loraaw

I Hotwired the Sheraton City Center St. Louis for $59 a night Sat and Sunday before I even knew Wilco was going to be in town (taking my husband for a baseball weekend). While not near The Pageant, the Metrolink goes from downtown to the Pageant (and the airport) and does run pretty late. I'd recommend trying to Hotwire or Priceline something downtown under $80 a night and avoid having to drive around. Unless you already have a car; if you do, you'll end up having to pay to park downtown which is kinda a pain. Then maybe staying out near the airport is the cheaper option. I don't think there are many hotels in the Delmar Loop area (near the Pageant).

NOW - I have a question for those who already got tickets for the earlier St. Louis shows (how nice of Wilco to add a third on the night I'm actually going to be in town!). I know upstairs is going reserved - were those reserved seats an option during Wilcoworld presale? Or should I just hope I can get anything and be happy with it? I'm a little over the standing on the floor for hours to hold a decent spot thing/ but it does seem like i"m gonna be lucky to get anything.

Thanks.

FREAKY

Earlier this week I planned a surprise baseball weekend for my husband's birthday in St. Louis May 15-17.

AWESOME - but now he's gonna think it was a self-serving plan. http://forums.viachicago.org/style_emotico...t/dontgetit.gif

EDIT = We arrive the NEXT day. Guess we won't be going. Solves that dilemma tho (and no, I don't think I'll shift his bday trip to suit myself; although I'm tempted).

Apparently it is a pole that is holding up the balcony. Damn pole!

 

See you at Jacks.

 

Just a heads up to you folks: I think the Broadway location (that's the one closest to the Ryman, right?) of Jacks may be closed on Sundays.

http://www.jacksbarbque.com/

I tried SO hard not to add my 2 cents to this, but can keep it in no longer. Sorry to add to the fray.

I'd bet they're just excited to play SNL. Most everyone in the band grew up in an age when the show was cool and meant something. I doubt it's all that much about exposure or management or promotion or whatnot, but more a "Wow, SNL." Plus, Jeff has a good friend in the cast. They're an American band. SNL, even if it's not what it used to be, is a piece of Americana. It means something to them. When your work is emotional, emotions are going to play a part in the decisions you make.

That said, it certainly meant something to everyone who had planned to go to Charleston Friday night, especially those traveling to the show. The short notice was rude and the rescheduled date is 7 freaking months away and on a different night of the week. You have every right to be ticked off and vent here. If you can't vent on a message board, where can you vent?

hmmm, did i see a thread about wilco being on conan tonight a few days ago, i must have read it wrong. oh well. my bad.

I wasn't in/didn't start the thread, but my TiVo HAD said they were going to be on tonight. It no longer says that (and they're not on). Just some sort of programming error I'm guessing (as my husband reminds me constantly, TiVo is NOT an all-knowing God; although I'm still not sure I believe him).

-Laura

How is this possible? Have these people been even remotely tuned in to what has been taking place in Chicago during the last week?

Mobile's like a huge freakin' arena, I believe? Can't believe they still have concerts in that place.

http://wilcoworld.net/causes/index.php

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the charity auctions we have been running through ebay have been cancelled by ebay. We are taking steps to restore them and will be posting an update shortly. We apologize for any inconvenience.

I know the band (errrr, Jeff) always comments on it and likes when kids are in the audience. But at a recent Wilco GA show, I was at the stage and the family next to me had 3 or 4 kids ranging in age from about 5 to 11. Then there was a dad next to them with a son, 6 (I know cuz the other kids asked him). ALL these kids proceeded to sit on the floor (yes, even during songs) and it then became mine and everyone else's responsibility to not step on their fingers. It took away from my enjoyment of the show. Not that I wanted to cut a rug or anything, but I literally had to keep my feet planted in one spot for 4 hours.

Even when these kids weren't sitting on the floor, they couldn't see over the wall in front of us (and had they been farther back they wouldn't have been able to see over the people) and I felt bad for them.

The one little fella with his dad spent the night sleeping on the floor between his dad's feet. Unlike the other family, his dad kept him well protected (so he didn't bother me or anyone else); but it's still not like he saw the show.

I don't think GA's great for kids, unless there's a lawn or something to run around in. Or a balcony to go sit in if the crowd on the floor isn't kid-conducive.

