smells like flowers

Of course it has nothing to do with his songwriting! But the persona he's putting out there is off-putting to some, apparently. Jeff is nothing if not humbly self-effacing, including referring to his own "look," which is decidedly scruffy in recent years. But not calculatedly so, unlike Ryan's.

I think this is a silly look he's cultivating right now.

The shows over the summer had shirts and posters.

I am loving Wait for Love>Low Key. Terrific transition from dreamy folksiness into sweet pop sound. And the woo-hoo-hoos during the guitar solo in Low Key make my heart burst with happiness. That song has such a great seventies pop vibe! Slow Love also sounds so, so good. When TWEEDY played it live, the effort to sing along, although fun, distracted me from really hearing the song. The intro sounds like frogs and crickets singing, or what my daughter called "outer space sounds." I didn't get a psychedelia feel from the song live, but I do in the studio version. Back to the stream for mo

I wish Scott M. was either my uncle or my friend to drink with. Or my uncle to drink with.

Oh, believe me, you could! I did a Wilco trifecta two summers ago and it was supremely satisfying! If your circumstances allow, go for it!

Am deep in the throes of loving this book. Great recommendation, thanks again!

Drinking a cold beer on the back porch while my husband fires up the grill. Nothing special; nevertheless, it's pretty perfect.

Good times! I love that song, especially in an encore set, and it makes me happy picturing that moment you described.

Also, check out the fantastic website www.sooutoftune.org. Chock full of live shows by Wilco, Jeff, Uncle Tupelo, Minus 5, TWEEDY, etc! More great music than you can shake a stick at.

I was lucky enough to see three of the shows on the Tweedy summer tour, and the structure was like this one. I'd expect something similar for the Fall tour. Long, interesting set of new material, followed by long satisfying set of Jeff acoustic solo singing Wilco and UT songs, then close out with a song or two with full band back on stage. They were terrific shows (my personal fave was the Lincoln Theatre in DC -- wonderful venue, great energy).

Looks like a pretty darn good setlist to me! Kamera, Late Greats, Cars Can't Escape, Spiders.... During the Kingpin closer, did Jeff sing "Livin' in Akron"?

Are you local? The NC Museum website said to expect heavy traffic on I-40 due to the State Fair. Any suggestions for a back way that avoids fairgrounds traffic?

Hope everyone who got shut out of presale has better luck with the venue sales! We got our GA tix for Raleigh, so I'm happy about that! Lord knows I didn't want to go a year without a Wilco show -- my true happy place.

If you had GA Lawn tix could you still go up front?

Can be tricky/anxiety-provoking to make a snap decision when it involves travel, time off, babysitters, making sure friends can come, etc. First world problems. But all is well-- looks like I'm going to Raleigh! And hopefully you will be the lucky girl who gets to see Wilco at the Ryman yet again!

Is it that small outdoor amphitheater?

Don't have advice, but I just looked at the gallery on the website and saw it's an outdoor amphitheater, with only the stage covered. Big area in front of stage, which website says "will be open for dancing." Cute. I'm trying to make this happen, too -- but I hate how they announce shows the day before the presale, creating an anxious scramble! Glad to know it's basically a GA show. Looks kinda small, too. Fingers crossed for stars aligning to see Wilco in 2014!!

Funny you mention them -- Beastie Boys made the shit list, too.

Ugh, I stopped at David Bowie. I know it's tongue in cheek and all, but too many ridiculous insults hurled at rock icons.

Nashville gets all the love!

You asked if Jeff or Spencer chose the half-nekkid photo of a young buck-like Jeff-- I think Sue picked it!

Loved that one, too! I actually liked most of the CD, although that song does seem a true one-hit wonder. Their cover of a Wild Horses was sublime...

The summary sounds intriguing. Thanks!

Another thing I liked about Boyhood was Ethan Hawke's character. At first, it seemed he was just the stereotypical deadbeat dad, showing up unannounced with presents and then disappearing again. But he was always so loving towards the kids, and his character matured over the course of the film. There was also his comment to Mason, Jr. towards the end of the film, about turning into the castrated, minivan-driving guy his ex-wife had always wanted him to be.