unifiedtheory

@sleapman Maybe both? The ghosty kickoff sounds familiar. I also have a vague memory of someone in a devil getup for the encore/DFTR. The costume would also vibe nicely with Hell Is Chrome, though they played that fairly early in the set. Man, I loved the Ghost Is Born tour.... Wilco's Reaper has become a staple of our family's Halloween mix, both the 10-31-04 version and the one from the SSF all covers show (which we didn't attend due to our son having been born that morning). Happy Halloween, VCers!

As always, thanks for the report @bböp. It was a treat to see the new material in an intimate and venerable venue. I got aced out on the initial on-sale but lucked into a ticket yesterday when Metro released a few more. A Halloween miracle! A few scattered thoughts: I loved hearing the Cousin songs live. Feels like the band leads into the garagier and more experimental aspects of the album on stage. Now that Cruel Country is no longer the most recent Wilco record, it's fun to see how those songs fold into the set and add some swagger and twang. (I will now b

As always, thanks for the excellent reportage, Paul. I was fortunate to make it to nights two and three. Things I particularly loved: -- The opening one-two punch from AGIB and the healthy Sky Blue Sky representation. -- The different direction on Laminated Cat. "Primal" suits it perfectly, and the new direction really highlights what a shape-shifter that song is, lending itself to a range of renditions from wistful solo acoustic to trippy, spacey psychedelic to fuzzed-out garage rock. -- Nels' work on Impossible Germany, where he mixed up his reliably incendiary solo wit

I have one extra for GA floor if you're interested?

I don't think I'll be able to get to the line before 12:30, which I imagine may be too late. If anyone's in line, would you mind reporting how things look on the ground? Thanks and good luck, everyone!

Given the social media post, my hunch is that it'd be a venue that could accommodate more than a small crowd? Perhaps that's wishful thinking. But what would we be without it. We just moved back to the area after 18 years away (and first date was to the first Otto's show in 2004) so it'd be such a treat to catch the guys for a surprise gig.

Finally got to see Pavement last night. They're in top form and it was a joyful performance and pumped-up crowd. Seems like they're changing up the setlists night to night while keeping the popular favorites in the set every night.

Just moved back to the Chicago area after 19 years in NYC. Think we'll get an all-band Chicago show before the end of the year? Or maybe a Winterlude in '23? Here's hoping . . .

I've seen John sing "It's Just That Simple" a handful of times -- always lovely to see him get that showcase -- but couldn't recall Jeff playing bass those other times. Is that the usual swap for that song?

Michelle Zauner singing Jesus, Etc . . . was definitely a highlight for me. I'd been hoping this would happen, given the fact that she performed the song with Wilco at their ACL HOF induction. Still such a thrill to see her put her spin on a song I always love hearing live. And knowing the mutual appreciation between JB and Wilco made for a lovely connection between their sets, most obviously with Nels' solo and Michelle Z's expression of love for Wilco's music.

I wonder if Memorial Day weekend will become the new standard for Solid Sound. Anyone have a sense, or know why it moved from late June? Sunday certainly seemed to benefit from the holiday weekend -- it was much more crowded than I can remember in previous years -- clearly a win for the vendors and performers and the festival as a whole. I always loved late June -- and selfishly the trip is easier to make with school schedules and things. But I'll take a weekend in North Adams whenever Wilco can make it happen and whenever it's best for the town and the museum. And unless I mishear

Thanks for the excellent reportage as always, @bböp. I'll echo that Cruel Country live really gives Pat a chance to shine. We were a few people off the rail directly in front of Pat, and you could feel the joy and affection he was putting into those licks and solos. He just seemed to be basking in the music and the appreciative crowd, and it was lovely to see. And a notable contrast from the last time I'd been able to see Wilco, at the Ode to Joy NYC shows in October of 2019. (Side note: I also caught Pat's conversation about his Noticings exhibit and he was reflective and warm and funny in sp

Excited to see that the daily lineup has been posted! I'm hoping Neko Case will do a pop-up in one of the galleries. This'll be our 4th SS -- any advice on staying informed about pop-ups? IIRC, last time the app offered real-time notifications. And maybe some VCers will share intel on this board? Counting down!

