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| Where will the Big Wu be playing next? |
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[9/17/2010]
Des Moines, IA
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[9/18/2010]
Franklin, MN
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[10/30/2010]
Aberdeen, SD
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[10/31/2010]
Fargo, ND
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[11/25/2010]
Minneapolis, MN
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| Extra! Extra! Read all about the Big Wu's recent appearances. |
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[7/11/2009]
Geneva, MN
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[7/10/2009]
Geneva, MN
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[7/3/2009]
Minneapolis, MN
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[6/18/2009]
Minneapolis, MN
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[5/23/2009]
Geneva, MN
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Whenever the Big Wu is in the news, we try to track it down and post it here. However, this doesn't happen without help! If you know of an article we're missing, please let us know by sending us a note.
The Big Wu Heats up Boulder
12/14/2006
Read Article
Author: Tim Hurley
Author: http://www.gratefulweb.net/
It just wouldn't be a December night in Boulder, Colorado without a cold snap and the accompanying snowfall. However, that didn't seem to deter over two hundred fans from packing the legendary Fox Theater last Friday night to see Minnesota-based jamband, The Big Wu.
Colorado has quickly become the band's home away from home as they have established quite a fan base there. This was the second time this year the Big Wu have played a mini-tour through the Rocky Mountain state, marching through cities such as Denver, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and of course Boulder.
Fresh off their first tour through Japan, the band was ready to give the Colorado faithful a steamy helping of their signature Americana folk and rock 'n' roll. Thankfully, they did not disappoint. I say this because any true Big Wu fan will tell you that ever since guitarist and founding member Jason Fladager left the group in 2001, the band has been plagued with inconsistent performances and a declining popularity. Many acts would not be able to survive this, but as of late the Wu have gathered new strength and are once again playing with energy and vigor.
The evening began with local boys Mumbouli warming up the crowd. A ripping bluegrass cover of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" certainly moved the audience into full-on dance mode. The final two songs of their set were joined by Wu members Chris Castino (guitar) and Al Oikari (keys), which helped provide a bolder sound to this quartet (Mumbouli also had a local keyboardist and Outformation percussionsist Jeff Lane perform with them during this set).
Only minutes later the Big Wu took the stage to begin their musical conquest of the evening. The opening song, "Make Believers", came out a little flat and was very bass-heavy. But to their credit, the band seemed like they were just trying to shake off the yawns from the previous night's late Denver show.
They followed with the rock 'n' reggae gem, "Ray Charles Can See", a popular tune from their 2004 studio project Tool For Evening. This was a slower, dirtier version of the song which carried an amazing jam, proving that the first song of the night was indeed just a warm up. The only shortcoming here was that Castino (once again) botched the lyrics at one point. As much talent as he possesses, lyrical retention is not his strong point. You would think after 12 years on the road he would finally use sheet notes or a digital companion to aid this problem.
The band continued on to play the popular Grateful Dead version of "Good Lovin", which featured drummer Terry VanDeWalker on vocals. A tight beat and a huge smile from Terry inspired much of the audience to shake the walls of the Fox with their feet. This eventually gave way to a newer VanDeWalker original entitled "A Wall", which is a slower, ballad-like rock song that failed to capture much attention from fans and even the band.
The band quickly shifted gears and went right into the fan favorite, "Shoot the Moon". Easily the best played song of the set it featured amazing solos by Oikari and Castino. The band jammed on this tune for over ten minutes and really captured what is the heart of this outfit: improvisational rock.
After a short rant by bassist Andy Miller about being tired and "having a bad hair day", the band played an old concert staple, "Red Sneakers". Miller must not have been as tired as he led on, because his bass playing was superb. His fingers were all over the strings, and the liquidity of his sound really resonated throughout this number.
The seventh song of this set was the "Ballad of Dan Toe", a south-of-the-border inspired tune that VanDeWalker has kept in their repertoire for many years now. This song was also played with great energy, and at this point you began to feel the flow of the band was heading in the right direction this evening.
Following that was one of the few
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