jff

On 12/31/2021 at 7:43 PM, Madcap said:

It does make me wonder why more people didn’t buy the cancel for any reason insurance though.  Even though things were looking better at the time, we were still in the middle of a pandemic. 

Sorry in advance for the long rant,  but I guess I need to vent a little…
 

We did buy insurance.  The event urged us to get cancel for any reason insurance, and offered three plans.  We bought the highest end plan on the event website, which they said offered the best coverage.  We figured that plan would include cancel for any reason, since that’s what they were telling us to buy.  It does not.  In order to get cancel for any reason we would have had to buy the most expensive plan, and then add on cancel for any reason.  I don’t recall seeing anywhere on screen when I bought insurance to make any add-ons.  I feel duped over that, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there are others who think they have cancel for any reason coverage who actually do not and will only learn that when the insurance company denies their claim.

I guess we’re “lucky” because we’re going through a terminal pet illness, so we may be able to recoup our costs.  (We would be backing out because of this even if Covid didn’t exist.) But their language regarding pet illnesses leaves them a lot of leeway to weasel out. The illness must be “so debilitating as to make travel impossible.”  I have no idea what that means, but I feel we meet that mark as it would be totally unreasonable (though not technically “impossible”) for us to leave our dog with a sitter when our dog gets weaker every day and is within a strong likelihood of dying while we’re in Mexico, especially if we had to stay there and quarantine after the festival.

https://chng.it/rm8WffrcZV

Theres a Change.org petition asking for a refund option on the SBS Facebook page.  Petitions were a factor in the Dead & Co refund decision.

It’s good that we now have this example being set by Dead & Company and their event organizer and resort.  Surely Wilco’s team is well aware of this development, and hopefully it provides a roadmap that will lead to a similar refund scenario for SBS.  
 

I know it’s gotta be very complicated, but at least now there’s precedent from a business/legal perspective and from a fan response perspective.  From what I can see on the Dead and Company Reddit page, fans who were getting anxious are very pleased that refunds have been offered.  And fans who still intend to go the event also feel it’s the right decision.  That sense of relief and empathy will only strengthen their bond with the band, and their trust in the organization putting on the event.  I don’t see how that’s anything other than a smart move for all involved, even if there’s a financial loss in the short term.

One of the sad things to me is that we purchased tickets knowing there was some risk, but we opted to exercise an abundance of hope, optimism, and sense of community rather than fear or caution.  I think Wilco espouses that in their music and their ethos.   But now that the game has changed, and our hopes have been dashed by a massively escalated risk and myriad logistical hurdles, the attitude (not necessarily from the band directly, but the general tenor of the event) has become “you knew the risks and should have covered your ass, so shut up and get out of the way so people who aren’t worried can party.”

11 hours ago, Sandoz said:

@jffI am so skeptical of local travel insurance (from past experience..loophole after loophole), that I didn't bother looking.

 

It's such a huge bummer that Sky Blue Sky is the first Cloud 9 event of the run. It would have been ideal to sit back and see what happens with Panic En La Playa (Jan 22-26), Avett Bros (Jan 22-31), Brandi Carlile (early Feb) before heading down to Mexico. I feel like we are the festival guinea pigs! If ~100s of people test positive on departure (and fill up the resort's isolation capacity), it will certainly affect what happens for the next event(s). Because they'd have to prepare for the potential of another huge cohort of positive tests 5 days later when Panic en la Playa folks have their departure antigen tests collected, then Avetts, etc. etc.  The isolation requirement is 10 days, so there would be some overlap between festival events.  

 

Did you see the news about the Bad Bunny outdoor concert in Puerto Rico? At least 2,000 infected! Granted it was a huge show (40K attendees) but they required vaccination for all attendees + masking required during the show. I don't think SBS requires vaccination to attend -- just a negative test I think. Too late to add it as a requirement. 

All of that is a huge concern to me.

We have many legitimate,  non-Covid related reasons not to go. I need to call today and confirm that our insurance is the cancel for any reason policy,  and if it is not I need to figure out which of our reasons for cancellation is least likely to be denied by the insurance company.

54 minutes ago, Sandoz said:

We were unable to purchase the insurance (there was a handful of states that were excluded from the Cloud 9 insurance, including mine). So, I haven't officially canceled yet...literally creating a list of pros-cons over here. Wondering if postponement will happen (hoping, actually). I agree that the likelihood of having a positive antigen test upon departure will be extremely high. The Omicron variant is as contagious as measles. The logistical issues re: being stuck in a Mexico hotel room for 10 additional days are a little overwhelming to consider: Child care at home, missing work for an additional 10 days, and concerns about local medical care access if needed. Also, I know that the current plan is to bus all the positive people to a nearby Residence Inn for isolation. Does the hotel have room for potentially *hundreds* of infected people?  Because it really could be hundreds. Argh. I hate this virus so much.

There should have been some sort of refund policy for people who were ineligible for insurance.  Can you buy a policy locally?  
 

