js0004

Been a regular reader since the start and a member since 2009, but for whatever reason have only posted a few times.  Reading this, though, really struck a chord.  Just felt like a microcosm of everything that makes the community around this band special.  I’m happy for you and everyone that helped you pull it off, as well as the rest of us who get to enjoy the story. 

9 minutes ago, sinko25 said:

Not surprised you didn't love the sound. I think it's the worst sounding venue in the area, which is a shame, because it's a nice size/location and the alternative for many bands is Mansfield.

...and the beer is really reasonably priced. 

First show of the tour and first post-COVID show other than Treehouse, which felt more like an event planned specifically for me for getting through the past year.

So it was joyous seeing them again for the first time in almost two years and there were numerous highlights, most notably the encore, but at a some point during the night (most likely in a moment that I was thoroughly enjoying), it hit me that bbop completely nailed his review of the Philly show.  It's all so subtle, but it came down to the people who I know where there seeing them for the first time. I kept thinking they'd were going to walk out saying, that is a great great band, but probably not saying that's the BEST band, which we've all seen many shows over the years that would've convinced them of that.  I think most of that was due to the 90 minute time constraint. Aside from limiting the setlist, he obviously was consciously trying to limit the banter.  I think back to the Warm/Warmer tour where, I couldn't imagine anyone loving the show no matter what they thought of the music, given how naturally funny he was throughout it. I wish the first-timers got to see some of that. 

I know there are a lot of factors that contributed to the setlist. I keep seeing "greatest hits" used, but not sure how accurate that is.  I think they were slanted to the noisier stuff because it would get more Sleater-Kinney fans to stick for the long-term than Don't Forget the Flowers or Hesitating Beauty, but more than that after sitting on his couch playing his acoustic guitars for a year and half, he's probably been looking forward to fully exercising the band as much as possible. 

Even though they were headlining, it did feel like you were seeing them in the middle of a festival line-up. Just a different vibe then seeing them in a tighter theater where everyone had to make an effort to get tickets to specifically see them, rather than a mixed audience of fans of another band and those just looking for a nice night out to see a band they kind of like. It got me thinking about the challenge Bruce Springsteen has about putting together a setlist trying to satisfy a crowd of casual fans, 70s Classic Rock fans, people that only know Born in the USA, people just going for "the event" in their town, and diehards that go 400 songs deep looking for that one they've never heard. He's gotten pretty good at it over the years, but when you play for 3-4 hours, you make it easier on yourself. 

I like that bbop is completely aware of this in his reviews and at least has some justification for wishing for a more diverse setlist being at so many shows. There was a guy on a Springsteen site who did some similar setlist/review updates for a NJ newspaper, even though he wasn't at most of the shows. It was 2 tours ago that he opened with a Sirius/XM Show at the Apollo Theater and added an "Apollo Medley" to the rest of the tour.  After the Paris show he commented in his article that HE was getting tired of it and thought it was time to drop it...despite the fact that the 70,000 people at the next show didn't get to hear it yet. A low point in setlist watching...so appreciate that bbop keeps adding his caveats.

I've seen the band many times over the last 12 years, but all the shows have been on the East Coast. I've always wanted to get to a Chicago show, but it's never happened. I'm thinking of going in October, but was wondering that at this point in their career, what the hometown crowd would be like - especially at a large venue. With other bands, I've seen it go both ways. The local crowd could be the best or in other cases the worst, since there could be a lot more casual fans who are just there for the event. Anyone have any idea what it will be like at UIC? - Thanks