Firecracker Kid

First off, Glenn’s shirt needs special recognition. Perhaps enshrinement of some kind. 🤠 As for the show, one of my biggest memories will likely be how chilled out and in tune with the music the crowd around us was. No talkers, no flash photographers, no soon-to-be Tik Tok legends and their 15 second videos. Folks just there listening and appreciating what they were hearing (or at least that they were getting to hear it). I’ve connected quickly to the album but know that others, both hardcore and casual fans, haven’t. So getting to enjoy what will almost certainly be the only cover-to-cover sp

“young phenom”, eh? I’d be happy if just half of that were true. Either half! 🤣

Apologies abound for this recap, as it's been a while since I've gotten on this horse. Thankfully I was at least slightly prepared to put my crude scribe skills to work, as a little birdy told me that bböp might not be in attendance at the show. And, one song into the set I was both reminded of the effort it takes to do a show recap justice and thankful that we're so often able to read bböp's wonderful reviews. I also cursed him under my breath a little for skipping the show knowing I'd have to post my feeble attempt at journalism.... The show marked the first time Jeff has visite

For the first time in a long while, I was actually giddy for a show, largely based on the potential of covers and collaborations. And I’m quite grateful I wasn’t let down. Despite the brevity of “sets” as noted by our fearless scribe above, there were several standouts. Jason Isbell doing justice in earnest to I Envy The Wind, Margo Price “rescuing” a legend, and everything that was Roseanne Cash were all beautiful moments. And, trying to describe the vibe of seeing Alejandro Escovedo’s set while sitting next to his family and cheering section that was easily 30 people strong wouldn’t capture

I’m waiting with eager anticipation to hear more about the person with their fingers in their ears for the majority of the show. I’ve been to a few concerts over the years and don’t think I’ve ever seen that move.

Not much to add to the masterful commentary above other than a note on the general chillness of the crowd. Other than what was seemingly an alcohol fueled (and possibly other substances) violent yelling outburst by a guy about 3 rows back, there were no shenanigans of note, which is always welcome at the end of a long, hot festival day. And kudos to the event security for quickly dealing with said nitwit. As for the show, all I can really say that it was a great way to end the summer!

As a native Houstonian, I can safely (and sadly) say that last night’s crowd was about as predictable as they come. Most of the crowd remained seated with a general level of polite interest but no real commitment. Game 3 surely contributed to the vibe to some extent (we’re also one of the most bandwagon-jumping set of sports fans you’ll find), but I’ve seen that dynamic unfold at dozens of seated shows in that venue, so it wasn’t really a shock. Unfortunately the alternative would have been a super chatty, “phones up” crowd, which is what nearly all GA shows turn into in town. So, it’s sor

Well, a dandy DOES like a good hat tip.

Despite the wasteland of a venue and the grim surroundings (at least the neighbors are quiet), it was definitely a fun show. Glad I was able to make the trip over and do a little Polska pogo at the end!

Jesus, etc. is playing in Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. As we’re waiting for our flight to head to Solid Sound.

You And I in the Dan Accadia hotel in Herzylia, Israel at breakfast this morning. A pleasant way to start the day, especially when I’m 7,000 miles from home.

Hopefully bböp’s connectivity issues will resolve themselves soon (possibly on an upcoming train ride), so I won’t offer too much detail on the evening. That being said, having been fortunate enough to see Jeff and/or Wilco more than my fair share of times, I’m still amazed by the surprises that can unfold. On the surface, the show seemed like it was setting up to be similar to the previous two nights’ shows. Not that those shows were bad by any means (are they ever???), but I wouldn’t necessarily categorize them as memorable for the music alone. Last night, however, was one that will stick

"Nils" Cline. Nice job by the Roling Stones editur.

I'm definitely convinced that Glenn does the braiding, and that he and Jeff trade juicy gossip about the crew and band while he's doing it. "Did Nels get some new socks?" "Did Sansone throw in an extra windmill last night?" "Does Matrix secretly love the French?" Oh, to be a fly on that wall...

I'm really not even sure where to begin in describing tonight's show, so I'll start with the positives. The Schnitz is a beautiful venue and the sound was terrific. The entire stage production from the backdrop and lighting to the instrument arrangement is pretty fantastic. And, of course, the band was outstanding as always. But, on the flip side, there were a bunch of idiots in the front row that kind of put a damper on things by being rude to the point that Jeff really lost his cool on stage. Mind you, it was assigned seating and not GA, so the randomness of having such a concentration of

Thanks for the recap, bböp. Pat singing Watch The Sunrise is a treat. It's right in his wheelhouse. A few questions... Did Ira take the lead vocals on anything? Did Jody sing Blue Moon or did someone else get the honor? And, regarding the video taping, what kind of camera setups did they have? Were they static and discrete or did they have booms and/or guys with handhelds roaming around? Just wondering what we can expect to see next year when the video is released (assuming, of course, that the project isn't shelved).

