I feel dreadful, but not wrong.

It�s been a rough weekend. I was mainly too busy to really think about things, yet somehow that�s all I did. Everyone I encountered was subjected to this do-I-or-don�t-I game. Funny how most said I do, but I didn�t. I suspect if they�d all said no, I would�ve done it, just for spite.

Okay, yeah, I do have regret. But a call from the friend who recommended me and got this whole thing going has finally brought relief. In her words, I made a �wise and mature decision.� These kind words given in spite of the fact that she�s at the hospital, where her mother�s dying of lung cancer.

Sigh.

I�m also torn with conflict regarding Wilco. Early in the night, I swore that would be my last Wilco show. I was insulted by the choice of opening band�a frightful trio (drums, guitar, bass, without vocals) called Grand Ulena or something, whom I saw open for them last October in St. Louis. It was painful and earsplitting then, and they�d not changed. It was called experimental music a year ago. I think they should�ve taken stock and determined the experiment a failure. The odd spoken-word thing to introduce the opening band should�ve been an indication of disaster to follow. We left our seats and stood out in the frigid hallway, with the half of the audience who felt as we did about the band. In no way is that sort of music compatible or comparable to the Wilco sound, ever-changing though they may be.

I didn�t miss Jay Bennett quite so much this time, which was refreshing. Maybe because I was too busy missing other things. And Ed Burch was in attendance, supporting his old pal Leroy Bach. It all seems a bit incestuous, this passing around of band members. But I�m okay with it. I must also admit that as much as I miss Ken Coomer for his jolly demeanor and crazy curls, Glenn Kotche was simply amazing. I think this is the first show I�ve been able to see him, to really watch and see all that he�s doing. It�s not the old Wilco. I�m dealing with that, among everything else.