Vaporized

Really liked the song. Great lyrics. Had a Big Star vibe to me.

Great way to finish the run for me. I agree about the Pat comments. We were on his side, and found myself focusing on him the most. He was fun to watch. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) was amazing. Goosebumps actually. I'm not going tonight but hope they play it again so I can hear it on the broadcast.

I do think the venue is important. But I also think a concert is an event where different people will have vastly different experiences based on many factors; who you're with, what kind of headspace you're in, how the band is playing, who is around you, where you sit/stand. In the end, it's kind of what you make of it.

I won't go see any band at the Riv or Aragon Ballroom anymore. Both venues are tough for me to get to, and usually way oversold. I also had bad experiences at them that have colored my opinion to the point of it not being worth it to go to, no matter who is playing there. 

The last time I went to the Riv the floor was so packed that I was stuck behind the bar with no view of the band at all. The last time I was at the Aragon was for Jack White. Packed to the rafters. I was way to the left with the stage PA blocking my view and could only see Jack when he came to the front of the stage. Zero view of the band. Awful sound. Terrible experiences for me, but I'm sure others had a magical time based on where they were in the building. I'm also at the age that fighting for floor space at GA shows is not appealing at all anymore. Kind of a been there done that feeling.

I loved seeing Wilco at Lounge Ax in the mid 90's. Even if crowded, you could see the stage from almost anywhere in the building. Loved the set lists back then too. I remember a strange but magical show in the Grand Ballroom on Navy Pier in 95. There was a Beer Fest going on in the building and Wilco played the ballroom. I guess most people were there for the beer as you could just casually walk up to the stage during the show with tons of room to move around. Great experiences.

That said, at this point in my life, I love shows at the Chicago Theater. It is really easy for me to get to by train or car. Easy parking. Places to eat and drink beforehand. The theater itself is beautiful, they don't make em like that anymore. The amount of marble in there always amazes me. I love walking around and exploring before shows. Bands generally sound good there too. 

I also like having my own space, that I get to pick, that I don't have to fight for when I leave for a drink or the bathroom. It is key getting good seats.  

I had my best pull of a Wilco presale in my life and spent Sunday with my wife, front row center in the PIT, and I couldn't stop smiling. My wife, who I went to those Wilco shows in the 90's with was crying tears of joy. Memories came flooding back. Music is a time machine, and in that moment we were reconnected to our shared experiences with the band, and our connection that grew over that time. It was a surreal experience. It was like having Wilco in my house playing a private show. Robyn Hitchcock being there, and him playing with the band was icing on the cake and I left feeling like I experienced something unique in my history of Wilco shows and will be a show I will always remember. 

I want to thank Wilco for the fan-presale. I had low expectations since Ticketmaster was handling it and now either scalp the best seats with their "Platinum ticket" scam where they charge 4x face for good seats, or just make it impossible to get decent seats with the waiting room games. I was able to get PITs for 2 nights at the standard ticket price. A lot of it was patience and luck, but having seats Will Call only no doubt helped making them available to fans vs. scalpers. I also appreciate having the opportunity at good seats for face value. Thanks Wilco!

Heading to Paris today with my wife for our 20th anniversary. As a bonus we get to see Wilco!!!! Any other Chicagoans or VCers going to the Paris show?

From Chicago and I’ve probably seen every Wilco show at the Ryman and was interested in seeing them at The Grand Ole Oprey this time. Had decent seats in my cart but didn’t pull the trigger. So glad I didn’t as I then checked hotels for that weekend. Yikes. I remember Nashville being pricey in the past but $400-$500 a night?! That is nuts. Gotta be because there is a NFL game in town that weekend right?

Thanks, I saw that! I thought they might release more. Ended up getting first row for the Rockford Wilco show in June. My wife is happy with that, so we're going with the $75's for Sat. afterall. Thanks again for the kind offer.

I got row K in the center orchestra for the Rockford IL show so i'm happy with that.

 

What i'm not thrilled about is because I live in Australia the only option available to me was FedEx ticket delivery, which cost more than the ticket itself at $50! 

 

So a $48 ticket became $105 for me. But of course i'm going to pay it when the clock is ticking and I want to go. (side note - to see Wilco in Australia would probably cost that much anyway!)

 

If anyone from the band or Songkick reads this, please make will call an option so overseas buyers can avoid this ridiculous fee!

You should call them with you order confirm #. I would think they could make will call arrangements, especially with your situation.

Couldn't get online in time to grab them. Bought 2 regular GAs and excited about those, but if anyone has any extra Golden Circle GAs I'd gladly pay to upgrade. Wife's bday and want to surprise her. Either way we're in. 

I saw the post about bidding for the "Meet and Greet" for the show and was all prepared to bust the piggy bank and spend at the most a grand. Log on last night to get into bidding and it was at 2k+ in a blink. To think I thought I had a chance, lol. What a cool experience that must be and for a good cause.

On the Showtime series "Billions" last night there was a chunk of dialog about Wilco. It was bizarre in that it was so wrong IMO. The upshot was that the Tweedy/Bennett duo was the pinnacle of the band and that Wilco is still keeping on despite it ending, and kind of inferred that Jay died in part because it ended. Really weird. Missed the mark 100%. Still, cool to see Wilco infect pop culture though.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/12/arts/television/billions-the-oath-recap.html?_r=0

"Their conversations are fascinating, wending from the source of the pilot’s dominant handshake, to her desire to leave our doomed planet, to the finer points of Jeff Tweedy’s collaboration with Jay Bennett in Wilco. This episode may, in fact, be Wendy’s best outing of the season to date, but that only underscores her value to the show, which hasn’t been fully exploited. In the end, she turns down an offer to commit to the space project, making the subplot entirely self-contained and disposable. She’s still a character without a home."

