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I don't think I have any great insights on this gig, but the crowd as a whole seemed to really dig it. Even after the big Hoodoo closer, people stayed in place for a few minutes and tried to urge the band back on stage for one more song. It didn't work, but the enthusiasm was apparent. Jeff made a comment about what a good crowd it was, and I think he was on target. There were a decent number of Americans in attendance, judging by Jeff's informal poll of who was from the USA and who actually lived here, but unlike a few shows I've been to in Europe when Americans have been fairly obnoxious,

Now why are you always trying to rouse the rabble? Haven't talked to the Poets today, but of course I'm certainly not trying to make any comparisons. Everyone has been really gracious to me, so thanks all around. Certainly the Poets are stellar hosts, as is my friend samuel_70. Really anyone who's willing to put up with me falls into the "best hosts a guy could ever hope to have" category. But it was a special treat to be able to visit pillowy star on her home turf...

Yeah, das ist rock! P.S. I totally forgot to mention that it was so great to get to hang out in the queue and during the show with my friends 50footqueenie and better half and mdpoet and namaste (a/k/a The Poets--I think this moniker could really catch on!). And of course, the beloved pillowy star and her beloved, who are without a doubt the best hosts a guy could ever hope to have!

I was going to leave this to someone else, but OK... The Capitol was, for me, a pretty ideal space with standing room on the floor and a decent-sized balcony so that those who wanted to stand could stand and those who wanted to sit could sit. I bet there weren't too many bad views in the house. As I was saying to some friends, it can often be a fine line between too sterile an atmosphere and too rowdy and I think this show balanced the two quite well. Unlike the previous night in Düsseldorf, which I think drifted a bit too far on the sterile side, the venue was good enough acoustically th

Yay Poets! Scary how many people I knew at the show tonight... To answer your question, pretty sure the chimes were more or less present. I dig Nels' little psychedelic outro on that one as well and you could hear it really clearly at Tonhalle, so that was cool.

Damn, that's a tough choice!

It's pretty late, so I don't know how much of a review this will be, but I'll try my best for the handful who care. Quite a different mood from the festivals and general admission shows of the past couple days. The Tonhalle was a very nice, almost circular auditorium with a towering ceiling which, judging by the posters in the lobby, mostly hosts classical concerts. Accordingly, it seemed that a fair bit of the set was tailored to take advantage of the immaculate acoustics. Songs such as the acoustic Spiders, Country Disappeared and Everlasting Everything (which was played live by the full b

Request in quotes because they were already all set to play You Never Know and Jeff said something like, 'Whatever you want to hear, as long as it's You Never Know." And thanks for reading, T! Personally I keep hoping the rave I'm A Wheel reappears sometime soon (hint, hint)...

Wonderful to meet you, too, Fiona! Would absolutely love to get to Melbourne next time (and finally meet that Froggie character)... I think Glasgow has surely been the best of the four shows I've seen on this run so far. The entire band, and Jeff in particular, seemed almost determined to play well that night. Impossible Germany was even more transcendent than usual, and Kicking Television (with Jeff on a white Epiphone) was a great conclusion. Barrowlands certainly had some character to it, and that didn't hurt. It reminded me a little of the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines. Both were dan

A compact set tonight, which was expected going in since the band was only booked for an 80-minute time slot (9:40-11 p.m.). Jeff actually held up a digital clock that he had at his feet that read "11:00" on the dot as they finished I'm A Wheel, and waved good night. Once off stage, though, they must have gotten clearance to play one more song so they came back and did The Late Greats. One could tell that time was of the essence as they did away with "The Price Is Right" intro music as well as the "robot voice" band intros during Wilco (the song). And Glenn didn't do his Todd Trainer tribute

Limited Internet time tonight, so not much of a review. Once again the videotaping scourge reared its ugly head when Jeff admonished someone off mike for apparently distracting him by filming. Then later on, he sort of took it out on the security guards who were apparently very lackadaisical about enforcing the camera ban. So that sort of added a little bit of tension toward the end of the main set. That probably didn't have anything to do with one of the shorter headlining sets in a while (clocking in just shy of two hours). It sort of seemed like they had to be finished by 11 p.m. anyway.