It was good to meet you too, Eckythump. Sounds like your dining experience captured the general vibe here - rock stars getting to enjoy a bit of down time without fear of being mobbed. BTW, safe travels back across the pond. ps - I went back through my notes and want give a little more credit to The Autumn D than I did in the previous post - I forgot they ended their Night 1 set with a really tight version of Big Star's You Can't Have Me. As Eckythump mentioned earlier, when Pat wants to rock, he's pretty damn good at it. Also, I missed one of the Bowie Tributes, with Steve Wynn and Cor

No, unfortunately The Autumn D steered clear of any Bowie tributes. That's assuming The Swallows of London Town doesn't count. Overall, their performances were fairly pedestrian. Pat had keyboard trouble on Night 1, so they scrapped all songs with him at the keys. They didn't play Night 2, and Night 3 saw a couple of repeats from Night 1. In fact, they didn't even play It's Just That Simple. As for the Bowie tributes, there were a handful. On Night 1 Joseph Arthur sang a tribute poem as part of his solo set. The Filthy Friends (Peter Buck, Corin Tucker, Scott McCaughey, etc) did Re

Wow. Just WOW. This was one hell of a way to end the first weekend of the Festival. The lineup was shuffled yet again tonight, with the Autumn D preceding Jeff as the show closer. Frankly, I think it did wonders for weeding out some of the "less interested" contingent as only bout half of the crowd was left by the time Jeff took the stage. So, that left about 200 or so of us to enjoy some great collaborations, a throwback to the four-piece Wilco, and the stage-filled finale which also served as the last Bowie tribute. Here's the set list as played... I'm The Man Who Loves You We've Been H

Despite what was one of the most obnoxious crowds I've ever been around, we really got a great show tonight. Gary Louris joined Jeff for several songs which was somewhat unexpected, mainly because The Jayhawks don't play the festival until next week (although, admittedly, I did spot him in town yesterday and was hopeful it would happen). Unfortunately the beauty of the show was lost on what seemed like over 90% of the people there who chose excessive talking, complete non-participation with the artist (even when directly requested by Jeff), and general jackassery. But for those of us fans in

The unknown song wasn't anything I've heard before, and the only lyrics I jotted down were the same ones Eckythump captured, as well as something about "bongs" and a "carpeted van". I think I recall something similar to what Nalafej quoted as well but didn't write it down. I couldn't find anything through various searches, so I'm guessing it's either something new or something obscure. BTW, Googling "carpeted van" returns some pretty groovy results. As for the rest of the set list, Eckythump is spot on. Just a minor add of detail, on California Stars the full lineup was Jeff (acoustic gui

The setlist posted is correct with one exception - Should've Been In Love and IATTBYH are reversed. They transitioned to One Wing from Heart. Also, the lineup for the second encore was similar to last night's Ryman show, with only Jeff's mic on. For Misunderstood, Jeff, John, and Mikael were on acoustic guitars, Nels was on dobro, Pat was on banjo, and Glenn played various soft percussion instruments (and they even managed to find a stool for him tonight). For California Stars, it was the same lineup with the exception of Mikael being on melodica. As for the atmosphere, the crowd and band both

In terms of show dynamics, tonight's set was almost a complete 180 from last night's affair. Jeff's banter with the crowd was very limited, and the focus seemed to be on the music. In fact, Jeff didn't even introduce the band until they were walking off after finishing their main set. In exchange for the lack of crowd interaction, we were rewarded with a few gems, including the debut of a new song called "Hazel" and a full band rendition of "You Are Not Alone" to start the encore. A couple of notes in closing - the Majestic Theatre is a beautiful venue and was well suited for the performanc

Interesting show tonight. Quite possibly the most banter by Jeff at a non-benefit show that I've ever heard. There was so much interaction with the crowd, in fact, that due to a tight curfew, both Misunderstood (or Missunderstood as it appeared on the printed setlist) and Acuff-Rose were encore casualties. Additionally, it appeared that Jeff did an audible late in his solo set and cut a song then. In exchange for fewer songs, however, we were treated to some amusing moments. Two in particular stood out for me. One was when Jeff was rambling on for quite a while and Spencer kept holding his sti

A few more notes from tonight's show.... During the first part of the set with the full band, they seemed pretty relaxed. Doing a major television taping after playing less than a dozen shows together had to come with a bit of pressure, but it didn't really show. Jeff was smiling a lot more than he usually does during songs, and I think that helped everyone else stay loose. He even kept up the light hearted vibe by inadvertently skipping Spencer when doing the band intros, which the audience was kind enough to (quite heartily) bring to his attention. The lovely ladies of Lucius, Holly and Jes