I agree with the NY Times opinion:

"• And, finally, let us note, contrary to Wendy’s assertion, that there was plenty of creative life to Wilco after the Tweedy-Bennett partnership ended, just as Tweedy found a new sense of purpose with Wilco itself after ending his partnership with Jay Farrar in Uncle Tupelo. One might counsel the writers of “Billions” to give “A Ghost is Born” and “Sky Blue Sky’ another spin. Wilco didn’t peak with “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” It evolved."

Thanks for the reply AM. Went to the last 2 Wilco Ryman runs. So much fun. I'd make any excuse to come to Nashville, but love going to the Mother Church. Hoping it's in the cards this year.

Hey AM Nashville. Do you think Wilco is coming to the Ryman this year? Always have a blast seeing them there. fun town.

Had Pit on Thursday in front of Pat and row EE on Nels side Wed. Despite last night being the closest I've stood for a Wilco show in 20+ years, I personally preferred Wed night show. Hadn't seen Wilco since the summers Millennium Park show and was amped to see them again. Beautiful evening too. I can't think of another Feb. Winterlude run where I walked around without a jacket! I also was excited they FINALLY played The Chicago Theater. One of my favorite venues in the city. Loved Ashes to open, and how politically pointed it was. Just a better vibe for me and got to hear some of my favorites like Box, Via and California Stars. Last night was amazing from how close I was. I was smiling all night and was just shaking my head, It was like Wilco was playing in my living room. Crazy fun to experience that. Hadn't been that close since seeing them in an almost empty Navy Pier Grand Ballroom in 95. I had a blast both nights.

I'll echo the minor disappointment in the repeats. The Wilco catalog is so massive now they really could play a 4-5 night run and not have any repeats if they wanted too. I get that is probably difficult and tough to practice though. I have really looked forward to these "Winterludes" as a chance to hear some different set lists and classics dusted off. My memory could be wrong, but I don't remember this many repeats in past years. That said, the ones they did repeat are great songs and I actually heard them differently them each night.

I saw my first Wilco show in 1995 and I do miss those early shows when they'd bust out some Uncle Tupelo or Golden Smog tunes. Not sure when the last time I saw The Long Cut, Gun, New Madrid, or Pecan Pie and miss those. I get they have moved on well beyond those days and this is a very different band, but I have fond memories of seeing those live and it would be fun to see them again someday. I also really miss seeing Hoodoo Voodoo live! God that is a blast of a song, Josh on cowbell and all. Again, not sure the last time I've seen that but it's been a while. I laugh and smile every time I think of seeing that tune live. So damn fun.

I have no idea what is going on with Pat. Only briefly met him once 4-5 years ago, and didn't have great seats at the MP show to watch and compare, but he did seem "different". My wife almost had me convinced it was a different dude Wed. night. I'm sure the Bob Weir beard is a large part of it, but even his body movements seemed different to me. He smiled and "looked happy" but honestly I was taken aback and not sure what is going on. Hopefully he's happy and healthy. Still enjoyed watching him play. Being so close got to see all that he does and it's a lot. He even busted out a triangle at one point, that I never knew he played. Talented dude.

Only doing these 2 on this run. Hoping everyone has a blast the next 2!!!

Opener 7:30-8:00 Wilco 8:30-11:00 ?

Thanks. That is what I was guessing. 

Does anybody know what time Wilco will hit the stage? 

Are your seats together? Getting a sinking feeling that ours are on opposite ends (per the seating chart). BBB seats 419 and 420...

Those seats are together. I've got the exact same seats for Thursday. They are on the end of the row on Jeff's side.

Tweedy covering Jose Feliciano and Bruce Campbell as Ronald Reagan; what a great show.

Alambama label Cornelius Chapel Records, run by The Dexateens Elliot McPherson, just released a free 4 song Uncle Tupelo tribute EP. I'm not familiar with the bands, but they all do a great job doing fairly faithful renditions of some great UT tunes:

1. We've Been Had (Two Cow Garage)

2. Wait Up (Empty Orchestra)

3. Long Cut (Have Gun Will Travel)

4. Shaky Ground (Drag The River)

http://corneliuschapelrecords.com/artistreleases/uncle-tupelo-tribute/

Download link is about half way down under the album cover art. Enjoy!

My wife and I planned on doing both nights at the Ryman, but are now only able to attend the first night (Tues).

We have an extra pair on the main floor that Tues. night (MF8, row L, aisle 1&2) and a pair in the balcony for Wednesdays show (BAL-16, Row B, 3&4).

We're flying in from Chicago Tuesday morning, and will be milling about the bars on the strip pre-show. Can meet anywhere near the Ryman on the 21st, or can do a PayPal/Ticketmaster transfer if interested in getting the tix before then. Best offer takes em. I can check for PMs here or you can email me at eames1969@gmail.com. Thanks, Matt.

Anybody know what else is going on in Nashville the week of the shows? Can't find a hotel downtown. Most are sold out with a few rooms available at the Holiday Inn for $595 an night?!

White Denim is a great band. Kind of hard to peg. I hear a range of styles from the Minutemen to the Allman Bros in their music. I think they are are a fun band, they rock. Not sure if most Wilco fans will enjoy them, but I dig Wilco and White Denim. Glad to see those guys get a shot opening for a band like Wilco.