Preferred B

Yeah, they were. Jim O'Rourke joined Wilco for a few songs; I can't remember if they aired. smog opened one of the Auditorium shows in Chicago - I can't remember which year.

Retribution Gospel Choir. Did Black Eyed Snakes open at some point too? The Bad Plus in Minneapolis, '03. Diplomats of Solid Sound opened a show in Iowa a few years ago; I was reminded of them when the Solid Sound festival was announced.

Folks pissed about the Bowery: you've got to realize the Bowery holds, what, 500 people? Presales get about 10% of the venue. That's about 25 people who have a chance to buy a pair of presale tickets, out of everyone trying. It's annoying, but it's really just a math problem.

Hooray for KTV! And Too Far Apart. I'm glad to hear the touring year ended on a high note. Wish I could've been there, but work is work. (Seeing Barack Obama and The National today is a pretty nice consolation prize.)

Heh heh. Well done!

You know I'm just teasing! You're a master of diplomacy, P. I wish I'd been able to hang with the all-star lineup of fans. Glad to hear Josh is back on cowbell. And thanks, El Bacho - very interesting to hear about the venue's history.

Ohh! The gauntlet has been thrown! What do The Poets think about that?

Wow, acoustic Spiders for an opener! I was expecting to see it in the setlist in Kraftwerk's hometown, but not necessarily that way. I'm glad you got to hear "Everlasting Everything" at last, P. Any horns?

Five star review in the Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/wilco-royal-festival-hall-london-2083741.html

Indeed! We feel we're part of an exclusive club, having both met froggie. One other show detail: Pat and Glenn came out to play with Phil Selway and his band for "The Ties That Bind Us." It sounded great.

Yes! It was such a fun show all around. More Synthesizer Patel! And my first time seeing Kicking Television since ... I don't even remember the last time. It feels odd to have no idea when I might see Wilco again, but this was a great show to end on for now. It was lovely seeing my Scottish friends, and meeting some new folks too. Barrowland Ballroom is quite a sight when the sign is lit up:

He had a keytar. What more do you need?

Bea, I'm thinking good thoughts for you and Juan and your family. I'm sure everything will go beautifully.

A friend of mine in Christchurch had some broken glasses, a toppled bookshelf, and still has no power - but mostly things are okay at their house. The place where she works is totally in a shambles, however.

Wisconsin pride! Nice job, Ryan, and for a very good cause. I'll have to download when I get home.

Actually, I saw a Sunday night show at the Chicago HOB about eight years ago which was cut ridiculously short by a curfew. I hope that won't be the case this time.

Now that I think about it, this totally sounds like a sundae. You should have made that happen! I mean, Mart created his hobo sundae. And it's a good thing, too!

Sunday in Chicago and Tuesday in Milwaukee for me - I'm looking forward to it!

Actually, Jeff also played "Fragment of Elizabeth Cotten song" on Saturday. I think it's from a song called "I'm Going Away." I feel like I've already said most of what I needed to say to those involved, but it was truly a grand night. The whole weekend, for that matter. I loved hearing "Reflections in a Crystal Wind" for the first time in person. It's a great song, and Jeff plays it so well. I also ate two mini Guinness cupcakes last night for dinner.

I see Jeff did play "Roses." Very cool. Sounds like it was a good time! I wish I were going to be around for Farm Aid.

I finally got to see Nels and Jon together at Largo in September of '08, and I really enjoyed it. It's tough to predict what's going to happen at any given show, but no matter what, it will be interesting! I hope to make it back one of these days. Even better, I wish Jon and Nels would take to the road together. (Ha!)

The comedy was extremely crowded! I saw Hannibal Burress.

Amen to that! I'll echo what so many people have said: it was a fantastic event from start to finish. I know it must have been a bit challenging to organize and sell as many tickets as they wanted, but the whole thing was wonderful for the fans. I absolutely hate music festivals, but I loved Solid Sound. It felt like bizarro summer camp. Playing with the drums and stomp box station, wandering around the museum, seeing old friends and making new ones, pancake breakfast at the church across the street, dunk tank, ice cream, puppets, movies, comedy, music, dance parties, jam sessions, midnig

Nice photo, Josh! I hope your Nels print fared okay. Wow, I'm back at work now, which means ... I have a moment to post in this thread. The whole weekend was wonderful, but what stands out for me from the Saturday night show is "Laminated Cat" electric, with the full band. Holy shit, was it great.

I read that article this weekend. It was fascinating - I hadn't known much about Gil before.