Last nights show was pretty much superior to Wednesday nights show. I mean, I loved em both, but last night was just....better. For starters, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche is one of the most amazing musicians I've ever seen. Notice I said musician, not "drummer." The guy is on another level. Another planet. His set was him on an interesting drum kit playing to some loops. Then he got creative. He would pull this surgical tubing through his snare (I think) and capture the sound, then loop it. He did that with several unique sounding objects. About 1/2 way through his set he jumped up and opened like....25 little boxes behind his kit. Inside the boxes were crickets that started chirping when they saw the light. He used that as a backdrop for some really cool Asian influenced drumming. All in all, it was mesmerizing. Then out came Jeff...
I won't post his whole set list because most people have no clue what I'm talking about with 3/4's of those songs. Highlights were...."She's a Jar" (which he played second, such a great, great song), "Black Eye (an Uncle Tupelo classic everyone loves but I never really dug...until last night), "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" (which is a cool song on album, but played acoustically is hardly recognizable....I think it's better), "How to Fight Loneliness" followed by "Someday Soon," "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" (again, when played solo acoustic, you really see how basic, yet stunning it is), "California Stars" (amazing! It was my wife and I's first dance song at our wedding so I called her and let her hear it) and "GUN!" "Gun" for me is a song that when I hear it, I'm immediately transported to a place in my life. Strangely, I love "Gun" yet it marked one of the crappiest times in my life. I was living 20 miles away from Petaluma and waking up everyday at 3:30 a.m. to get there for a job at UPS. I was in a relationship that was failing faster than Steve Martin's career and living in a tiny room with friends I never got to see. Yet "Gun" and moreso, Uncle Tupleo's "Still Feel Gone" kept me going every morning.
Jeff also came out with Glenn and played a great mini-set. Those 2 are great together. And, as much as I love JT, something's going on between them. If he comes out in 10 years and says he and Glenn have been Brokebacking it, you heard it here first. All kidding aside, they just seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company musically and otherwise. During "Heavy Metal Drummer" Jeff kept trying to get Glenn to twirl his sticks and he wouldn't do it....until Jeff looked away. then he'd do it and everyone would go crazy. Classic. Then Jeff made my month complete by stepping to the edge of the stage and playing "New Madrid" acapella without a PA. It. Was. Amazing.
I guess I can get on with my life now, but a not-so-mysterious package just arrived that may preclude that. Pictures to follow.
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