Just my 2 cents,

-Laura

I'm not joking. My husband just pointed it out. At the top of the page, above the weather map on 12A (here, I'll type it in):

Wilco's 2007 album, Sky Blue Sky, has been nominated for a Grammy award for Best Rock Album. The album's first song, Either Way, opens with the line "Maybe the sun will shine today, the clouds will blow away." As sunlight travels through a cloudless sky, the shorter wavelengths toward the violet end of the visible spectrum are scattered more than the longer wavelengths, giving the sky its distinctive color.

Share your thoughts and learn more about the "Wednesday weather song" today at weatherguys.usatoday.com

------

- Laura

When I got West earlier this year, it bored me. Then my Nano broke and I had West in my car CD player for a week - and now it's become one of my favorite CDs of the year. It kinda crept up on me. "If" is probalby my favorite song on it.

As for "stupid lyrics" --- I think some of the best songs lyrically can look "stupid" typed out without their context (the music, the sincerity of the vocals) behind them, including Jeff's. I always laugh when he rhymes "C" with "sea" in Shot in the Arm.

So yeah, give West a few more spins.

- Laura

I see one guy on ebay selling "front row" seats for Nashville, $298. Actually, they're front row of a section that clearly starts more than halfway back on the floor.

How do you reports jokers like this?

ok, a second ago I was complaining about getting NO tickets, now I'm complaining about getting tickets.

Second to the last row in the balcony on the side. yikes! Not much of a presale, huh?

I'll believe y'all that every seat at the Ryman is good and quit my bitching. This show's totally gonna sell out, right? So if I log into TM Sat. morning and get awesome seats, I'll be able to unload these? (at cost, of course). Eh, I'll likely just stick with what I have and be happy.

Good luck to everyone still trying.

I was shut out for Nashville again. Right thru at 10 a.m., too.

Everyone wish me luck for Saturday a.m. - which now I'll have to do from work.

EDIT

10:30 a.m. and I just got two tickets. So KEEP TRYING folks.

Weird.

They're not great tix - Bal L, seats 8 and 9, but they're tickets.

I was shut out for Nashville as well. Can someone let me know how to do the radio station pre-sale please?

I took like 20 pictures, but was standing on a board people were jumping on most the night and they all came out blurry. Here's my only non-blurry pic.

It's interesting that the people who watched on the Web cast described Jeff as being disconnected and the show as being a bit off, while those of us who were there thought it was one of the hardest rocking performances in recent history and the band was definitely into it. I mean when does a band ever do an encore and go over their time limit at a festival? Nearly never.

Hoodoo Voodoo was worth the trip alone. One of my favorite moments was when Nels and Pat were jamming and Pat saw Jeff and kinda stepped out of the way for him, but Jeff motioned like "no, you two keep at it" (and they did).

I'm aware that a U.S. resident going to see the band in a few days shouldn't be posting here, but I could bite my tongue no longer (and let me say I know NOTHING - so don't let any of this become rumor):

You can't fathom that there may be some unforeseen conflict that caused them to cancel the shows that they don't want to share with the public? Do you ever call off work with something you just didn't want all your coworkers to know about? Health issues aren't always 48 hours and you're all better, or so bad that you can't stand just one more day before taking time off. Who knows, maybe someone is having scheduled surgery and they just don't want the whole world to know? Maybe someone needs to stay put for 5 days for antibiotics to finally kick in? Maybe it IS a money issue. Maybe it was either take a five day break and piss off a whole bunch of fans or risk physical/mental breakdown. Maybe they ARE gonna show up on TV somewhere and promoters/record companies/etc. pushed them into the decision. Who knows!?!

"Scheduling conflict" could mean ANYTHING, but the one thing I read into it for sure is "mind your own business."

I thought for a few minutes this week that our plans to go to New Orleans this weekend would no longer involve Wilco. Luckily, I was wrong. But you know what? We were gonna go and have a damned good time regardless. It's only 2 hours in a lifetime. It's just a concert.

So yes, I know/understand you're mad. I've lost hundred of dollars on canceled shows in the past. Be mad. But don't just assume they're home having a laugh at your expense.

-Laura

Hmmmmmm - wondering about Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. If Wilco cancels, I'd like to unload my tix cheap to some Fall Out Boy or Black Crows fan today and just spend the weekend in Biloxi instead.

But if the reason is slow tix sales in England, that wouldn't affect New Orleans.

I guess all any of us can do is wait for some sort of explanation.

This post is proof positive that I'm getting old.

GREAT show, great setlist - but man was it cramped and hot in there.

