It’s funny, I never thought that this was a very good performance. Now that I revisit it after 28 years, it was probably one of the best shows of the tour. The original perception was probably due to me being tired and hungover(this was the day after the “I went to the wrong state” debacle), plus it was the 3rd show in 4 days, and also the lighting in the venue being weak. I was able to brighten this one quite a bit and de-snow the picture, I also boosted the color intensity up quite a bit (like 85%) because the original was bland as hell. I was also able to get Izotope to get a decent read on this one (audience recordings are hit and miss) so I was able to boost guitar and vocals. The guitar was really low in the mix in the room. Great performance, and probably the best I have ever heard Bill play with UT.
Recorded by: Shayne Stacy Equipment Used: Sony TR-81 camcorder, Sony TCD-D3 DAT w/Nakamichi CM300 mic Brighten/denoise: Adobe premiere elements, Neat Video Audio remix in Izotope RX7 Audio Video synch via pluraleyes.
There is a REALLY long story about this show that I will paste below all of the tech details. As an aside, you would think that this “8mm video xfer and synch with better audio thing” would be simple, but it is a 10 step, multi day process… especially with all of the trial and error at the start. Please pardon the delays.
Recorded by: Shayne Stacy Equipment used: Sony TR-81 for video; Sony TCD-D3 and 1 Nakamichi CM300 mic. Xfer from a Sony DCR-TRV340 Hi8 camera via firewire. Audio rebalance via Izotope (boost bass and guitar) Video Noise reduction in Adobe Premiere w/Neat video. DAT xfer wirh Sony PCMR500 & M-Audio Audiophile 2496 card– Reaper Audio/Video Synch via Pluraleyes
I land in Chicago and see them at the Lounge ax on the first night. The next show was in Bloomington, at Jakes. This is before GPS and internet maps- I had a handful of AAA maps that put me in the general area of the club. So off I go- I leave Chicago and I see roadsigns that say “bloomington, 200 miles” or something like that.. so I follow them. I get to bloomington and I check into a motel 6. I start looking in the phone book for Jake’s, and I can’t find it. I spend an hour + trying to figure out where the club is, including asking the indifferent receptionist at the motel, when she finally says “are you looking for Bloomington IL or IN? You are in IL”. It is about 6pm, and I realize that I am in the wrong STATE for the show. My heart and stomach sank. I jump back in the car and consult the map. Looks like about a 3 hour drive, and I am panicking- afraid that I flew to the midwest only to miss one of the shows because of my stupidity. So I jump in the car and start driving. I take the most direct route on the map, which is a mistake because it takes me through a bunch of small towns with 25mph speed limits and stop signs(it seriously felt like I was going through people’s backyards). It is also raining torrentially and these huge semis are throwing swimming pools full of water on my rental car. It was probably the most stressed I had ever been in my life at the time- for 4 hours straight! I get to the club and burst through the door like a madman, expecting to see UT finishing up their set. The show had not even started yet, and all of these laidback people are looking at me from the bar like “WTF is your problem”. So I start drinking guiness, trying to calm down and I get completely smashed before the band goes on. I met a guy who I traded tapes with, who I am sure thought I was totally insane. Luckily for me, that was probably the best show of that tour.
In 1992, I had pretty much given up filming shows with the CV-80. It was a dinosaur after 4 years. I got the Sony TR-81 (hi8 hifi stereo camera) in late 92- it was a top of the line consumer model at the time. I took a week vacation and flew to the midwest to follow Uncle Tupelo around for a week and film them. I land in Chicago and start driving around- no map or anything- and I got totally lost. I stop at a gas station to buy a map and a random guy comes up to me and yells “what are you doing here? You need to get out- it is too dangerous for you”. Errr, ok. I flailed with the map for a while and eventually found the club. Lounge Ax was the most difficult venue to film- no place to set up a tripod. So I hand held it from the bleachers. Sorry for the shakiness. Jesse Hamm helped with this transfer, and the audio sounds really good. This may be Jeff Segota’s audio from his DAT and Shure VP88 mic.
Back in 1992, I spent a week following Uncle Tupelo around the midwest. It was crazy- I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. This was before GPS and I got myself into a couple of dumb situations that I’ll talk about in future posts. This is the first show of the run… and probably the worst video. There was no place to set up my tripod, so I had to go handheld while standing on these bleacher-style seats on the side. Lots of heads in the way and it is a bit shaky.. but it is also the only performance of the Neil Young cover “motion pictures” caught on video. And it was my only time going to the legendary Lounge Ax venue, so it was still a good night. The lighting was super uneven at the show. There were a couple of times (maybe 5-10min total) where Jay was lit extremely well, and the rest of the time lighting was low. I adjusted lighting for the majority of the set, which means that Jay is a bit overexposed at times.
Audio kicks in at about 25 seconds. I also have about 1 min video of the inside of lounge ax, if anyone wants to see it.
Video recorded by: Shayne Stacy Audio recorded by: Jeff Segota Video equipment: Sony TR81 w/Hi8 ME tape Audio equipment: Unknown recorder & Shure VP88 mic Enhancement/noise reduction in Adobe Premiere Audio/Video synch in Plural Eyes other work in Sony Soundforge & Avidemux
Here come a few days of uncle tupelo tapes from their archive. This is an acoustic performance which is nice quality- lots of stuff from the march 16-20 release which is rare. Also rare is the cover of Neil Young’s “motion pictures” as an encore.
