I can feel it

The busy season is about to start. I have a ton of things coming up at work, social stuff to plan, there's this little holiday happening in a month ... I just need to take a deep breath and not panic. Easy, right? Sure.

Suuuure.

This past Friday and Saturday I saw Wilco at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. The shows were a far cry from the Barrymore, though fun in a different way. I took my mom to Friday's show - it was her first Wilco concert, and her first concert of any kind since she and my dad saw Paul McCartney at County Stadium in 1993. She really had a good time, which made me happy. The Aud is about as mom-friendly as you can get, and we were even in a row with extra leg room. Califone opened Saturday's show, and were excellent. They began with my favorite song - "Horoscopic Amputation Honey". Glenn joined them for "Michigan Girls" and "Pink & Sour". Actually, he also joined Califone the first time I saw them, in autumn of 2003. Bobb Bruno performing before Wilco's set each night was an unexpected bonus. I think the last time I saw him was in La Jolla, with the Polar Goldie Cats. In Chicago he traded the cat-eared hoodie for his bunny suit. Over the course of both nights, Wilco chose a good selection of different songs. No huge shockers (though they did debut yet another new song on Saturday night) but a nice mix. I haven't been listening to any non-album songs aside from hearing them live (even recordings of them from shows I attended are taboo) and I can't tell you how cool it is to have my only associations for a new song be based on seeing it performed right in front of me.

I have to be honest, though - I try not to be too bad of a venue snob, because as my experiences with U2 have proven to me, one can see a fantastic show pretty much anywhere. But. For example. On Saturday night my seat was on the aisle, in Row N of the orchestra. Technically, it had a really nice view of the stage - until the crowd stood up. I was able to see if I leaned over far enough, so that was okay. But from that spot I also had a good view of the whole first tier of the orchestra. Which meant that I was intermittently distracted by people streaming past me back and forth from their seats, to use the bathroom or visit friends or buy beer or Chex mix or candy bars. Especially during the brand new song, there was a steady stream of people heading to the lobby, and most of the rest of my section sat down. It was kind of like ... do you realize there's actually a band onstage, and they can see you? Don't get me wrong - people pay for their tickets, and have every right to come and go as they please during the concert. And it's stupid to let the behavior of others dictate how much you enjoy something yourself. But while weaving in and out trying to see between the heads and shoulders in front of me, as people brushed past in the aisle, I couldn't help thinking - there's no way this can hold a candle to the intimacy and excitement of a good GA show, acoustics be damned. This isn't exactly a revelation, but the point was driven home to me anew.

I know GA shows can be loud, and if you're not up front there are plenty of chances for people to bump into you and block your view. But the difference is that if you want to be, you can be up front. And even if you're not, your position in the crowd will generally match your level of investment in and caring about the show. That's the beauty of GA. Anyhow, the Aud experience is what it is. Wilco plays a great show wherever they are. The Auditorium is a beautiful place, full of history, and I obviously am willing to pay for tickets to see shows there, time and again. But in terms of concert venues, I know where my heart is.

Edited to add crazy shot of glowing bunny onstage: