theashtraysays

Turns out that the Van Gogh's Bedrooms exhibit at the Art Institute ends on May 10th, which is 2 days before we get to town for the Jeff Tweedy Vic show. Boo. We're going to the Vic show on Friday May 13; on Saturday we're going to a Califone (Tim Rutili) LRS. Tim is also doing shows both Fri 13th and Sat 14th in Chicago. If anyone knows of daytime stuff that weekend please post. Checking the Reader; nothing stuck my fancy there yet.

Bump?

So, you had a dead body in the trunk too? I learn something new about you every day Lou.... I'm pretty partial to that song as well. Big surprise there, huh? Vince

Smashing Pumpkins

Today on my FB trending list - "Ringo Starr : Musician Cancels Concert in North Carolina Over House Bill 2" "Bruce Springsteen : Singer Cancels Concert in North Carolina Due to House Bill 2" I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, Ringo is as much a singer as Bruce, not that either one of them would win a Grammy for best vocalist anytime soon. Sheesh, that's just harsh for ol' Ringo. Actually, "Yellow Submarine" is still my goto song when I'm in Asia and get roped in to karaoke.

Andrew Bird. Serious.

I think both. Last night was a set of each according to setlist.fm.

Yo La Tengo!

Looking for 2 up front for Friday. PM me or post here if you have a couple to part with. Many thanks, Vince

Great recap, and sounds like a fantastic run of shows down there. Thanks for the report!

Today, the alarm clock in my hotel room said the date was "08-03". In a moment of temporary confusion and elation, I thought it was my birthday which is August 3rd. Damn international date formats....

My flight from Lexington to Chicago was delayed due to high winds in both places. Connections all messed up and finally just reset the whole trip for tomorrow.

theashtraysays, on 19 Dec 2015 - 09:14 AM, said: Nope. Bailed out after 3 weeks and traded it back in for an iPhone 6S. The kids stayed with it, but my wife and I just couldn't make the change. I liked the camera a lot (Samsung S6), but some of the apps were just not behaving like we expected. Music wasn't quite as intuitive and simple. Probly could have figured it all out with some digging, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. My apple-slave card has been returned to me, and so now I have to bow and face Cupertino once a day again.

Yes, it was great to see lots of Wilco beanies and scarves and huddled masses this run. That initial blast of warmth when they finally open the doors reminds me of the Chicago shows, although the Atlanta shows I went to aren't in that same frozen class of line waiting. Night 1 was still pretty chilly and windy. Star Wars sounds great indoors. That and the hootenanny will probably fade away at some point as the band continues forward, but it was great to see them both this run. They sound great and pack an awful lot into the shows. Who knows how much touring we'll see here in the US for t

Went to both nights, and loved them both. I was pleasantly surprised by the variation in the set mix, perhaps due to low expectations. Spiders after Star Wars was a great kickoff. The current incarnation of Sunken Treasure is great, and Nels has crafted himself nicely into it (a la Ashes of American Flags). That was my night 2 highlight. The encore set had fewer repeats, and Passenger Side and Casino Queen are a lot of fun in that acoustic set. Same for Hate it Here. Lots of good singalong fun once again on night 2. Jeff seemed to have a bit of a cold, with more than a few nose swipes.

Via Chicago - Bull Black Nova is the one-two punch that just slays me. Well, BBN itself slays me, but coming off of Via Chicago is just delightful. I won't even need to bring the signage tonight. Once again last night I drew some ire from the security folks for the sign (same thing happened in Bloomington last fall), but perseverance and patience worked out and the sign once again made its way into the show and seemed to be well received by all. I thought the crowd was great. Balcony was standing and dancing, and the floor was really into it. Could hear a little chatter during Magnetized,

yeah, it was a pretty full house last night (and should be tonight). I can see the wisdom of limiting that.

So, I heard that last night some folks were told "no" for #1; that balcony tickets are not allowed on the floor. Was anyone successful (or unsuccessful) in using a balcony ticket to get onto the floor? Thanks, Vince

Tickets have been secured for both nights... thanks all and hope to see you in Atlanta.

Thanks! Yes, I'll take 1 for night 1. Halfway home... Night 2 anyone?

Yep, that's the ticket(s). PM me or post here. Vince

Does anyone know how seating at the Tabernacle in Atlanta works? If you have a reserved balcony seat, can you still go to the GA floor area? Are there chairs in the GA floor area? Thanks!!

Beautiful, indeed. Thanks George.

Yes, that would bring (and has brought) a smile to my face. Especially a great fit for a mellow crowd. Love that song. And thanks as always for the recaps.

Blackstar is a really good record. I was fortunate enough to listen to it a couple times this weekend, before we all heard the bad news on Monday. Knowing what we know now about his health struggles, the record certainly takes on a new level of meaning and poignancy. But it's still a good record on its own. Musically it's a cool and weird blend of styles and textures and sounds and all things Bowie. Vocally, David's voice is still just amazing, and astonishing for someone 68 years old. I haven't had enough time with it to process all the lyrics, but Lazarus is definitely a great song lyr