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JHamm

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    HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, VIA CHICAGO!

    in Just A Fan

    Posted

    Boy it's been a minute. I haven't been on here in probably a decade. Probably longer. 

    Had some great times doing The DVD Project way back then. Mailed out thousands of DVDs to countries all over the world! Met lots of folks and always enjoyed it, too. Ended up taking film classes and starting my own music sessions series. Even had Jeff Tweedy himself on! So many great times working over the years and that really was the peak of it all! 

     

    I hope all of the old VC folks are doing well these days!

    • Like 5

    Wilco — 2/11/16, Atlanta, GA (The Tabernacle) [Night 2 of 2]

    in After The Show

    Posted

    Very long time since I've been on VC and thought I'd chime in.

    With the utmost gratitude to the Wilco family (you know who you are!), me and my family made it to this show. Ran into SarahC and her husband walking down the street in Atlanta, which was a real treat! Then talked to Paul and Vince in line for a few minutes. Good seeing you guys! Sorry I couldn't stick around longer. Back problems!

    I don't know how many times I've seen Wilco. Not a clue. But I'd put this show down as one of my favorites so far! Sounded amazing! All the new songs were as good or better in concert than they were on the record. I loved seeing the Red-Eyed and Blue and I Got You combo again. Made me feel a bit nostalgic. 

     

    I enjoyed the unplugged encore as well! I'd kinda like to see that turned into a tour in and of itself some day!

    A great show, all around! Glad we made the trek and beyond grateful that we had the chance to see the best band in the world today!

    Thanks, Wilco!

    in Just A Fan

    Posted

    I was laying in a hospital a few months ago contemplating my life. Lots of things ran through my mind. One of them was how much music had meant to me all through my life. My dad played guitar a lot and music was part of our everyday lives growing up. When I was old enough, I attended as many concerts as I could afford. Saw some amazing shows! Somewhere along the way, I met my wife at a REM concert in the mid 90's. They were one of the first bands that really connected with me and I owe them a huge debt of gratitude for what they did for me. 

     

    Not too long after, I saw Wilco for the first time. I was a casual fan going into the concert and was hardcore when I left. But my life went off 

    the rails and became directionless when I quit a job that left me perpetually depressed and longing for something else. I lived in 4 states in 2 

    years with my would-be wife and had no clue where my life was headed. Then I heard the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demos. I think my reaction could best be described with one word - Wow! I kept a close eye on tour dates and finally got see them support the record at a show in Atlanta in the summer of 2002. It was hot as Hades in the Tabernacle! But it was that night that changed my world. I knew I couldn't afford to follow them, yet I wanted to so badly. Somewhere, along the way, I came up with the idea for The DVD Project and started working on an archive of Wilco videos. I didn't know how to edit or even how to put videos on the computer at the time. I used a small severance package from work to build a computer that could capture videos onto a computer and I set about making as many trades for VHS tapes as I could. My first package came all the way from St. Petersburg, Russia. 

     

    The egg had hatched and it grew into something that I could've never imagined. My wife and I followed Wilco in the spring of 2003 on a string of

    tour dates while we decided where we wanted to settle in our lives. One of those dates was in Asheville, NC. We walked around the town and fell in love and moved here about 4 months later. We've been here 10 years now. All because of Wilco.

     

    Somewhere along the way while nurturing The DVD Project, my wife suggested I take some film classes to grow my knowledge of video. So, at the ripe young age of 33, I became a freshman film school student. I was the outcast old guy and drew some laughs when I told a professor my goal was to film Wilco. I'm pretty sure nobody in the class had heard of them. After taking classes for a couple of years, I started checking out equipment from school and shooting bands in Asheville. My first show was an epic Blue Mountain concert that ran more than 3 hours and 45+ songs. I continued to seek out local bands and eventually was offered a job shooting concert footage for a local indie newspaper's website. I hadn't even graduated yet!

     

    Now 4 years later, I graduated with honors and am still shooting the occasional video for the same indie newspaper. I also occasionally shoot for

    closed circuit broadcast a nearby casino. I've gotten to shoot footage of people like Rhett Miller, Willie Nelson, Warren Haynes, Brett Dennen, etc. Some people I have a lot of admiration for. And somehow, some way, I've become a person of note in our local music community despite the fact that I don't play an instrument and might be the most socially awkward person in existence. 

     

    I apologize for the long, rambling nature of this, but I owe a huge thanks to Wilco. I live in a most beautiful part of the country because of Wilco. I get to see just about any band I want and have had some tremendous opportunities because of Wilco. My life is dramatically better because of

    Wilco. 

     

    So, Wilco, if you're out there, thanks!

    AmericanaramA Concert 3 Atlanta, GA 6/29/13

    in After The Show

    Posted

    It'd been a while since I've seen Wilco, but this was my 37th show and my daughter's first. She was really excited to see Wilco in concert for the first time.

     

    We were at stage left about half way up the pavilion, and it sounded muddy as hell. Every band sounded muddy from our seats. Every song sounded muddy. It was a little disappointing but it seemed like a great show. I liked the set list a lot.

     

    We were generally surrounded by people who were just there to hang out with friends and drink. The people in front of us spent Wilco's set with their backs to the band facing us while they looked at pictures on each other's cell phones. I wouldn't have minded except none of them would sit down and we couldn't see over or around them. A nice lady doing security told my daughter she could use a handicapped seat since it was empty and would be unobstructed. So at least she got to see a little bit of Wilco.

     

    We ended up leaving during Dylan's set because an 8 year old can tire early and it appears someone stole my daughter's iPod Touch from our car. They were nice enough to leave her headphones, but her iPod is now gone. Makes me glad we paid $10 so we could park close to the venue.

    Wilco 3-26-10 ATL @ The Fab Fox

    in After The Show

    Posted

    Quick hello to Sarah! Was good to say hi again after all these years!!

     

    My 36th show, I believe. First in almost a year though. My personal highlights were Casino Queen, Laminated Cat, and One Wing. Really enjoyed the show as a whole and wish it hadn't been so long since I last saw them play. Was a wonderful ending to a bad day.

    Why no videotaping at shows?

    in After The Show

    Posted

    My memory is a bit hazy, but I seem to remember the policy was in place so the band wasn't playing in front of hundreds of video cameras. There seemed to be a sense something like that would happen if there wasn't a policy, along with selling copies of the shows themselves. But, again, my memory isn't what it used to be.

    Jay Tribute Show

    in Just A Fan

    Posted

    From the little bit I know, there's going to be a memorial show in Champaign that won't be open to the public. Just a gathering of Jay's friends and family and some of them will be performing.

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