MattZ

I just finished the 33 1/3 book on Music from Big Pink and I was pretty disappointed. Oh well.

Hey MB - thanks for carrying the ball in this thread. I was at both of these shows and they ended my mini run from Chicago to Alpine Valley to Deer Creek. A nice blast from the past to see those set lists. Anyway, couldn't agree more on the coil encore. In fact, I seem to remember that this was my first coil encore. As the song came down, I remember closing my eyes and being carried away to another world (I was sober). When Page hit that final chord, I remember opening my eyes and being absolutely stunned that he was the only guy up there, with the spotlight shining on him. He gave tha

Well, not sure how it directly affects you as an American, but the very best case scenario here is that hundreds (or thousands) of people are going to die (and that ignores the implications of one country invading another sovereign nation that is an ally of the US, what this does to oil, what this means about Russia's plans vis-a-vis the Ukraine, etc). Just seems odd to me that at the onset of war, the media needs to explain to people why they should care about that. Seems like something to care about even if it doesn't affect you directly. And this could very well affect us directly.

I just saw a headline across the bottom of the screen on MSNBC that said: "WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE WAR IN GEORGIA" Sheesh. Apparently, we really need to spell out for people why this is big deal.

Great points. On the topic of Darwin, one of the op-eds in the Times yesterday made the funny, but sad, point that we are making "real progress" in our country when it comes to these scandals. You know, because Edwards went on national TV for his mea culpa without forcing his wife to sit there next to him smiling.

I agree that this is an issue for him and his family to deal with. But I also have a hard time accepting that a man who freely used his personal life to further his political ambitions (eg, son of steel mill worker, etc.) shouldn't also be held accountable for lying about other aspects of his personal life. Is it fair for him to have it both ways? If not, isn't outrage reasonable?

I used to ask myself this same question, but invariably, it ended being whichever song I was listening to at the time that was blowing my mind. I'd tell myself that it was YEM, but then I'd be listening to a show and Harry Hood would change my mind. Or an Antelope. Or even a Slave to the Traffic Light. Or a Chalkdust. Or a Tweezer Reprise. I guess that's why they were my favorite band for so long. If you put a gun to my head, YEM.

Well said. Thanks Maudie.

how much money did that cost?

I agree with you. A terrible song. I think some folks thought it was the closest song the band had to a Dead tune. Seemed a stretch to me.

Wow. I never knew that bit about the chimp and NBC -- thanks for posting. In the end, my signature below speaks volumes on this (thanks Jay Farrar). I really believe it. We do a lot of anesthetizing. All of us. Not that I can blame us. Oftentimes I'd rather watch a baseball game. Or drink a beer. Wow, that's depressing. I wonder if it isn't just human nature. I am glad that I get to talk about it here with some smart folks, though. Makes it better somehow.

When I saw them in Uniondale, Long Island in 2003 (?) and they played the first Destiny Unbound in who knows how long, I knew it was over. Fans had been begging for that song since as long as I could remember and the band never obliged. It became a long running joke -- what could the crowd do to get them to play it. I even remember one show I was at where, before the show, people were passing out flyers trying to get the crowd to start chanting for it during the set break. You are right -- the bustouts were a signal that the well was dry. I think we discussed it earlier in this thread.

I suppose it's possible. But that would mean that media conglomerates, who don't want us to get the real news, insist on feeding us fluff through newspapers so that we become addicted to fluff and ignore the bad news that's out there about the very media conglomerates. It's a bit too 1984/conspiracy theorist for me -- there are still other ways of getting your information (as Treehugger said, on the internet, public TV, NPR, etc.) if we want it. I think it could be that the issue is that there is no such thing as unbiased and people know exactly what they are getting (ie, fluff) and want i

Yes, fair point (as always). But at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that the media should be indifferent to what they give us since their goal is simply to sell the most newspapers possible. At the least, they aren't incentivized to condition us. Now, whether they do or don't, I have no idea. I suppose it is possible that fluff is addictive, like cigarettes or sugar, and they continue to feed it to us. I never thought about it that way, but maybe you are on to something. And maybe they are incentivized to give us to fluff. No answers here either.

Maybe I am just an old fashioned pure capitalist, but I think the market settles all these issues. The Cronkites of the world are out there, but we don't want them. Or not enough of us do. Until we become a country that wants solid unbiased reporting, we won't get it. We are a country that will only watch a female anchor without grey hair or wrinkles. The data proves this. We get exactly what we demand.

Media's job is to sell newpapers and ads on TV. I gave up thinking that their job was to do anything other than that a long time ago. In an ideal world, the marketplace would demand balanced, appropriate and impartial reporting. I don't believe that's what the market demands. I know we have argued about this ad nauseum and I don't want to open the can of worms again. But I don't think the media has dropped the ball on anything. Yellow journalism and its ilk sells. End of story. The media is not here to protect us. They are here to make money. It's the way it goes. These are not cha

I am still on the fence about all of this. I am worried that little (purely selfish) good can come from them getting back together. I know that they would never be a greatest hits touring band, but I am not sure that you can put the toothpaste back in the tube here. Then again, imagining being at a show, waiting for them to come out, the lights going down, the crowd cheering and seeing those 4 guys, and hearing: oooom pah pah, ooooom pah pah, ooooom pah pah, ooooom pah pah AHHHHH!!!!!! would be worth it.

I have this show on my mp3 player. Definitely the best post-hiatus show that I heard. Brother, Harpua, Camel Walk, Daniel Saw the Stone? Jeezopete. I haven't heard the story behind the crazy setlist... What is it?

Same for me. Question is whether it is worth the price of admission for the deluxe version. Decisions, decisions.

Schweet.

Couldn't disagree more strongly. Every minute that the 4 of them are on the screen -- warts and all -- is enthralling to me. We don't have that much video footage of them in a setting like that. Every ounce I can get is worth it to me.

I feel bad for fans of any team that face the very real possibility of literally living and dying without ever winning a World Series. Cubs mismanagement doesnt change the fact that as a fan, I can only imagine what that must feel like, and I feel bad for them. And I'd root for the Brewers or Cubs if they made the World Series. Certainly against a team that has won (fairly) recently.

As a lifelong Mets fan, I can understand why you'd snort at the idea, but the Mets have won 1 world series since 1970. That's almost 40 years. Yes, it is true that over the last 15 years they have spent a tremendous amount of money (poorly) and it's hard to think of them as an underdog. But over their history they have traditionally been a pretty hapless organization that could not get out of its own way, or the shadow of the Yanks (or Dodgers or Giants for that matter). You are right though -- as a fan of the Brewers, I am sure you'd very quickly sign up for competitive every year as an

Let's agree that 100 games doesn't tell us much and that everyone's in it, and it's gonna be a fun summer. Looking forward to more arguing around here with you. May the best team win. (W/L record, I mean )