I'm a regular booster for Japanese Breakfast on this board, and Jubilee is one of my favorite albums of the past couple years. Michelle Zauner has talked about the influence of SummerTeeth in particular on the sound of that record and on her life -- she walked down the aisle to She's a Jar of all songs. Jeff covered the song Kokomo, IN on a Tweedy Show ep. Here's the original: While it's hard to isolate a highlight or two from an album I love from start to finish, Be Sweet offers a rollicking bass line and a funky counterpoint to the more contemplative sound of Kok

I was lucky to catch JB's tour opener last summer in Silver Spring and have been so eager to see them again. They give an electrifying, generous, inspiring performance. And based on the Wilco-JB mutual admiration, and Michelle's appearance with Wilco at their ACL celebration, it seems likely that they'll share the stage for a song or two at some point over the weekend, if schedules allow. I love Solid Sound's reliable mixture of bands I know and love and ones that I'm encountering for the first time. I wonder what fresh spin they'll put on the Friday night show? Though just to have

Woohoo, hopeful hunch confirmed! Thanks for the scoop, @dagwave! Excited to see Michelle Z and company bring their magic to Joe's Field. And Bonnie "Prince" Billy, too! I've seen him 3 times and each time has been captivating. And Sun Ra Arkestra! The whole lineup looks stellar. Counting down!

Just saw that Japanese Breakfast is playing Boston Calling on Sunday, May 19th, which keeps my posted hope alive that they will be playing Solid Sound earlier that weekend (they have another New England date before SS). Solid Sound's social media account has been teasing the lineup announcement with their alumni posts, so we must be getting close. Also possible that I missed an announcement of the announcement, or an announcement of the announcement of the announcement. Not that there's a contractual or logistical reason for this, but I wonder if they're waiting for SBS to wrap be

Michelle Zauner! Japanese Breakfast was the first show I saw when shows started happening again, and Jubilee has been in heavy rotation this year. Knowing about the mutual admiration between Wilco and JB -- Jeff covering Kokomo, Indiana on the Tweedy Show, Michelle saying she walked down the aisle to She's a Jar, of all songs -- this is such a lovely and fitting meeting of the minds. I'm pulling for a Japanese Breakfast set at Solid Sound '22. One can dream!

That's awesome. Now I'm picturing Pat doing his windmill move while holding a bowling ball.

Relieved to hear for all who attended that Wilco were able to 86 the bowling during the show. My last pre-pandemic show was the Jayhawks at Brooklyn Bowl in BK and the show was punctuated by the clatter of pins and rolling balls and the exclamations of bowlers. You can make the menu fancy and the food pricey and decorate it with all the reclaimed midway carnival clowns you want, but there's no way to disguise the fact that you're watching a band in a bowling alley when ACTUAL BOWLING is going on. In NYC, which fortunately has no lack of similarly-sized venues, I'd only venture to see another s

Sunken Treasure! And How to Fight Loneliness! It took me a few dozen shows to finally hear this one live (at Radio City on the pre-pandemic East Coast OTJ run). So I'm always happy to see it pop up again. Must've made for a lovely, wistful one-two punch with ST. Thanks for the report, Paul!

Thank you, sir! After last Friday's solo show I was feeling particularly wistful about the unusually long gap since I've seen the full band (I had to miss August's show in NYC because I was out of town). But it's like the message board kids say, or should say: A Report from Paul: The Next Best Thing to Being There. I wonder if it's somewhat strange for Jeff -- in addition to the obvious surreal nature of resuming a tour leg sixteen months later -- to have played a pair of solo shows for 500 or so people on one coast, then play a larger concert hall with the full band on the opposit

Thanks for the stellar (as always) reportage, Paul. And welcome back to your old stomping grounds. It was a lovely night in a space that's clearly been designed with careful attention to the audience and performer experience. One of the selling points for artists is the private apartment upstairs that they get to bunk in, which to me brought an extra dimension to Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You. Although I guess technically he was staying there, and the audience was not, so the dimension is a bit forced. As Paul said, Jeff's guitar work was in terrific, sprightly form. After

Thanks for the excellent report, bböp! My wife and I had tickets to this show but had to pass them along after the postponement. We were very sad to miss it, tough weather and all, so your dispatch eases the sting a bit. I've found Forest Hills to be a lovely summer venue with surprisingly good sound (as opposed to Merriweather Post, where I've always found the sound to be lackluster, despite my nostalgic attachment to the place as a native Marylander). Here's hoping for clearer skies ahead.

I love Bruce Cockburn -- Bruce Cockburn Live was on heavy rotation in my dad's house when I was a kid -- but somehow missed that he did a Christmas album. Will check it out! After just a few days, this one has already become one of my kids' favorites. Thank you!