Re Synthesizer, he came out unannounced midway through the song. Then Jeff said, "Synthesizer Patel, everybody!" once during the song and then again afterward. He sort of pranced around the front of the stage, starting off on Pat and John's side and I think possibly facing off with Nels briefly at one point. Couldn't really see his facial expression that well, but I think he was pretty deadpan for the most part. He was definitely "in character" when he was on stage.

OK, I'm on the case... First of all, special guest star "Synthesizer Patel" on You Never Know! He totally rocked those mutton chops and that keytar, much to the confusion of almost everyone! All in all, a darn great-sounding room -- I don't think I've ever quite heard Jeff's voice and Glenn's pressure-regulated drums on "Reservations" so clearly -- and a more vibrant crowd than I expected. Of course, Jeff had to basically goad everyone into standing up about halfway through the set, but at least most people remained standing. An interesting mix of songs, too, perhaps owing to the fact tha

Er, um... Any report is better than no report, so cheers! Definitely agree with you, Chinese Apple, about Belfast and the north. I loved it when I went up there for a few days. Glad the people there got to see a show, even if it sounded like a more "basic" set. Considering the band hadn't been there for so long, a lot of people were probably getting to see them for the first time...

Stay strong, Bea! I don't know what it's like to be a terrified mom, but you should take comfort in the fact that it sounds like you have done everything possible to make sure the procedure goes well. I'll be thinking about you guys and sending out good wishes...

Stay strong, Bea! I don't know what it's like to be a terrified mommy, but you should take comfort in the fact that it sounds like you have done everything possible to make sure the procedure goes well. I'll be thinking about you guys and sending out good wishes...

Very nicely put all around, T! All I can add is what a joy it personally was to spend a long, sweaty, intimate, altogether memorable (and did I mention sweaty?) evening in a basement with so many of my favorite people on the planet. Thanks to the denizens of the Hotel SnS (canine and otherwise) for hosting, to everyone for traveling from far and near and to the Tweedys for everything! The fact that Jeff and Susan stayed so long with a big show in another city less than 24 hours later is a true testament to their generosity and spirit, which is incredible. Since I guess somebody was bo

Such a brilliant idea, wasn't it? But in the end, that someone certainly knew what they were talking about.

What, you guys didn't make it down there? After all our scheming and plotting?

Yes, yes, yes! Couldn't agree more with (or express better) the sentiments of the eloquent pnêyu. LAites, get thee to Largo for this one! Watching Messrs. Brion and Cline create is a treat too rarely experienced, especially given their busy schedules. Alas, I won't be able to be there this time either. But a small part of me will wish I was. If anyone gets there, please report back! And not to totally hijack this thread, but Brooklyn Vegan just posted some nice photos of Nels sitting in with Jim Campilongo's trio at the Living Room in New York a couple of days ago. I think it was the seco

Well, you could probably say that about a lot of people in one way or another. Anyway, a friend recommended I buy a bootleg vinyl pressing of Cold Fact a few years ago but I didn't really get into it until the Light In The Attic reissue came out a couple years back. I like how he took some elements of Dylanesque folk and put a unique spin on it (psychedelia combined with some soul -- the guy was/is from Motown, after all). And bottom line, there's just some really strong songs on it. "Sugar Man" can stand up to some of the best songs of the era, IMHO.

Wow...thanks SO much for taking this on, Maudie! I'll go ahead and add spreadsheet savant to your already-impressive list of skills. So how many top-50 lists were ultimately turned in? Sorry I missed out on this exercise the first time. For me, it's most interesting to look at people's individual lists as opposed to what ultimately garnered the most votes (not that that's not interesting as well), so I'm going to post mine... P.S. Cheers to the other person who voted for Rodriguez's Cold Fact. I'd love to see the rest of your list! bbop top 50 records-summer 2010 edition: 1. Summerteet

Nice work, my good man! (Hope you and Dundee had fun... )

I don't know about anybody else, but I sure leaned heavily on the horn of my Volvo as I was leaving. I really wanted to get back to my room at the Ritz-Carlton and, er, get my recycling together. (Sorry, someone had to say it. )