This was a fun night. Free parking 10 feet from the arena, classy velvet seats, breaking out the bunny ears during the encore, and a crackling-but-not-crazy atmosphere. Did I mention the Kwik Trip Garlic Cheese Bread and/or the jerkey blind taste test? I don’t have to. That type of road trip madness goes without saying.

The show killed. The acoustic arrangements are great. The banter was great. The intimacy is great. And I seriously think his voice has maybe never sounded better. Is that weird to say?

Also: I’m gonna side with the “Tweedy enjoyed himself” crowd. At least it seemed like he did to me, and 26 songs and almost two hours of playing would seem to indicate he wasn’t looking to cut the night short. Not sure why Riemenschneider says last night was “maybe the last time” Tweedy will play Rochester, but maybe I’m just misreading the banter and stuff. Who knows.

Spiders (Kidsmoke) / Remember the Mountain Bed / One Wing / I Am Trying to Break Your Heart / Cars Can’t Escape (outtake from YHF) / Via Chicago / You and I / Far, Far Away / Muzzle of Bees / Not for the Season (Loose Fur track) / New Madrid / new song (Born Alone?) / I’ll Fight / Jesus Etc. / Don’t Forget the Flowers / Radio King (Golden Smog song) / Hummingbird / Theologians / I’m the Man Who Loves You ENCORE 1: Pecan Pie (Golden Smog) / Casino Queen / Passenger Side ENCORE 2: Walken / Dreamer in My Dream

Seven days ago we stood on a beach in Mexico flying a pirate kite with the hope of summoning some [fun loving / gold bearing] pirates to visit us at our home on the sandy shores before we packed our bags and headed back to the Great White North. No pirates showed up. We figured the kite was too small for a pirate to see. We also figured that was arguably for the best. We had no room in our luggage for booty anyway.

It was a fun trip. Eat -> play -> eat -> play -> eat -> sleep. It’s an easy cycle to get into, double so when you’re on a beach far far from what seems to have been an impossibly long winter. Hope you all found some place to get warm, too.

Also this: one day we gathered our things hastily during a brief rain shower and forgot to grab our sunscreen. They sell it at the resort, of course. $26USD a bottle. $26USD!! Nice!! Related: yes, I came home with a sunburn. (We only had enough in our other bottle for the kids…)

Also also this: like the first day there I ate like an ice cream bucket full of guacamole. That was too much guacamole.

Here’s Jerry and Bear standing and looking just sorta perfectly legit. Nice. None of your instagram filters make you look this cool.

Bear was the first soundman for the Dead.  Way back in the late 60′s he had the genius idea that he should be taping every show he mixed sound for.  I’d like to say thanks to him for that.

Bear died last night in a car accident in Australia. I hadn’t heard anything about him in like 20 years until I heard this news.

Owsley “Bear” Stanley Dies in Car Accident [jambands]
Phil’s statement [furthur]

I wish I could wear a stocking cap at work, too. I think it’d help me manage my inbox.

Seriously, though, isn’t this exactly what you want it to look like? I know the Loft got a ton of footage in the ‘I Am Trying To Break Your Heart’ movie, but everytime I see pictures like this they still seem almost fakely great or something. Impossibly cool. All that vibe and energy and history packed into one place. One place with a lot of kickass cables and rugs and shit. And man I hope that they’re onto something yet again, because pictures like this certainly make it look like they could be.

“No dad, you don’t get it – a RAIN BOW”

“Yeah, I think it’s a typo in the joke”

“No, see – what kind of rainbow is impossible to tie? A RAIN BOW”

“Um, yeah it’s a typo – I think it’s maybe supposed to be ‘what kind of a bow’”

“Right! It’s a RAIN bow”

“Did mom put you up to this?”

“See – rainbows and RAIN BOWS!”

This happened like a week ago or something and I’m still laughing. At this point I’m not even sure it is a typo anymore. I keep reading it and thinking it has to be, but junior was SO convincing in his boiled-down RAIN BOWS explanation that I’m starting to wonder if it’s just me who doesn’t get it. I’m losing my edge.

I’ve been obsessed with this whole ‘Generation Why’ thread. This contextualizes it in a novel and topical way. So that’s cool.

(I blacked out his name to protect his identity.  Also: nobody but his mom calls him Edward.)

Sometime this afternoon, an ESPN guy tweeted the below (which I heard about when a Badger fan sportsnut I work work with yelled it over the cube wall to me):

So yeah, I would just like to take this opportunity to make sure that both ESPN and the legitimate disgruntled Gopher community understand this was a profit-motivated move by an Alverez-worshiping-rose-smelling Badgerboy.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled disgruntlement.

You’re welcome.

After some deep sleuthing, we’re happy to announce that we busted some people (that is assuming you consider scalpers people) who violated our ticketing procedures for Mr. Tweedy’s Dec. 7 show at Washington DC’s historic Lincoln Theatre. As promised and threatened, we’ve revoked those purchases and will be releasing the approximately 100 tickets for sale to the public (that’s you) next Monday, Dec. 6 at noon EST

Ha. It’d be interesting to know really how ‘deep’ the sleuthing was – seriously, it would – but either way, kudos to the crack team that scored one for the good guys this time.

Full disclosure: just bought some Wolves tickets off the street a week or two back. Soapbox and kudos totally compromised, I’m sure.