2003-07-01 - 2:27

Service

I am not so ill now, although definitely still lacking in energy. My parents came through town last week, showing up Monday night and sticking around until Thursday morning. Since Tuesday was the first day that I felt healthy enough to head back to work, there wasn't a ton of free time for entertaining the folks; but it was still cool to see them again and take them out for supper and whatnot.

I decided that I wasn't really up for making the trip to Toronto for the wedding on Saturday, which was probably the right call.

I did make it to Montreal last night for Wilco and Neko Case. Neko was great, as always, backed by her usual two-piece line-up of Jon Rauhouse and Tom V. Ray. The inclusion of "Make Your Bed" was enough to make me happy, although that was certainly not the only highlight.

Wilco made me a fan, despite Jeff Tweedy's claims that following Neko Case would make him "sound like a bullfrog." I was less than knowledgeable heading into the show; but I was most impressed by the performance.

A couple of the simpler songs didn't quite hook me and I lost the connection on one of the more sprawling moments near the end of the night. Apart from those minor exceptions, though, I was very taken by the band, in all its range, which is high praise considering my unfamiliarity with the material.

I most enjoyed seeing the battalion of guitars put to good use. The impressively promptly updated Wilco timeline tells me that "At Least That's What You Said" was the title of the song that really stood out for me.

Along with most people, I took Monday off as a lead-in for Canada Day, so I had a good day of post-concert relaxation. I did get around to cleaning up a bit, since I have quite a few people coming over tomorrow for another barbecue (maybe nine or ten people). That should be a fun one, for sure.

In theory, since I'm (almost) healthy again, maybe I'll have the energy to start writing again. In my slackness, I didn't even express my dismay about one element of the Rollins show in Boston. Hank's traditional concert outfit--shirtless, shoeless, and wearing the decade-old shorts--was thrown out the window as he took the stage in sneakers, jeans, and a T-shirt.

I'm not sure what this all means; but I suspect that it bodes ill . . .

J.