Autumn Souvenir

There have been two times in the past decade when I nearly broke down at a live performance, both times it was Nick Lowe performing this song.

It's been about two years since I've seen Wilco live. That may not seem long, but it's my longest spell without seeing the band since December of 1994. Now three records on with the same lineup and a new record just two days out, it was somewhat odd to find my single seat amongst 15K+ others. The first time I saw Wilco at Johnny D's in Somerville, MA there were maybe 50 others on hand. From 1994-2001, Wilco's popularity grew slowly, amassing a moderate national following and able to sell out mid-sized 1-2K venues the likes of The Fillmore and Irving Plaza. And then came the songs, mystique and "taking it to the man" story behind Yankee Hotel Foxtrot . In short order, they were playing summer tent shows, touring with Neil Young and headlining MSG. Now 17 years into a career that very few thought possible following the demise of Uncle Tupelo, despite having no hit songs or a sound that can be easily explained, they are seemingly one of the most popular roc...

Thanks to one of the greatest American bands ever assembled.

Had Wilco decided to drop the fairly awful "Heavy Metal Drummer" in favor of either of these two tracks, well, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot would have been the very rare five-star record.