We may be the people someone mentioned who were up front and decided to move back. The crowd was packed so tight early on you couldn't move an inch. If one needed to get out , it took a good 20 minutes, and good luck getting back in. It was claustrophobic and HOT. Most everyone was very courteous, but there as a group of young girls who was pushing up against my back the whole time we were up front.

When we moved back, we didn't go too far - maybe 20 rows of people back off to John's side, it was okay, but I spent most of the night trying to find a spot where I could get a glimpse of the guys between the backs of other people's heads.

It used to be I'd seek out GA shows. I believe Jeff prefers them cuz the audience is more energetic and they feed off of them. And that was the case here. I have friends in the area, so I decided this would be a good show to hop on a plane for. But was it really worth it to look at the back of a really tall guys' head all night? If one wants to have a good spot for a GA Wilco show, you'd better be in line at least an hour before doors open. Factor in an opening band, and you will have been standing for 6-plus hours by the time the show is over. And if you get a REALLY good spot, be prepared to hold it and not use the bathroom all night. Forget getting a water or a beer.

I think Wilco may be getting too big for the GA shows when they're picking GA venues that hold a couple thousand people. Dallas musta been 4,000 or 5,000? This one had to be maybe 2,000. How many of those people can even see?

I'll be seeking out seated shows from here out. But don't worry, I won't yell at you to sit if you're dancing in front of me.

-Laura

There are like 53 people there and they're crowd surfing. That's hilarious!

I couldn't find this posted anywhere ("GQ" is too short to search), but I found it pretty surprising and awesome.

 

This month's GQ is a thick 50th-anniversary commemorative thing. The 22 albums weren't in any order, but here's the entire list:

 

Neil Young - Tonight's the Night (1975)

Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)

The Clash - The Clash (1977)

Ramones - Ramones (1976)

Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (1994)

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (1968)

N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (1988)

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)

The Stooges - Fun House (1970)

The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

Wilco - Being There (1996)

AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

Beastie Boys - License to Ill (1986)

Love - Forever Changes (1967)

R. Kelly - Trapped in the Closet (2005-present)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

R.E.M. - Murmur (1983)

 

Anyway, pretty esteemed company, and funny coming from GQ.

OMG - I'm a MAN.

Don't tell my husband,

Laura

Rumors are still strong that either Wilco, My Morning Jacket or Bob Dylan will be the saturday night performer at Stubbs. Most sources on the ACL message board are hinting that it will likely be Dylan. Appears Charles Attal is waiting for the single day tickets to sell out before announcing the surprise act. However, last year the festival never sold out single day tickets, so in theory he's just waiting as long as possible before pushing the button. Their confident (and rightly so) that the show will still sell out even if announced at the last minute.

 

On a sidenote. Speculation continues to mount that Jeff Tweedy will be the 3:15 pm special guest at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. Apparently past performers have included Jim James and Patti Smith. It's essentially a 15 minute set of kids music. So for those of you wishing to hear the Busy Bee song (or whatever the name of that song is) this may be your chance.

Saturday single day tickets are sold out and have been for a while. I'm not sure what holding off on announcing a Saturday night show is going to accomplish other than having people buy OTHER aftershow tickets then not use them - which seems rude to those bands already scheduled to play and to the fans. Announce it already. People traveling to the festival could be leaving in just a few days.

So which day is that 3:15 kiddie show rumored to be? Sunday?

Thanks, Laura

I thought it sounded really good, but I run everything through my surround sound. I have heard similar comments on other TV performances (Wilco and non-Wilco), where it sounded great to me but others didn't think so.

 

I also thought Jeff sounded great.

 

Loraaw, musical performances on Leno always run late, but yeah your station must have started even later for some reason. I have learned to set my DVR to record 5 minutes past the end of the showtime.

Yeah, I know that about Leno. We had already added 10 minutes. :-(

Despite adding 10 minutes to my Tivo, it cuts off while the Superbad kids are still being interviewed. Our local channel must have started the show super late.

Can anyone post a link or send me the vid? I've tried youtube, no luck.

Plenty of time to schedule a side show Friday or Saturday night in the Big Easy, guys. I nice long set would be much better than a 45 minute job at the Voodoo thing. Selfish I know but...please, please, please!!

Looks like Glenn will be in San Fran Thursday and Friday. I guess Saturday is physically possible, but I'd doubt it.

From Wilcoworld:

Glenn Kotche will premier his new composition "Anomaly" on October 25 and 26th as part of the 25th Anniversary edition of the San Francisco Jazz Festival (September 22