You've got a blue eyed soul...

Best of 120 Minutes: Back in my day, we didn’t have huge portions of the DVD section at Best Buy dedicated to Anime. (Or DVD for that matter but let’s ignore that for the moment.) I couldn’t just walk into any bookstore and pick up Manga collections. Nope, back in my day if we wanted to act like we were hip to Japanese culture we had to watch Matthew Sweet videos. See how much we had to suffer compared to the kids of today? Do you know how hard it was to create a complete set of Voltron episodes on VHS? And let’s not even get into the minor differences between Battle of the Planets and G-Force. Anyway, for those who need their anime fix here is “Girlfriend.”

Bizarre TV moment of the day: Flipping on A&E and seeing the movie Mannequin. Now A&E stands for Arts and Entertainment and I’ll be damned if I can figure out how Mannequin fits into either of those categories. This would be somewhat along the lines of AMC deciding to show an Air Bud marathon. I make fun of MTV for not showing music but technically they are at least still broadcasting television.

So I went to see Wilco at the Crossroads on Saturday night. For those who don’t know their KC geography, the Crossroads is about three blocks from the new Sprint Center. This wouldn’t be an issue except that Elton John was playing the inaugural concert there at the same time thus creating a parking zoo. First off, Elton John fans aren’t the type that typically go downtown and seem to be confused by the concept of one way streets. Then there are the opportunists best exhibited by the following example.

While driving to the Crossroads I come across this guy standing in a small parking lot with a cardboard sign on which he had written “Parking - $10” with a magic marker. Now this lot is a good six blocks from the Sprint Center and about five from the Crossroads. In addition, I drive by this lot weekly when I go to the Brick and I’m almost certain that this guy had nothing to do with it. But he had it pretty filled when I drove by. I bet he pocketed $200 and then called the tow company. I admire that sort of ingenuity, I really do. Me, I parked in a free lot that Grinders had set up a block from the show.

Grinders is kind of what I assume South by Southwest is like, which I would know better if I ever made it to Austin. Basically this big open backlot covered with mulch featuring a stage, beer stands and not much else. This isn’t a problem except that we got three inches of rain on Saturday thus resulting in rather wet mulch, which when you stand on it for five hours without moving tends to cause a degree of lower back pain never before experienced. Add to that the fact that I decided to be cool and not wear a jacket, resulting in my being cool and cold. The price of fashion, I guess.

Wilco was just amazing. I’ve seen the band several times over the past decade and this might be the best I’ve ever seen them. It was definitely the happiest I’ve seen Jeff Tweedy in a long time. Typically he can get annoyed with the crowd or the band but this time he just seemed to be enjoying himself. It was interesting in that the focus was not on the latest album. They tended to play those songs almost as an afterthought to the playlist. It definitely was not a “let’s push the new disc” type of show.

Mainly because they did something I never would have expected; they played four songs off of AM. That is Wilco’s first album and my personal favorite even though it is in no way their best disc. Being a critic and a fan are really two different things. As a critic I can find flaws in AM and see how it is simple and restrained and not as technically and lyrically challenging as something like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The fan in me will always grab AM when I want to listen to a disc, though. It was amazing to see Wilco play these songs because for years they simply haven’t. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard them play Box Full of Letters live and it is one of my favorite songs. That really was a treat for me, it was as if the band was thanking its long time fans.

Overall, just a great show. The band was tight, the music was great and the crowd was really cool. The asshole quotient seemed to be extremely low and I didn’t even seem to be surrounded by a bunch of people more interested in talking than seeing the show. That is a rarity at a show like this and I have to say it impressed me. Add this to Arcade Fire as shows that made me wonder if there really is a music community in this town.

The five random CDs for the week:
1) Robbie Fulks “13 Hillbilly Giants”
2) Sarah McLachlan “I Will Remember You”
3) Kasey Chambers “Barricades and Brickwalls”
4) Cowboy Junkies “The Caution Horses”
5) Uncle Tupelo “Not Forever, Just For Now”