I’d love to hear about people’s experience using the insurance.  Through my job, I see insurance companies weasel out of payouts all the time, so I’m not confident my policy is worth the paper it’s printed on.  That’s why my preference is for a postponement with a refund option. Or not postponing and just straight up offering refunds, and then reselling the rooms to someone who isn’t worried about covid.

21 minutes ago, Chez said:

So, is this going to happen?  I'm a bit worried about getting back home after the festival. 

We’ve decided to back out.  We have insurance but we’re going to wait and see if they cancel or postpone, in which case we can get a refund.

Some number of people are definitely going to get Covid at this event.  The idea of getting Covid and then being locked in a hotel room alone at the Residence Inn, or wherever they ship you off to, for two weeks is extremely unappealing, and a little too likely.

They might be bigger than Wilco by that point.  Maybe already are.    I’m skeptical that they’d be booked for SBS.

18 hours ago, Magnetized said:

Not trying to argue about your basic premise here, but the facts are wrong. The masks were made by a fan who lives in the LA area. He copied the design of the curtains and made the masks available for sale through the Tweedys, with all proceeds going to a Chicago-based charity. 

Thanks for the clarification.  My premise remains unchanged: Wilco fans want to spend more money on Wilco related items.  There’s nothing wrong with that,  Jeff is smart to offer more stuff to fulfill that desire. There’s also nothing wrong with that.

Money matters.  Everyone needs it, and more is usually better than less. It’d be stupid to let it slip through your fingers.

39 minutes ago, Magnetized said:

The curtain design is discontinued.

Lots of people bought it before it was discontinued and made masks out of it.  There are pictures all over the FB page of this.

Nothing wrong with that.  It’s a cute way to show fandom. But it demonstrates to Jeff that people will pay him for just about anything. So if some feel this latest venture is a cash in, or isn’t worth the money, don’t blame Jeff.  He’s just following the lead of his fans.

If I were Jeff, and I noticed that Wilco fans are running out to Ikea in droves and buying the same curtains he has in his house, I would smell dollar signs.  If it’s crass for Jeff to cash in (and I’m not saying it is), maybe it’s because the fans are a little too eager to buy anything that has the slightest whiff of Wilco or Tweedy.

31 minutes ago, DiamondClaw said:

I have to believe that Tweedy's anti-Grohl thing is more of a shtick now, right? I can't see him really disliking the guy at this point.

There was no indication that he dislikes Grohl personally. It came across to me more that his antics have become tiresome. He’s such an over the top self promoter that Tweedy probably doesn’t want to give him any free oxygen.

13 minutes ago, calvino said:

Need to seek out that Moonlight Mile version ------ what did they say about Grohl? 

Somehow they got on the subject of the nicest person in rock music.  Grohl’s name came up, and Jeff jeered.  He said “I didn’t know we needed a Mayor of Rock.”  
 

My opinion is that Grohl has been laying the nice guy, “Make A Wish Foo-ndation” routine (I just made that up and I’m keeping it 😂) a little thick and it’s become cloying and obnoxious.  Jeff’s response strongly suggests that he shares that opinion.

No offense intended towards the Make a Wish Foundation.

In fairness, Jeff did say that Grohl has been nice to him every time they’ve met.

That performance of Moonlight Mike was fantastic.  Spencer did a beautiful job of that.  
 

I am so happy to have my opinion of Dave Grohl vindicated.

I saw the video of Honky Tonk Women on the FB page, and it was interesting to hear Nels play a solo that was far more in Pat's stylistic wheelhouse.  

13 hours ago, Rusty Shackleford said:

I wonder if part of it is about being easier on the crew.  This tour seems to be pretty rough on them, and maybe a static set list is easier to prep for?  I too hope they get more varied the next time out.

That's definitely possible.   It could be that fewer songs means less gear required, which means less cargo space needed on the trucks, faster setup and tear down/set changes, etc. All of that makes for a little less labor for the crew, and a cost savings.

I've seen Wilco tours where the amps, drums and keyboard setups are much larger.  I'd be curious to know if they went out with fewer guitars on this tour.  

It'll be interesting to see if Wilco goes back to playing differing setlists each night on future tours.

The  cynic in me might say they've been playing similar shows every night as a way to push people who want to hear the deep cuts to Solid Sound/SBS types of events.  

Realistically though, the rigid setlists are probably due to lack of full group rehearsal opportunities thanks to Covid, and their full repertoire is not as stage ready as it normally would be.    

I don't buy the argument some have made that they are being rigid just due to the time constraints of a co-headline tour.  There are tons of three and four minute songs that can be swapped in and out, leaving the set the same duration each night, and they can always cut a song or two if they're running up against a curfew. 

3 hours ago, bböp said:

 

Anyway, thanks for filling in some of the details! I had always heard that Chastain Park venue was kind of suspect as far as audiences go (I don't remember exactly what shenanigan I was thinking of, jff, but maybe it was just someone's report on the annoying crowd from last time). Great to hear that the S-K fanbase represented and injected some energy at least.

