Milwaukee at Last!!! explained

Milwaukee at Last!!!
Type:live
Artist:Rufus Wainwright
Cover:Milwaukee at Last album cover.jpg
Border:yes
Recorded:August 27, 2007
Venue:Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Label:Decca
Producer:
  • Bradley Kaplan
  • Barry Taylor
  • Paula Quijano
  • George Scott
Prev Title:Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall
Prev Year:2007
Next Year:2010

Milwaukee at Last!!! is the seventh album (and second live album) by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released in the United States on September 22, 2009.[1] The album consists of live recordings from his August 27, 2007, performance at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in support of his previous studio album, Release the Stars (2007). Documentary film director Albert Maysles recorded a film of the same name for DVD, also released on September 22 in the US.[2]

Development

Following Release the Stars, Wainwright embarked on a world tour that lasted from May 2007 to February 2008 and covered North America, Europe, Japan and Australia/New Zealand.[3] Believing he found the right backing band and that his voice was on a "solid plateau", Wainwright had the August 27, 2007, concert at the Pabst Theater recorded. Wainwright met documentarian Albert Maysles through their mutual friend Sean Lennon, and Maysles said he was "ready, willing and available" to assist with the project.[4] In a September 2009 interview, Wainwright stated his reason for recording the concert in Milwaukee:

Critical reception

Overall, reception of the album was positive. AllMusic's Matt Collar wrote that Milwaukee at Last!!! was reminiscent of the "opera-esque aspirations" of Wainwright's previous studio album Release the Stars, with the best material from that album being delivered in a "timely, dramatic fashion that makes for a well-paced listen". Collar complimented the album, stating it showcased Wainwright as a showman and a "deeply creative songwriter with a superb knack for live performance".[1] In his review for the St. Petersburg Times, Sean Daly commended Wainwright's performance of "Release the Stars", claiming he "swoons like a besotted cabaret star on the eve of retirement".[5] Gary Flockhart of The Scotsman called the album "slightly cheesy", but "brilliantly over-the-top" and "definitely another good album from the preening prima donna".[6]

Pitchforks Stephen Deusner claimed that the DVD was the "better way to experience Wainwright live", as visuals are crucial. Deusner calls the setlist featured in the film "more well-rounded and revealing", with less ponderous tracks like "Between My Legs", "Do I Disappoint You" and "The Art Teacher".

Track listing

All songs written by Wainwright, unless otherwise noted.

CD

  1. "Release the Stars" – 5:54
  2. "Going to a Town" – 4:13
  3. "Sanssouci" – 5:49
  4. "Rules and Regulations" – 4:10
  5. "Leaving for Paris No. 2" – 6:04
  6. "If Love Were All" (Noël Coward) – 2:26
  7. "Nobody's Off the Hook" – 4:26
  8. "Not Ready to Love" / "Slideshow" – 13:51
  9. "Macushla" (Dermot MacMurrough, Josephine V. Rowe) – 3:51
  10. "Gay Messiah" – 4:06

Amazon.com bonus track

  2. "I Don't Know What It Is" – 5:01

US iTunes bonus track

  2. "The Art Teacher" – 4:04

DVD

  1. "Release the Stars"
  2. "Going to a Town"
  3. "Sanssouci"
  4. "Rules and Regulations"
  5. "Tulsa"
  6. "The Art Teacher"
  7. "Tiergarten"
  8. "Leaving for Paris No. 2"
  9. "Between My Legs"
  10. "Do I Disappoint You?"
  11. "A Foggy Day" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
  12. "If Love Were All" (Noël Coward)
  13. "Nobody's Off the Hook"
  14. "Beautiful Child"
  15. "Not Ready to Love"
  16. "Slideshow"
  17. "Macushla" (Dermot MacMurrough, Josephine V. Rowe)
  18. "14th Street"
  19. "I Don't Know What It Is"
  20. "Pretty Things"
  21. "Complainte de la Butte" (Georges Van Parys, Jean Renoir)
  22. "Get Happy" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)
  23. "Gay Messiah"

Personnel

Release history

Milwaukee at Last!!! was released in a CD format on September 7 in Canada, Denmark, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, on September 8 in Singapore and Spain, on September 11 in Germany, and on September 22 in Italy, Japan, and the United States. In the United States, the album was released digitally on September 8, with the DVD and deluxe CD/DVD combo also being released on September 22. In the United Kingdom, a deluxe box set was released as a "luxury fan edition" with the CD, DVD and four postcards.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: September 14, 2009. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1636907|pure_url=yes}} Milwaukee at Last!!!]. AllMusic.
  2. News: Rufus Wainwright creates his own Oz. Denise. Martin. September 21, 2009. September 20, 2009. Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. 0458-3035. 3638237.
  3. Tour dates and locations:
    • Web site: February 23, 2009 . Rufus At The Old Vic . March 27, 2007 . rufuswainwright.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715213916/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13536 . July 15, 2011 .
    • Web site: February 22, 2009 . Valentine's Day show at Radio City: Almost Sold Out! . rufuswainwright.com . February 7, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715213850/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13606 . July 15, 2011 .
    • Web site: February 23, 2009 . Rufus' US solo tour! . November 2, 2007 . rufuswainwright.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715214010/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13586 . July 15, 2011 .
    • Web site: February 23, 2009 . Rufus October UK Tour . June 25, 2007 . rufuswainwright.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715214156/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13556 . July 15, 2011 .
    • Web site: February 23, 2009 . Japan Dates Announced! . rufuswainwright.com . August 21, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715214232/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13573 . July 15, 2011 .
    • Web site: February 23, 2009 . Watch out for Rufus in Spain! . rufuswainwright.com . September 6, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715214253/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13579 . July 15, 2011 .
    • Web site: February 23, 2009 . Attention to all Rufus fans down under! . August 12, 2007 . rufuswainwright.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715214324/http://www.rufuswainwright.com/news/default.aspx?nid=13567 . July 15, 2011 .
  4. News: He makes Milwaukee famous. October 1, 2009. October 1, 2009. Mary. Huhn. New York Post. News Corporation. 1090-3321.
  5. News: Sean Daly's take? Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is something special. Sean. Daly. September 20, 2009. September 21, 2009. St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. 5920090. St. Petersburg, Florida. https://web.archive.org/web/20090925014307/http://www.tampabay.com/features/sean-dalys-take-singer-songwriter-rufus-wainwright-is-something-special/1037352. September 25, 2009. dead.
  6. News: Album reviews: Juliette Lewis – Rufus Wainwright – Noah and the Whale – Jet – Beverley Knight. September 11, 2009. September 21, 2009. Gary. Flockhart. The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 0307-5850. 614655655. Edinburgh, Scotland.
  7. Web site: Milwaukee At Last!!! release dates. September 3, 2009. September 14, 2009. rufuswainwright.com.

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