agonistes

I also love "Don't Be Scared," which Andrew Bird recorded and is a highlight of any live show where he plays it.

Oh man, YES. I know one of his favorites (which he talked about at the first DC gezelligheid show last month) is "The Giant of Illinois", but I've never liked that one quite so much as "Don't Be Scared". He also covered "Tin Foil" in DC, off the Handsome Family's Milk and Scissors, and that's been one of my favorites for a long time. "So Much Wine" is up there, too!

I have to confess that I was nearly -- NEARLY -- more excited about getting to see the Handsome Family than I was Jeff Tweedy. Although I think I might have expired from joy had they played together -- my favorite Handsome Family song is "Cathedrals", which Jeff sang backup on. This was the first time I saw them live, and I had no clue what to expect, but I loved them both nights. I really do think it's an "either you get it or you don't" thing.

Pretty sure I saw a mic stand right out in front of the soundboard tonight... I don't think the signs out front said no audio taping, either. Video and cameras, yes, but not audio. Could be wrong, though.

Night two was definitely better than night one. Crowd was better, set list was better, everybody seemed in higher spirits (both drug-induced and non). I left last night kind of disappointed, but now I'm back to being stoked.

The crowd was bad. This isn't my first Tweedy solo show, and I went in knowing what to expect both from him and from a Boulder crowd, but between a crowd that got increasingly obnoxious and a set with only a few standouts (just three non-Wilco songs? seriously?), I wasn't all that pleased. Hope tonight's better on both counts.

That said, that version of "Walken" was amazing. It was also my first time seeing the Handsome Family live, and I loved them. It's been a long wait.

Thank you, Wilco, for playing a good 3/4 of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in Savannah, which was the show I brought my parents and extended family to, because that album was the only thing that kept me remotely functional after my cousin (their niece, their sister, their daughter) died in a wreck in August 2005. That album saved my life. Thank you for letting me share you with them in the town where she grew up and where her immediate family still lives.

And thank you for knocking it out of the park at the Fox in Atlanta the next night so I could let it all go and just sing along and be grateful and happy.

Yeah -- incidental music before the show.

The Fox also contains a 3,640-square-foot (338 m2) apartment that serves as the private residence of Joe Patten, who served as technical director from 1974-2004. Patten, who was born in 1927, was granted a lifetime rent-free lease to the apartment. Patten first became involved with the Fox when he volunteered to restore the theater's Moller pipe organ.

Been there for milk, cookies, and a silent movie while Patten played the Hammond he's got up there for the movie soundtrack. It's an amazing apartment, done very much in the style of the rest of the Fox, and in addition to organs, he's got a thing for classic cars -- models and art are all over the place. He's a really nice man and a wonderful host.

As for the show -- seeing Wilco at the Fox was seriously one of the items on my bucket list. (In addition to the field trip up to Mr. Patten's place, I've played the pipe organ in the theater after hours -- which is why we were there to begin with -- and my senior prom was in the Egyptian Ballroom upstairs. How could I not want to see my favorite band in my favorite venue?) My mom and I were stage left, row M (thanks Jason!), and we loved it. Mom wasn't too enthused after the Savannah show the night before (my whole extended family was in attendance as well, as they live there), but she started to get why I'm willing to follow the band around the country as much as I can on my budget after seeing them at the Fox. The place is just magic.

And good lord, that arrangement of Casino Queen was hot!

Glad to hear someone spotted a couple of tapers. This show is definitely going to be one of the highlights of my year.

Email sent!

So who's going to Savannah? The fam and I will more than likely be at the Moon River Brewing Co. prior to the show.

Me, my dad (too bad my mom has to work in Atlanta the next day... boo), my aunt and uncle, my cousin, and her BFF. We're down on the floor -- row P, I think? Aunt, uncle, and cousin (and BFF) are all local, and we're all stoked!

Like I said... the security guys didn't say anything that I saw to people with cameras...

Set list (printed version and I'm pretty sure they stuck to it):

Wilco (The Song)

A Shot In The Arm

Bull Black Nova

You Are My Face

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

One Wing

At Least That's What You Said

Handshake Drugs

Deeper Down

Impossible Germany

It's Just That Simple

Sonny Feeling

Can't Stand It

Jesus Etc. (Jeff didn't sing until the last verse -- he made us do it instead)

Via Chicago

Spiders

Hummingbird

The Late Greats

You Never Know (with Liam Finn)

California Stars (with Liam Finn and Gary Louris)

Heavy Metal Drummer

Theologians

Hate It Here

Walken

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Monday

Hoodoo Voodoo

Completely epic, totally delightful, definitely worth the hassle of a difficult flight out from Denver, and it was great seeing a bunch of you guys there.

Did anybody see tapers? I know the posted sign said no recording, but it also said no cameras and the security guys didn't say anything to anybody who had them that I saw.

Another bump...

How did Everlasting sound?

I thought it was amazing. Wilco is one of the few bands I can think of who can shut up a venue like Red Rocks long enough to play a downtempo song. (Or at least it seemed like everybody shut up -- I was in the fifth row on Nels's side.)

Then again, I like Everlasting, so your mileage may vary.

I think this may have been the best Wilco show I've ever seen, and it was my first Red Rocks show (I've been out in Denver for a year and a half now), so I'm thrilled to bits that it was both this band and this awesome. (Can't Stand It was my request, and I will admit to almost fainting when I heard the first notes...)

Moved out here a year and a half ago -- this will be my first Red Rocks show! I'm really excited. My friend and I have GA tickets. Since I have the day off work anyway, I was planning on going to line up pretty early -- I live in City Park West. Is there a specified place to line up, or do we just all hang out in front of a gate and it's a big free-for-all?

Bumping again!

Bumping! Still on the lookout.

Bumping. Still looking for one for Portland...

Looking for 1 for Portland -- email is agonistes@gmail.com. Thank you so much!

The most appropriate way to dispose of a tattered flag that's no longer fit for service is by burning -- see k of the United States Flag Code here.

That's always been the key to how I've interpreted the song. In the song we're watching a country that's so bogged down by the minutiae (five dollars and sixty-three cents; a hundred in twenties and a small service fee) that we've lost all the symbolism and abstract meaning that goes into the ideals that come with being part of a country (I wonder why we listen to poets when nobody gives a fuck). If we're supposed to be saluting the ashes of American flags, then we're paying respect to a unifying symbol that's been retired with honor, but that really isn't a symbol any more because it's been destroyed. We're hanging on to that ideal regardless of whether or not we should know better, or whether or not anybody else is.

you're fucking creepy you bastard Jay is one of my heroes with jeff tweedy i feel bad for them both

Isn't the troll cute.

I just want to be Jay's friend. He could use a friend.

Wow. That's creepy.

Just got back from a stop by my local record store (Twist and Shout, Denver, Colorado), and according to a gentleman there, they're out the first week of June. Twist and Shout isn't great with the information a lot of the time, but considering how fast he was able to find this out, I'm inclined to think it's accurate.

On the bright side, no need to be out in Morrison at 6am. On the less bright side...

Nels's guitar work in 'What Light' -- especially the riffs after the lines "don't let anyone change your bag" and "just remember what was yours is everyone's from now on".

On the other end of the spectrum, there's "I'd like to thank you all for nothing at all" in 'Misunderstood'. I can't listen to that one too often.

Dime has two -- San Francisco at the end of February. Quality isn't the best, but I'm delighted they exist at all. Other than those two, I haven't seen any floating around. I'm keeping an eye out (especially for the show in Denver at the Ogden).

All taken care of! Thanks!