Setlist courtesy of factorybelt.net: Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down (flawed)/ True To Life/ No Depression/ Watch Me Fall/ Shaky Ground/ Atomic Power/ Whiskey Bottle/ Wait Up/ Wipe the Clock/ I Wish My Baby Was Born/ Do Re Mi/ Life Worth Livin’/ I Wanna Be Your Dog/ Still Be Around/ Warfare/ Moonshiner/ Grindstone/ Sin City/ Motion Pictures
Soundboard recording. All acoustic set at a folk festival. Brian Henneman sat in for the entire set. First known version of “Moving Pictures” by Neil Young.
Recorded by: Tony Margherita Transferred by: Shayne Stacy Equipment used: 1994 DAT transfer- Playback with consumer Aiwa belt drive deck (big regret)- Sony DTC690 using monster audio cables. Equipment used: 2019 DAT to WAV transfer: Sony PCM-R500 — Audiophile 2496 card — WAV Transfer Lineage: Band Archive Tape – My DAT (90 meter DAT in 32khz- big regret) – You
Here’s yet another Uncle Tupelo soundboard from the band’s archive. This is from a short run of shows opening for Teenage Fanclub. The date was unknown for years(estimated at 2/02), but we were able to pinpoint the date since.
Great set. I love when they play “I Found That Essence Rare” by Gang of Four.
Flatness/ Punch Drunk/ Cold Shoulder/ Outdone/ D.Boon/ Still Be Around/ Postcard/ Gun/ Graveyard Shift/ I Found That Essence Rare/ Baby, Please Don’t Go
Recorded by: Tony Margherita(?)
Transferred by: Shayne Stacy
Equipment used: 1994 DAT transfer- Playback with consumer Aiwa belt drive deck (big regret)- Sony DTC690 using monster audio cables.
Equipment used: 2019 DAT to WAV transfer: Sony PCM-R500 — Audiophile 2496 card — WAV
Transfer Lineage: Band Archive Tape – My DAT (90 meter DAT in 32khz- big regret) – You
Here’s a special one. Uncle Tupelo toured with Teenage fanclub for a string of dates in early 1992. These shows are pretty well documented. For example, there is video of this set available on youtube. I still need to compare the copy I have against what has been posted. Anyway, this was the last show of the tour and TFC come up on stage to play “I wanna be your dog” with UT. Cool stuff.
Setlist: Factory Belt (beginning cut)/ Nothing/ Fall Down Easy/ Watch Me Fall/ Looking For A Way Out/ True To Life/ D.Boon/ Punch Drunk/ Postcard/ Gun/ Graveyard Shift/ I Found That Essence Rare/ I Wanna Be Your Dog
Recorded by: Tony Margherita(?) Transferred by: Shayne Stacy Equipment used: 1994 DAT transfer- Playback with consumer Aiwa belt drive deck (big regret)- Sony DTC690 using monster audio cables. Equipment used: 2019 DAT to WAV transfer: Sony PCM-R500 — Audiophile 2496 card — WAV Transfer Lineage: Band Archive Tape – My DAT (90 meter DAT in 32khz- big regret) – You
Here’s another board tape from uncle tupelo’s band archive, and it is a doozy. This is from the run with Teenage Fanclub, at the Paradise in Boston. This one is unique because they close the set with the Gang of Four cover PLUS a Neil Young cover. Not only that, but I tried to find a flyer for this show online and found this article about the show… written by Craig Finn. Could it be THE craig finn/ Sure seems like it, he was at Boston College at the time.
Setlist
Watch Me Fall (beginning cut)/ Looking For A Way Out/ True to Life/ D.Boon/ Punch Drunk/ Still Be Around/ Postcard/ Gun/ Graveyard Shift/ I Found That Essence Rare/ Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Recorded by: Tony Margherita? Transferred by: Shayne Stacy Equipment used: 1994 DAT transfer- Playback with consumer Aiwa belt drive deck (big regret)- Sony DTC690 using monster audio cables. Equipment used: 2019 DAT to WAV transfer: Sony PCM-R500 — Audiophile 2496 card — WAV Transfer Lineage: Band Archive Tape – My DAT (90 meter DAT in 32khz- big regret) – You
It’s been a little while since I posted a tupelo show, so here is one from that short tour w/Teenage Fanclub in early 1992. Sounds pretty nice, and they close the set with that killer Gang of Four cover “I Found That Essence Rare”.
Recorded by: Tony Margherita(?) Transferred by: Shayne Stacy Equipment used: 1994 DAT transfer- Playback with consumer Aiwa belt drive deck (big regret)- Sony DTC690 using monster audio cables. Equipment used: 2019 DAT to WAV transfer: Sony PCM-R500 — Audiophile 2496 card — WAV Transfer Lineage: Band Archive Tape – My DAT (90 meter DAT in 32khz- big regret) – You
Here’s another Uncle Tupelo soundboard from the band’s archive. It was a pretty standard set for the time frame, but I sure love their version of Gang of Four’s “I Found That Essence Rare”. Worth a listen.
Setlist: Looking For A Way Out/ Discarded/ D.Boon/ Fall Down Easy/ Flatness/ Postcard/ Nothing/ True To Life/ Punch Drunk/ Cold Shoulder/ Still Be Around/ Watch Me Fall/ Sauget Wind/ Love’s Gonna Live Here (end cut)/ Gun (beginning cut)/ Factory Belt/ No Depression/ I Found That Essence Rare/ I Wanna Destroy You/ Graveyard Shift/ Blue Eyes/ Before I Break
Recorded by: Tony Margherita Transferred by: Shayne Stacy Equipment used: 1994 DAT transfer- Playback with consumer Aiwa belt drive deck (big regret)- Sony DTC690 using monster audio cables. Equipment used: 2019 DAT to WAV transfer: Sony PCM-R500 — Audiophile 2496 card — WAV Transfer Lineage: Band Archive Tape – My DAT (90 meter DAT in 32khz- big regret) – You
