tangara

So, I attended all five shows and had a blast. But now I have a sinus infection, and my buddy has strep throat. Who else got the Wilco-fluenza this week?

Oh, no doubt. But there's no way he's going to come close to filling the Vic.

He's playing the Vic here in Chicago, which frankly I think is a little large. Mark Olson played Schubas the last time he was in town, and is playing Martyrs tomorrow, both of which quite a bit smaller (around 200 capacity). And the Schubas crowd last summer was pretty sparse. By way of comparison, Golden Smog played the Vic (with Tweedy) on that last tour and it was nowhere near sold out.

God, yes. Earplugs: they're a beautiful thing.

The MusicSafe Pros look cool - and I like the idea of being able to switch filters. I've been using the Etymotics regularly (once or twice a week for about a year now) and I'm a big fan - I think they're slightly less expensive than the MusicSafes, too. Though the MusicSafes aren't that pricey either, and certainly a good investment. I'll echo the others who have said be careful with your ears...it's important to protect your hearing at every show - even if you don't think it's that "loud".

From your mouth to Tweedy's ears... I would cry. Seriously.

Cool...thanks for the link! No, it wasn't me that snagged the Twinights, unfortunately...too cold for window shopping this weekend! I'll have to check them out this week sometime.

Kevin, have you tried the Etymotic earplugs? If so - how would you say those compare to the MusicSafePro plugs?

Same here. I'm going with Austin natives, so they'll be showing me the ropes (and the art of free beer and barbecue). They all felt that badges were unnecessary, but thought that wristbands might come in handy, especially if you can get them cheaply off craigslist. I think I might actually put a bit of effort into that MMJ show, only because I'm really hoping they'll preview the new stuff.

I'm going sans badge, but thinking about picking up a wristband. Maybe. I've heard the badges are overpriced and overrated - thoughts?

No, didn't get a chance to...I'm hoping to make a run this weekend.

First show: 1997 at the Barrymore in Madison. I'm honestly not sure how many times since. Four times last year: Madison/Overture, Chicago/Pritzker, Austin/ACL and Milwaukee/Eagles Ballroom. Still ridiculously excited for the residency. Man, I love Wilco.

Oh wow. I completely forgot about posters. *faints*

No sir, I don't believe we've met!

Early picks: The Black Angels The Black Keys Black Moth Super Rainbow Black Mountain The Blakes Blitzen Trapper Blue Scholars Bon Iver Born Ruffians Bound Stems Billy Bragg British Sea Power The Cave Singers Centro-matic Citay Cloud Cult Jason Collett Destroyer The Dexateens The Drams Dr. Dog Elf Power The English Beat Alejandro Escovedo Evangelicals Fleet Foxes D Folmer Glossary Grand Archives Earl Greyhound Ha Ha Tonka Honeycut Ice Cube Jim James Le Loup Shelby Lynne Lyrics Born Tift Merritt MGMT Thurston Moore My Morning Jacket N.E.R.D. O

"Skinny Love" is on the Paste sampler this month.

Huh. I'll check that out - thanks. *so, I went to the Sandbag site and was able to log in - is there a US version of Sandbag, or does all of their ticketing go through the UK site?

Definitely. They're really energetic - I'm very much looking forward to seeing them again. The Stage Names was one of the best records of 2007, IMO.

Heh...will do. I think I'm going tonight before guitar class. "Louie B sent me!"

I'm in the fanclub as well and did not receive information about presales.

Oh, cool. I missed their table at Pitchfork. I'll check out Laurie's. Thanks!

What's the Pitchfork connection with these?

I am really intrigued by these. Has anyone seen them in a record store, or can they only be found online? Apparently Numero is based out of Chicago; there was a little article about them in Paste magazine this month. Miss Loretta, can you find out more about the Numero subscription and let me know? I'd be really interested, thanks!

If they had announced Zep, I would definitely go. As it is, I'd just be going to hang out with friends and check out some of the smaller bands. I'm not sure it's worth it to sweat all weekend...

Same here. You'll be at the Chicago shows, won't you, Louie? We should meet up and talk music