theashtraysays

Oh I forgot one other fun little tidbit. The gap between the rail and the stage was pretty small and nearly filled with big subs. Wilco comes on, and a couple photographers emerge and start snappin, somewhat climbing around the speakers and doing the best they could to get the shots they wanted. Third song starts, and they keep snappin. Eric (rather intimidating tour manager, aka strictangel) appears a couple minutes in and talks to both of them, rather sternly, holding up two fingers. Apparently the deal was just two songs, not the usual three. Eric leaves, as does one photog. Photog #2 sw

Being the big name in a small, local festival means that you can just stretch things out a little more than being in one of the larger multi-stage summer festivals, and it just felt like Wilco was able to stretch out a little more and play a terrific 23-song set out in the street in the northern Illinois town of Bloomington. The one-day, one-stage, four-band affair was short on big corporate sponsors, and long on local folks who just wanted to enjoy music in a camp chair out on a gorgeous Saturday night at what was only the second iteration of this little hometown festival. Being in honor of

Phoebe Bridgers

Well? It was a super easy little venue. Empty rail 15 minutes after doors… well, other than me.

Drive By Truckers

It's interesting that there are some grumblings over on the Sleater-Kinney FB fan page about how S-K has lost their edge, become "animatronic", not the same without Janet, etc... sound familiar? But I'm with you that the S-K faithful are a force to be reckoned with and one that we could use an infusion from. In the three shows that I saw, there was an impromptu / uninvited but highly welcome stage rush from reserved seats halfway through the S-K set (Atlanta), a rabid group on the rail of S-K fans who out-sidewalked us Wilco regulars IN THE RAIN (Nashville), and a smaller but intense gr

Always tough trying to do a recap AFTER bbop posted one for the night before. But here goes... First off, it really WAS a (somewhat) converted junkyard set up as a food-and-entertainment area right next to the French Broad river. Food trucks and a couple bars around the perimeter, with the stage in one corner with a big open area in the middle, with quite a few tables & chairs and places for lawn chairs behind the gravel pit area in front of the stage. Lots of vintage signs & other oddities lying around. If you caught Jeff's Starship Casual today, you saw that it POURED down r

Definitely several talkers near the front (I was in the second row), and I suspect it was way worse in the back. Also several folks walking across the front "aisle" between the first row and the stage, particularly with the openers. I don't think "Reservations" would have been a good experience there.

Really, anything that gets a smile from Jeff is well worth a couple sheets of posterboard, some bigass sharpie ink, and a little hassle here and there. Maturity has never been my long suit, and I'm of the age where I kinda don't much care if it looks a little fangirl or not. Hey are you able to make Asheville now?

I'll admit it. The older I get, the more "challenging" GA shows get for me. The long sidewalk waits, the inability to sit down, the trailblazing trips to & from merch/restrooms/refreshments, the lack of personal space.... it's just tougher as the years go by. But it's still the best way to see Wilco, and I'll take it over a nice cushy theater seat any day. As mentioned above, it did rain off and on all day in downtown Nashville, heavy in the early afternoon but not so much later in the day and no lightning or storms really. Sidewalk time (for our little crew anyway) was mostly sprin

As this was my first full band Wilco show since Winnipeg last March, I was going to have a grand time no matter what. And I did!! Though now I have the dubious honor of tea-spilling for a show without a @bböp review... but here goes. The amphitheater is really a pretty nice place. Lots of stone rather than just concrete, nestled in a very nice park in one of the (many) desirable neighborhoods in the north Atlanta suburb area. The fixed seats in rows were spaced really far apart, making walking easy but giving the place a very "splayed out" feel especially toward the back. The folding cha

^ Nice list @DragAssSnag... thanks for that. Donna, we didn't take the trip insurance; just not something I ever do. But yes, Dana and I are going. She's a reluctant attendee for Wilco shows at best, and not a fan of festivals at all. But when I said "hey honey, would you be interested in going to a beach resort in Mexico this January where people bring you little umbrella drinks all day while I go see Wilco?" there was no hesitation.... so now we're going!!

... and all was right with the world again. Thanks @bböp!! Vince

I think that rescheduled festival in Europe kinda squashed the regular last weekend in June. Not sure how “binding” those kinds of things are but seems like it wasn’t something they could just abandon. As for Friday - I love the idea of a new record. Sure seems like the perfect time/place for that. And maybe A.M. all the way through (“where it started / where it is” kinda vibe).

Well HELL YES we can!! "An outstanding job of reportage, diligence, and #justthefacts!" - V.C.

That's a helluva ride there. Glad there's something to look forward to health-wise for you. Hoping for good news in a couple weeks! Vince

Which reminds me…. There’s still an IOU from bbop for more info on this last Wilco show. Hmmmmm.

Always a pleasure to see that bbop hasn't decided to hang up his keyboard and lead a quiet life of vinyl collection after the dearth of live music that we've all had these past months. And also good to know that this may have been the last drive-in concert I'll ever have to see, though it was a delightful evening. I can't say enough about how Macie's violin really filled out some of the songs in the set. She added some really great textures to a few of the songs, never overplaying anything but definitely making them more "full". For those of us who have only heard Jeff mostly solo via th

This thread needs reincarnation. oh, and per this topic....Tweedy band.

HEY THAT'S OUTFUCKINGSTANDING!

Booked a single sky terrace today. Ready to see what this is all about!

I heartily concur. It helps that you and I live in the more populated / university-influenced / (dare I say) progressive areas of the state. There's definitely a lot of great folks all over, but the newsmakers you mentioned out in KY's rural maga-land are very much real. But we're getting there.

Definite for SSF. Highly probable for both.

^ That's a lotta bits to keep up with!! Nicely done...