The Inside of Outside

Brilliant move to first release Star Wars as a free surprise, and then play the whole album straight through the next night at a hometown festival. Brilliant. And it doesn't hurt that it rocks.

I was waiting for this.....and wondering who would pull the trigger on the bump. Made me chuckle, sonicshoulder.

That's looking at the bright side!

This made me laugh.

Love the album title and the cover art, too. Everyone in my family either loves Star Wars or cats or both, so they've got us covered.

Makes sense to debut it in front of a hometown crowd, too. A number of TWL songs were first played at their home away from home in the Berkshires in 2011, so why not SW at a festival in Chicago in 2015?

That pretty much sums it up for me. The only teaser we got was in a June interview that they were looking to get an album out later this year. I guess July is later this year.

I am with you, Wilco Me. No problem with people not whooping it up, just something to note and ponder. If I am a member of a band that just killed it onstage and folks are not whooping it up, then I might have a problem with it. But I am not, so I don't.

I loved the camp box as well. I learned a new word from it - batard. And I dug the batard. It ended up being our go-to for snacks as well as our lunch on Saturday. We needed fewer trips to the food tents as a result. The weather was ok! I know some folks found it cold at night. I guess this is one advantage of living in Maine - I found the temperature to be fine with a sweatshirt (and a poncho for Saturday night). Since I spend all of two hours partying, post-Wilco on Friday and Saturday nights, at the motel, and the rest of the time there sleeping/showering, I have not needed great accomm

Completely agree - Saturday night was a less than enthusiastic crowd response given the band's performance, especially during the wait for the encore. In fact, it went quiet for a short time. I wonder if that is becoming more common as audiences figure they are getting an encore no matter what, so why go nuts.

I did not find the crowd too large this time. I think it has to do with expectations. I attended SS2, and loved the crowd size. At SS3, the crowd was significantly larger, particularly on Saturday. That was a surprise, and a bit of a bummer at the time. I just wasn't expecting it. This time, I was expecting a large crowd (given that 3-day passes and Saturday tickets had sold out), and it did not seem too bad. Yet I am sure there were just as many people as at the last one (if not more). And the festival is family friendly. My kids have always found fun things to do. This time, Circus Smirkus

I saw and smelled more pot smoking at this SS than the past 2. Didn't bother me or my kids. Not many drunks on the hill to the left of the stage, either, or folks singing along too loudly. All in all, I found it to be a better concert-going experience than SS3. It is so dependent on where you are and who ends up near you. I was fortunate. Others obviously had a different experience, and that is a bummer.

Saturday was possibly the best Wilco show I have ever seen, better than 6/29/07 in Shelburne, VT, and maybe, just maybe, eclipsing 2/15/97 at Irving Plaza. I will say that Saturday night's show contained some of the best versions of songs I have heard from the band - Either Way, Pot Kettle Black, Born Alone, Laminated Cat, and maybe Kingpin were better than I've ever heard. And the set list choices were right on. I love a Being There-heavy closing. I also got 5 (5!) songs I'd never seen live before. An epic set.

Agree - the bass player and drummer were fantastic. A trio of great players.

I liked Mac DeMarco a lot, too. I got a big kick out of the silliness of his band mates. It helps that they can flat out play, too. He is coming to Portland in August; at $25, I think I'll grab a ticket. I was impressed with Real Estate, too. Parquet Courts was fun - big on energy, and Cibo Matto was better than I anticipated. I missed Charles Lloyd, which was a bummer. Overall, I was really pleased with the other acts.

No talkers near us at any time. But maybe my hearing is going, and I just don't hear them. A benefit to aging, I suppose. The sloping rise just to the left of the stage on Joe's Field has fantastic sight lines and is pretty relaxed. My neighbor, who was attending his first SS, was stunned at the kindness of the attendees around us on the hill. The food lines were long. We did not have trouble with them, though. If we ate at a high traffic food truck (pizza, noodle/dumpling truck), we ate at an odd time when the line was short; otherwise, we ate at the Rotary tent or one of the other places w

Solid set. He can play. Other than one or two songs in the set, though, I wasn't captivated. I guess I would say he is a fantastic guitar player, playing generally good, but not often great, songs. I realize that is heresy to some, but it is what I took away from it.

Fantastic. Summed up the weekend in words and pictures perfectly.

That pretty much sums it up for me, too. I am hopeful that the flag issue results in a few of the ignorant, and others who have not thought deeply about it, giving it some thought and seeing it with fresh eyes. Even if a few change their views, the discussion will have been worth it. Unfortunately, the reason behind why the discussion is happening was not worth it.

The flag is a side note, but one I am glad is being addressed. The Confederate flag has been engrained in the culture of the South for 150 years. I lived in the south until I was 12, and the flag was treated with pride then (1970s) as it is now. In Tennessee back then, 7th graders took Tennessee History, which included, in my experience, memorizing the 95 counties, learning about the early settlement of the state, and a lengthy unit on the Civil War. The focus of the unit was the courage and bravery of those who fought against incredible odds. There was also the theme of the wrongs of slaver

Definitely a bummer. No Taj Mahal, no King Sunny Ade. If I am Richard Thompson, I'd get a checkup from my doctor and make sure my traveling papers are in order.

I know that 4 years ago you could get into the museum with your SS ticket as early as you wanted to on Friday. I don't remember if that was the case 2 years ago.

I remember a meet up table at SS3. By the time I got to the deck, the sign was still there, but alas, no VCers. Hoping to swing by in a timely fashion this time.