Three dollars and 63 cents

I saw Sonic Youth at the Electric Factory last summer, and it wasn't as awful as I remembered it being. And it's GA, which is a bonus over the Tower Theater, where they played back in 2008. I'll be heading to that show and the Scranton one. It would've been great if they'd played Ithaca or Syracuse, but Scranton is only two hours, so I can't complain.

Well, let me put it in perspective: the last time I saw Sonic Youth, I was on the rail in front of Lee. The sound was really screwed up--sometimes Kim's vocals would come out of the speakers off to the far left, sometimes it would be Thurston's guitars. It was a mess. The sound was a lot more balanced this time, for Sonic Youth at least. It may have been where I was, though, because from what I've read since then, the vocals didn't sound as clear from the floor. The sound for the Feelies was horrible. All of the vocals sounded mumbled, when we could hear them at all. I completely tuned out bec

I saw Sonic Youth at the Wilbur last night. The sound there is great, but my friend and I had seats in the mezzanine, and we were both practically crippled by the time we left because of how close together the rows were up there. I was supposed to see Calexico open for Andrew Bird this summer, but the show got canceled. I've missed Neko Case twice in the last two years, too, but I'm hoping to finally see her sooner or later.

Too bad it sounds like Evangelista's set was recorded. It sounds like it was a good one, and Nels apparently sat in with them for a few songs, which I'd hoped he would.

Richie definitely outdid himself this time. The whole collection is top-notch. I was also pretty relieved that none of the pictures from Sunday show me in full Wilco geek out mode

I finally got around to listening to this Sunday and today. I'm really glad Best Buy had this at such a low price--it's not something I would've picked up had it been $40, but I'm really enjoying it.

Thanks

If anyone is going to the Brussels show next week and is planning to record it, could you also record Evangelista's opening set? Nels plays on a few songs on their new album so there's a good chance he might join them for at least part of their set. Even if he doesn't, this is a big venue and an important show for them, and I'd love to get the chance to hear it. I can't believe two of my favorite bands are sharing a billing halfway across the world Thanks in advance.

I'm not even sure if W(TA) will make it to my top five by year's end. There have just been so many good albums this year. As of now, my top three in no particular order are Sonic Youth's The Eternal, Nels's Coward, and Evangelista's Prince of Truth.

Paste has a new interview with Nels posted. It's a little about Wilco and a little about Coward, and overall it's a nice piece.

I'm leaving tomorrow!

There are plenty of us who do this, and plenty of us who are polite and don't interfere with the people around us if we take pictures. But more and more at the last few shows I've been at, it's seemed that some people have been really rude about taking pictures--not caring if they're blocking someone's view over and over, using flash, seeming to pay 95% of their attention to their camera or phone and very little to the show. In Lewiston, there was a guy who tried to take a picture of himself with Jeff when Jeff was leaning down to let a kid play his guitar during Spiders, and he ruined the kid

The new Evangelista album Prince of Truth is overwhelming (in the best way possible). It's completely different from last year's Hello, Voyager!, but one thing is definitely the same: it's going to take months for me to wrap my brain around how phenomenal this is.

I'm not expecting to be blown away. In the spring, I read Eric Nisenson's (spelling?) Coltrane biography, and I'm interested in listening to his work as a sideman to hear the first hints of what was to come. I'm pretty sure I could spend years on just Ornette Coleman and Coltrane. Being overwhelmed by jazz has been what's scared me away from it in the past, but I feel more comfortable taking my time to wander around this time. My copy is on its way, too. Hopefully it will arrive in time for my drive to Chicago next week!

This far in advance, I'd say it's definitely possible for them to add a date or two. The State Theatre in Ithaca is booked for the Avett Brothers the 26th, but I'm still irrationally keeping my fingers crossed for the 25th. It's a five-minute walk from my apartment and would be a perfect venue for them!

Thanks for the head's up. I went ahead and ordered it. Coltrane is one of my big discoveries of the year (I know, I'm a little behind...), so I've been planning to order a few more of his albums.

Our cover boy! An excerpt from the article is posted here. I checked a few places today and haven't been able to find it, but it's still pretty early in the month.

I saw this at the grocery store today when I was looking for the new issue of Jazz Times that Nels is on the cover of. The article was a good read (or at least a good quick skim) and the pictures were nice, too. If it hadn't been $12.95, I would've picked it up. I still might go back for it.

I never expect them (or any band, for that matter) to sound top-notch in a festival-type setting, where it's not completely their own setup. On the whole, though, I thought this was a solid performance--energetic, a good set list, and a performance that I think would win over new fans. I was surprised by a lot of the song choices; I would've expected W(TS) instead of Bull Black Nova, for instance. Hoodoo Voodoo didn't have as much showmanship between Nels and Pat during their duel, but I wouldn't expect them to do that in front of a crowd that wasn't there just for them. I was also really i

Ashes

I decided sort of last-minute that I'm going to come out to Chicago the same weekend that Wilco will be in town, and I'm looking for a single GA for Sunday's show. I'd really like to have the ticket in advance rather than meeting up the day of the show, so I'd be glad to pay via Paypal and can cover the cost of shipping. Hopefully somebody can help me see Wilco at home for the first time

Thanks for posting these. I had tickets for these shows, but I had to sell them. I was a little disappointed by the set lists, but I know U2 is always pretty dazzling live, even with a standard set list. I'm hoping to catch them when they're back next summer.

I bought that Lahiri collection earlier in the summer but still haven't gotten around to reading it. Interpreter of Maladies is one of my favorite books, so I know I'm going to enjoy this, too. I do worry just a little that she may fall into the trap of writing about the same things over and over (since she's explored more or less the same territory in her first three books), but stylistically I think she's one of the best contemporary writers. So far this month I've read The Beatty novel was strange and thought-provoking but lost my interest in the second half, which was a bit disa