jack324

I don't post here often, but I would definitely be up for a meet-up.

Would everyone be okay with the Opera Bar? It is a bit on the pricier side of things, but not too bad by Bennelong Pt. standards (I think it's about $7 for beer and $10 for wine and cocktails). Otherwise, there are some cheaper pubs closer to Circular Quay, but none within a kilometer of the venue or so.         

So, which night would work best for everyone? And pre-show or post-show?

BUMP! Any other VCers hitting up this tour? Can we get a roll call going? I will be at both Sydney shows, and have been getting ridiculously excited as April draws closer. I'm trying not to build up my expectations too much, but it's proving *very* tough after having seen one of their "An Evening with..." shows a few years back.   

Also - I may not post here much, but I'd still like to grab some pre-show drinks if anyone's game. The Opera Bar seems the most logical spot, but I'm open to any suggestions.

1. I was aware of Wilco from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot onwards and started to hear more buzz about them after A Ghost Is Born, but the first time I started listening to them in earnest was in early 2006. It was my freshman year of college and my roommate had one of those iPod docks, which he used all the time. One afternoon, he was playing a few songs by this one band and I said "I really like this, who is it?", and I've been a huge fan ever since.

2. I first saw Wilco at Bonnaroo 2009. They were the Saturday night mainstage pre-headliner into Bruce Springsteen, and they were in a really conflict-laden timeslot - up against Elvis Costello, The Decemberists, The Mars Volta, and David Grisman. I already had a great spot from Rodrigo y Gabriela right before, so I thought I'd try my luck with Wilco first and then duck out to one of the other shows after about 90 minutes or so. Well, that never happened - I ended up staying for the whole show, loved every minute of it, and am now seeing them for the sixth time next month.

I've seen Wilco about 5 or 6 times now, with another show coming up next month - however, I think this 39-song marathon takes the cake as the best of the lot:

Wilco

2010-04-06

Orpheum Theatre

Boston, MA

—"The Price Is Right" theme music intro—

Wilco (the song)

Bull Black Nova

You Are My Face

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart>

One Wing

A Shot in the Arm

One By One

Either Way

Company In My Back

Sonny Feeling

Handshake Drugs

Impossible Germany

It's Just That Simple

California Stars

Poor Places>

----into acoustic set----

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

How To Fight Loneliness

You and I

Forget The Flowers

Someday, Some Morning, Sometime

Laminated Cat

When You Wake Up Feeling Old

War On War

Passenger Side

I Must Be High

----out of acoustic set----

Airline To Heaven

Via Chicago

Theologians

You Never Know

Jesus, etc.

Hate It Here

Heavy Metal Drummer

I'm Always In Love

Walken

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Thank You Friends [big Star]

----------------------

Dreamer In My Dreams

Casino Queen>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Hey everyone,

Been a lurker on Via Chicago for about six months now, thought I'd finally break my silence here. I went to Solid Sound both last year and this year, and I really do think it's one of the most amazing festivals around. Most of this has been covered already, but among my many highlights from this year are:

-Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion surprise acoustic set... so beautiful.

-JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound whole set, but especially the Jeff sit-in on IATTBYH and the Psycho Killer tease. I got to talk to JC for a couple minutes afterwards at the autograph session and tell him how much I loved his performance - very cool.

-PA cutting out during Radio Cure and the crowd filling in the vocals.

-Wilco coming out to help Levon Helm close his set with I Shall Be Released > The Weight as I sat up on the hill, watching the sun set over the Berkshires and reflecting on another perfect weekend.

-Born Alone - both nights were great, but I think night two has the edge.

-I Got You (at the End of the Century) > I Got You (Split Enz cover w/ Neil Finn)

-Front row for Thurston Moore.

-Glenn's solo set.... WOW!

-The fantastic art installations, both Wilco-related and not.

-The campgrounds - TONS of space, great neighbors, very nice people at the food kiosk, clean bathrooms (by porto-potty standards anyway).

-Seeing so many performers wandering around and enjoying the festival themselves.

-All the other little things that went into making this such a fantastic weekend, from the good food and beer options (not to mention bloody Marys), to the Euclid Records pop-up store, to the comedy, the baseball game, and the overall vibe of the crowd... beautiful.

Basically, I'll keep coming to these things as long as they keep having them.