pk500 wrote:OK, here's a hypothetical: What if Wilco broke up, and then Tweedy reunited it after a year or two without any of the current band members?
Considering that bassist John Stirratt is the only original member of Wilco besides Tweedy in the current lineup, would that reformed Wilco still be Wilco?
Band members leave or are fired all the time, and the band is still the band. Van Halen was still Van Halen without David Lee Roth (even if it did suck).
Why are bands that break up and reunite held to different standards than bands that stay together yet have a revolving door of members?
Again, look at Wilco. It started in 1995 with this lineup:
Jeff Tweedy
John Stirratt
Ken Coomer
Max Johnston
Jay Bennett
Since then, Bennett, Coomer and Johnston have left or been fired, and Leroy Bach also came and went.
The current lineup is:
Jeff Tweedy
John Stirratt
Glenn Kotche
Nels Cline
Pat Sansone
Mikael Jorgensen
So does that not make the 2007-circa band Wilco?
You say it's ridiculous that Daltrey and Townshend -- by far the most visible part of The Who -- tour as The Who. But what makes a reunited Who any different than the metamorphosis of Wilco, especially when The Ox and Moonie are dead?
Would it be ridiculous for Zeppelin to reunite without Bonzo? Then again, a Beatles' reunion with just Macca and Ringo WOULD be ridiculous. And Axl's Lazarus act with G 'N R is a joke.
What's the cutoff, the parameter, for when a reunited band no longer is that band?
This is a very interesting discussion, boys.
Take care,
PK
That's kind of a silly proposal. Tweedy has talked openly about Wilco being a rotating "ever evolving" band. In 1998, he even referred to it as a "project". So, we'd have to imagine tweedy breaking-up Wilco? That's a stretch. Remember, when he kicked out Jay Bennett? He told Jay: "A circle can only have one center". You could argue what "old" line-up would get u the most "hyped". AM line-up baby!
Had a near identical discussion w/ a writer at the Police concert. Sting's been playing old Police tunes for years in his solo shows. Would Sting be able to sell out Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, & The Pond in the same week. No way, but add the two 'support dudes' (although I was always a copeland fan first!) and BAM nearly 100,000 tickets sold over 3 days.
Sometimes there just an intangible with certain bands & reunions...