Guest sjames Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 I'm 52 years old. I've gone to concerts pretty much my whole life. Wilco has joined my elite group of favorites which is a pretty short list that also includes, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Springsteen, Beatles and Rory Gallagher. My 20 year old son and I have had the good fortune of seeing Wilco in Fort Worth last Oct, then Tweedy solo in Jan of 2007 and Wilco again Sept 14th in Dallas. Wow, what a run! General admission shows are a young mans game. But for Wilco, I'm there. We get there Friday night around 7:00 and the parking lot is already filling up and I'm thinking, our standing spot is going to suck. As we walk up to the building, I see hundreds of people lined up outside and am thinking, hell. But I also see people going in. So what the hell, I tell my boy, lets go in. Well, since I bought my tickets during the presale, and they were blue, we got to go in first! I still didn't know at the time what's going on. After a check to see if we're drinking, uh, no, I'm here to see Wilco, I can get drunk at home, we get corraled into a hall that feels like the entrance to Mr Freeze at Six Flags. Lights flashing. Weird. The security guy says, start another line, so without hesitation, I start a line. "Everybody form a line". We peek in and damn if there's not a soul in the place. It's empty. After about 15 minutes, a guard announces, "the building is now open", and we are the FIRST TWO in the building. I run/walk to dead center on the rail and for the next four hours I have a grin that won't quit. I tell my son several times, I the happiest man in the building and I was! Dr Dog was good. And then Wilco. Five feet from me. Wilco. Five feet away. Unreal. Amazing. Once in a lifetime. Whatever you want to call it, it was amazing. I burned every moment into my head the best I could. I don't know what else to say. But it gets even better. We hang by the bus after the show. John is out there saying goodbye to his Dad and family and pulls out a laptop and I think was showing them baby pictures. I wait until they finish their goodbyes and then walk up to John and shake his hand. "That was amazing. Thanks so much" I tell him and he tells me how much fun they had and what a good show it was and he's glad I enjoyed it. I repeat the process with Pat and he goes on even more than John did. Just the nicest guys you could imagine. Then I see Glenn walking fast towards the bus and I'm thinking, I've got to shake his hand. What a great drummer. I high tail it after him, catch him, and pump his hand and repeat the whole thanks bit and he repeats the glad you liked it and couldn't have been nicer. I'm gushing over these guys and they in return are sincere and seem to really care what I have to think. I hear that Jeff is already on the bus, but I don't care. What a night. But then, there's Jeff! He's gotten off the bus to say hello to the little kid the whole crowd sang happy birthday to. I shake his hand as well. You can tell he's spent but he poses for pics, makes sure to greet everyone. And that's my story. Sorry its so long. I still haven't come down from it. If anyone has any pictures of the show, I would appreciate it so much. Of all nights to not have a camera, I didn't have one. But that's okay. I'm not complaining. It was the greatest rock and roll experience of my life. And I've had some good experiences, don't get me started. This one was the best. Long live Wilco! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 i take it you had a good time? use paragraphs next time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 the Wilcos. Glad you had a such a great time. You are right -- they are all genuinely happy to talk to folks, or they are the best actors in the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Man, that's a great story. I love reading stuff like this. If you haven't already done so, check out Crow's take on the show in Just A Fan. It's really cool as well. You have to love how approachable & down-to-earth the band is. As Edie said, they're either genuine or incredible actors! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H.Stone Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 What a great night for the two of you. Yours is a great story, and Wilco is a class act. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
emcquaid Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Amen. Long live Wilco! here is a torrent with my photos (and a couple bonus items). I hope you enjoy. Definitely not professional - but better than nothing!!! I was center about 15 back...http://www.vuze.com/details/U6XZPLQSGEYWI4...54SF3VRH3M.htmlI lost battery during Poor Places or Spiders... in the 2nd set. grrrr. Be sure to check dime for the show. There's a fantastic quality audience recording up with nearly 90 downloads, so there are lots of seeders. Cheers, e-mac After about 15 minutes, a guard announces, "the building is now open", and we are the FIRST TWO in the building. I run/walk to dead center on the rail and for the next four hours I have a grin that won't quit. I tell my son several times, I the happiest man in the building and I was! Dr Dog was good. And then Wilco. Five feet from me. Wilco. Five feet away. Unreal. Amazing. Once in a lifetime. Whatever you want to call it, it was amazing. I burned every moment into my head the best I could. I don't know what else to say. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest sjames Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Thanks so much for the photos. I can make out the back of our heads in a few pics and one video. I've still got a buzz going from seeing Wilco from the front row. It was like getting the Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka! Amen. Long live Wilco! here is a torrent with my photos (and a couple bonus items). I hope you enjoy. Definitely not professional - but better than nothing!!! I was center about 15 back...http://www.vuze.com/details/U6XZPLQSGEYWI4...54SF3VRH3M.htmlI lost battery during Poor Places or Spiders... in the 2nd set. grrrr. Be sure to check dime for the show. There's a fantastic quality audience recording up with nearly 90 downloads, so there are lots of seeders. Cheers, e-mac Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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