Mr. Heartbreak

Well, I agree that Dylan is Dylan, and does what he wants. His level of interest in the openers may be minimal, but he might want to think about it a bit more. He may not feel "threatened" by them, but what hinko posted - "the floor was packed for the first 3 bands, by the middle of Dylan's set, it was about half of what it was" - would be a good wake-up call. Maybe time to hang it up, or at least don't have people whose shows are much better than yours opening for you.

Doug Sahm tune covered by Uncle Tupelo and, in the early days, Wilco. Track it down, seriously. Great song.

Seconded.

No VC reports as of yet? The Wilco Facebook page is reporting that Richard Thompson joined the band for Calvary Cross and California Stars.

No, not my intention at all. I was just trying to list some of the releases I have gotten that came out after Jerry died. Honestly, sitting here at work, I can't say off the top of my head, "Oh, yeah, love this one, love that one." Except I remembered the Fillmore set being an excellent one. I have read reports about Ladies and Gentleman, but don't remember my listening experience off-hand. I know that makes me sound like my brain is fried, but it's more that I just listen to so much music, much of it only once or twice...unless I really, really like it. Got over 50,000 songs on my iTunes, a

Technically, he was born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing. I only knew it wasn't actually Minneapolis because the name "Hibbing" stuck in my head.

Yep, that was the one. It was like, "Dylan needs Mr. Sound Man." The Dead were just exactly perfect.

My bad, I should have clarified: the releases I have heard. I honestly don't have that many. Some Dick's Picks, Ladies and Gentleman, CW&I, some of these Dave's Picks. And the Beyond Description boxes of all the official releases w/bonus tracks. The tracks I have enjoyed the most have been, surprisingly, studio outtakes...specifically, those from the Aoxomoxoa sessions and Blues for Allah, I believe. Edit: One release I like almost uniformly was Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings. Except for the Hey Jude cover. God, that was hideous. I think I actually deleted it from iTunes s

Damn, you are a far more tolerant person than me. I can barely stand to listen to anything post-coma. But when a show is from the 60s or 70s, I am always wanting to hear the best vocal performances. These folks could all really sing (well, except for maybe the drummers, and Phil when you got him outside of the studio), and I appreciate them so much when they're on. When they're off, it's like fingernails on a blackboard for me...partly because I sing too, maybe, or just because I am a sensitive soul.

I don't know if Bob is actually aware that MMJ and Wilco are blowing him off the stage, but they are. There will be many people who will go to these festivals and really dig the shows before Dylan, and when he comes out barking and whispering, they will be like, "WTF?" Looking at each other in disbelief, having been blissfully unaware (until that moment), that ol' Bob doesn't sound like he did in 1975. For that reason alone, I can understand him not interacting with the musicians who just ate his lunch. By the way, there is a precedent for the roles being reversed: I saw Dylan open for The

I'm not thrilled about this release, but I'm not bummed either. I have resisted the temptation to listen to the version on archive.org, but I'm just crossing my fingers that the vocals are decent. I have been underwhelmed, to put it kindly, with the majority of the releases since Jerry's death. We all know from the old tapes that the Dead hit many, many wrong notes, and there were lots of shows where the vocals were flat/off-key/out of tune or somewhere else on the continuum from bad to execrable. The last DP, while historic, has some absolutely atrocious vocals on it. I'm talking clear-out-a-

It really needs to stay that way, too. I've got $5 riding on it!

That may also depend on the venue and your ticket prices. I paid $100 to be in the general admission pit area at the first show I attended, and it was well worth it. There were people seated behind me who paid twice as much. Was your ticket $20 or something like that? Then I would assume you are at the back of an amphitheater.

Another performance I would like to have seen. Really digging these lists. Bonus points for It's Just That Simple.

How did I forget that and Bird Song? As a Deadhead, I have to say a mea culpa. My only excuse is that I blocked it out, because I wasn't there for it!

Cool! Spreadsheets!

Good point. That may be true for other shows as well. I really was not paying attention to what was on the shirts.

Same with me and the Greens. Well, I don't disagree with them, I just don't ever expect them to win, so I chose not to become one.

You would probably be a good candidate for the Libertarian party affiliation, I would think (just as I'd be a good candidate for the Green party).

Exactly.

There is a Facebook page, but I don't think it's a group as such. Lots of random posts on there, like "Good show last night, Jeff." "When are you guys coming to OKC?" and whatnot.

Hard to know how to respond to that...

Some of the answers we give you may not be accurate, depending on the venue, and the fact that it's inside, but here goes: 1) Getting there early to get a good seat? Hmm, that means you are in a general admission area? You already bought these tickets, right? If so, you will not have a seat, you will be standing. Get there by 4:30 and there is a chance you will (like I was) be on the rail the whole time. As close as can be, and able to lean. 2) Posters were $20 when I went, assuming they will be the same everywhere. Someone else may be able to clarify (if prices differed elsewhere). 3)