 

I think much of Chastain's reputation comes from their "season ticket" concerts, in which tables are set up in the pit area, and people are allowed to bring in food, beverages, tablecloths, candles, and whatever else they want.  This attracts people who are there more for a very high end picnic than a concert.   But even when they have no tables or picnic basket shows, like Wilco and other rock shows, the problem persists.  I've seen Neil Young get pissed at the audience and abandon quiet songs half-way through.  A friend told me about seeing people throwing cheese at Jethro Tull.  And even Garrison Keilor had a negative experience.  https://www.ajc.com/blog/buzz/from-the-ajc-archives-when-garrison-keillor-stormed-off-the-stage-chastain-park/oYYcN9ob4rZFbKtqsdvEBO/

I'm glad to hear that there weren't those kinds of issues at the Wilco/SK show.

I don't mean to suggest it's always like that, though.  I've seen some wonderful shows there with great audiences.

18 hours ago, bböp said:

 Is this venue the same as the Chastain Park venue the band has played in the past? I've actually never made it there myself, but I remember there being a lot of audience shenanigans one time when they played at Chastain Park. Spill the tea, attendees!

 

 

Yes, same venue.  They played here in support of Ode to Joy and Sky Blue Sky, and probably other times before that.

I'm not sure what the audience shenanigans are that you're referring to, but Chastain has a long, well documented history of poor audience behavior.  Mostly people going there for a night out and paying no attention to the band, loudly conversing, and giving no respect to those who actually want to hear the music.  I've witnessed this myself almost every time I've been there, and it's so bad that the artists sometimes comment on it from the stage.  The venue is known as a nice place for a night out, so people go there just to be there, often with no interest whatsoever in whatever band might be playing.

3 hours ago, DragAssSnag said:

• Refillable Water Bottle

 

What is the drinking water situation like at the resort?  There is a reluctance among US citizens to drink tap water in Mexico.

My wife and I are booked.  We got cancel for any reason insurance, because our dog was diagnosed with lymphoma right after we booked this trip.  Depending on how she's doing at the beginning of January we may decide not to go.  Or depending on what the Covid situation is we may decide not to go.

Surely it's possible to buy cancel for any reason insurance through a third party insurer.  And probably for cheaper than SBS offered.  We paid something like $200+ each for the insurance.  For the sake of comparison, my wife has been looking into a solo trip to Spain through Gate 1 Travel, and they offered an insurance add-on to the trip package for $109.

Hoping everything goes according to plan.  At this point, the idea that we would get to go to Mexico and see Wilco and a bunch of other great music and have a healthy dog waiting at home for us is a pure fantasy.

1 hour ago, Analogman said:

 

One of my very favorite Hendrix live songs is the version of Hey Baby he plays on the Flying V. 

No doubt.  That remains the most memorable part of the film from when I originally watched it.

As imperfect or downright terrible some of the Hendrix films may be, I have learned Dolly Dagger on guitar as a direct result of watching them over the last couple of weeks, so that's a huge win.  I have found that learning any Hendrix song, even the kindergarten versions I can manage, gives me tons of source material to make up my own stuff.

10 minutes ago, Analogman said:

If you think that is corny - you should track down the actual Rainbow Bridge film and watch it. 

Oh I have, though that was 30 years ago.

I was hoping the Maui film was going to have the complete concert, but that isn't the case, at least not on the Coda version.  As a drummer, it's interesting to listen to the re-recorded drums and watch how closely Mitch Mitchell was able to duplicate his live performance (the drum recordings from the original concert were not usable).  Sometimes he's really locked in, and other times it's nowhere close.  I'm glad I watched it just for that.  

I signed up for the Coda Collection so I could watch Jimi Hendrix Electric Church.  Problematic film for a number of reasons, mostly because nobody took filming the event seriously.  It holds local interest to me as an Atlanta guy, and had some of the best close-up footage of Hendrix's hands I've ever seen, which is fun if you're a guitarist.

It's mind boggling how many Foo Fighters films there are on Coda.  You scroll through and it feels like every third selection is Foo Fighters.  

There are also tons of other Hendrix films on there.  The recent Maui one is really corny.  Don't bother with that.  The Electric Ladyland documentary ("At Last...The Beginning") is really well done, though.    

I decided to cancel my subscription after just one month, but I'll probably watch the Band of Gypsies film before the month ends.   

On 6/4/2021 at 8:27 PM, illegalfireworksdisplay said:

There were daily meetings for “Friends of Bill W.” Personally, I felt a little strange doing an all-inclusive resort thing 9 years into recovery so it was a relief to see this when we checked in. I went to the meeting the first day; it was a cool group and a great way to check in with my sobriety. It was a supportive environment overall—if you’re seeking support. I would also say that it just wasn’t the debaucherous event some might imagine. We’re all old now.

Thank you for the response.  This is good to hear.  I'm glad you found it to be supportive.  Maybe we'll run into you in January.