilco on Friday June 13, in Cincinnati, Ohio and they were amazing. One thing guaranteed about seeing Wilco perform, if you're not a fan going in, you will be one when you walk out. They played for 2-1/2 hours without a break; Jeff, what can I say about Jeff? Is he the coolest dude on the planet? But he does need a haircut. Pat Sansone has got the rock guitar god moves down! With the power windmill chords, etc.
Surely a lot different in June '09 compared to when I saw Wilco at the Graffiti lounge in Pittsburgh in '93 or '94 - Jay Bennett had just joined the band. My kids and I got to slap high fives with the band on their way to the dressing room after the show - that was cool.
I can't say enough about this rock group.
Jeff's words are poetry, not rock lyrics, set to interestingly melodic
tunes that spin in different directions, time changes, bridging space and
distance.
In Cincinnati, hearing 2,700 fans sing the words along with Jeff and John and Pat was amazing. Every song a sing-a-long.
The only better rock concert I've experienced in my 58 years of having ears was
seeing The Band at Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh in 1970. But that's another story.

This is an excellent concert performance dvd by Wilco. It features live performances by Wilco filmed in 5 lengendary Southern U.S.A. Venues during 2008. These venues are Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tipitina's in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mobile Alabama Civic Center, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, and the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. The dvd starts off kinda like a documentary, but then progresses into concert performances. It does contain some documentary elements during the DVD, but it is mostly concert performance footage. The music Wilco performs, sounds like, what the late/great Gram Parsons called "Cosmic American Music". This kind of music has also been referred to as "Alternative Country", "Americana", and "No Depression".!It can also be referred to as plain ole "Southern Rock". Although Jeff Tweedy, the lead man is from Illinois, John Stirratt, the bass guitar player is from Mandeville, Louisiana, just across Lake Pochantrain from New Orleans. John Stirratt has been with Jeff Tweedy for a long time, even when they had a band named "Uncle Tupelo", before they became "Wilco".

During some of the performances, Wilco's lead singer and frontman Jeff Tweedy, wears a "Nudie" suit, similier to the "Nudie" suit that the late/great Gram Parsons used to wear. A "Nudie" suit is one of those flashy, decorated country & western suits, designed by a tailor in L.A. with a nick name of "Nudie". Jeff is a "cool" frontman. He and the band perform outstanding music in this dvd. This dvd contains 13 basic songs, plus a bonus of 7 more songs. I'm not sure of the time line, but it is a fairly lengthy dvd.

The line-up is as follows:
Jeff Tweedy
John Stirratt
Glen Kotche
Nels Cline
Pat Sansone
Mikael Jorgensen

The song set is as gollows:
1. Ashes of American Flags
2. Side With the Seeds
3. Handshake Drugs
4. The Late Greats
5. Kingpin
6. Wishful Thinking
7. Impossicle Germany
8. Via Chicago (this one includes a sound, like a jet airplane taking off)
9. Shot in the Arm
10.Monday
11.You are My Face
12.Heavy Metal Drummer
13.War on War

The bonus songs are as follows:
1.I'm the Man Who Loves You
2.Airline to Heaven
3.It's just That Simple
4.At Least That's What You Said
5 I am Trying to Break Your Heart
6.Theologians
7.Hate it Hese

Overall, this is great concert performance dvd, along with some documentary emements. For example, somewhere in near the end of this dvd, you get a conversation of Jeff Tweedy with his Dad. He looks just like his Dad. Also, you get some scenes from the road, taken from their tour bus. If you like this kinda music, then you should really enjoy this dvd. I enjoy it very much. This is a "unique" band. I've never seen any other band, quite like this one. So, if you like, what I have described, then you should really enjoy this dvd, and therefore, I do recommend it. Thanks!!!!

The concert itself is great, the video/sound quality are top notch and the Wilco lineup shown here is incredible. The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is simply because I don't think it's really a "documentary", there are some interviews and behind the scenes stuff but these feel like an afterthought. Having said that there is a half hour of "bonus" live footage and you can download the audio tracks for free. This dvd is well worth the money and since I've seen them live a few times I can say it is a very good representation of their live shows. It is definately a must have for Wilco fans and if for some reason you don't already own the "I am trying to break your heart" documentary by Sam Jones I would buy the two together... you will probably get free shipping that way:)

Great performances. The sound is phenomenal. The band's commentary between tracks could easily have ruined it, but they don't sound pretentious or stupid and there is just enough talk before actual songs (see Arcade Fire's Mirror Noir for how NOT to do this). I don't think you can ask for much more from a live DVD. It doesn't hurt that Wilco have such a good catalogue of consistent, excellent songs, which are edgy and accessible. Best music DVD I've bought in ages.

I just finished this documentary/live performences and was completly blown away.This dvd should prove why WILCO is probably one of the best or thee best performing rock band out there that is still playing.This was also my first time seeing Nels Clines's guitar work which is unbelievably amazing (i got goosebumps so many time's from his guitar solos).Jeff Tweedy is still very fun to watch perform and joke with the audience.All 6 members are so connected with what they are doing on stage.The timing and patience with them proves this band has tremendous passion & maturity as a band for what they do.
Key performences:
Side with the Seeds
Handshake Drugs
Impossible Germany
Via Chicago

Extras include 7 more full length live performences.

I can sum this up by saying it is the best musical performance documentary since "The Last Waltz." As a band Wilco keeps growing and maturing and their work reflects it. I am very sad to not have caught them during this tour; this movie is the next best thing to that.

A preface: I just saw this film on the Sundance Channel so I'm only reviewing the film portion (not the bonus materials that are apparently available on the DVD).

After recently seeing this film on the Sundance Channel I'm planning to purchase it. In fact, I essentially made that decision during the film's first song, "Ashes of American Flags." The setting -- soundcheck inside the vacant Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Okla. -- and the photography are beautiful and captivating, and set the tone for the rest of the film. I was hooked. The fact that this documentary features three songs from the fantastic Ryman Auditorium show I attended on March 2, 2008, was the clincher.

As a photographer, I loved the nicely composed footage -- the strongest of which comes from passing landscapes and roadside cutaways. (The still photo featured on the DVD cover is taken from one of the most glorious shots in the film.) The documenting of Wilco's musical performances is great too, if not quite as jaw-dropping visually. The music itself is of course a highlight.

The only real drawback for me is the fact that some of the included interview subject matter makes the film at times seem more like a band's electronic press kit (pre-packaged video productions that labels send to the press to introduce a band) rather than a documentary film. I'm thinking particularly of the John Stirratt background material early in the film. I didn't get the same EPK feeling from 2002's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," which I enjoyed as well. Maybe this won't be an issue to others or even to me on later viewings, but such material did strike me as a bit off-tone during my initial viewing. Other scenes, meanwhile, fit smoothly into the documentary framework, like the band members backstage using ice packs to recuperate from injuries sustained during shows.

Obviously Wilco fans are a best fit for this film, but I personally feel that there is enough here to hold the attention of newcomers as well. All in all, it's a very well-executed film that I would recommend to others.

Great music and beautifully filmed scenes of American countryside. An eyeopening view behind the scenes of the band and the strain of going on the road! Shows that there is a lot more involved than the excitement of performing.