Collecting setlists and organizing the art of live music. Part II
A Wilco love story and a bonus Fountains of Wayne gem found
My husband and I met in winter 2011, when I first moved to Portland, Oregon from Northampton, Massachusetts. He was going through a divorce; I was searching for love. But I didn’t fall for him until many years later. Joel says, “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you come out of your apartment in a gold sparkly dress.” For me, it was way later. He was patient.
For his birthday in February 2012, I get tickets to see Wilco at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. I’m having a rough first few months in my new city, and seeing Wilco is like comfort food.
Before the show, we go to the nearby Heathman Hotel (yes, the one where Fifty Shades of Grey takes place). We spend $12 on mixed nuts and $75 on Ketel One martinis.
The Schnitz marquee (featured up top) is all lit up, and I ask another fan to take our photo under it, a shot we now have framed in our apartment as a married couple.
The crowd goes wild when opening act White Denim comes on stage. I say, “Joel, you’re in for such a treat.” He’s blown away by these guys from Austin, Texas, naively thinking they’re Wilco the whole time. So I play along. “I know, aren’t they amazing?” Poor Joel, he hasn’t been to many shows at this point in his life. The more impressed he is, the more I can’t wait for him to realize we’ve been watching the opener the whole time, and if he’s infatuated with White Denim, just wait until Wilco actually comes on!
I will never forget the look on his jaw-dropped face when they do. He says, “This is the sweetest birthday present I’ve ever received, and a musical education!”
Fast forward to 2018, it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Northampton Brewery. An Irish trad band, Banish Misfortune, is playing and we’re surrounded by our family and friends. I had no idea Joel contacted Banish Misfortune to learn Wilco’s version of Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In The End” for an incredibly romantic and unexpected proposal. In the dark bar on this sunny May day, he asks me to dance, and the band starts playing with all their instruments. When Joel gets down on one knee, the crowd at the bar is tearing up and clapping. He’d even printed out the lyrics and given a handout to everyone in the restaurant to sing along. How could I say “no” to this?!
Ten months later we get married, on March 23, 2019 with 150 of our closest friends at the historic Hotel Northampton. We plan our own mini-music festival for our wedding with numerous bands. We started to call each other the Snugs over the last few years, and our wedding will forever be known as Snugfest. I even call in a favor to the mastermind behind much of Northampton’s music scene, asking him to have “SNUGFEST 2019” displayed in lights for the weekend on the Calvin Theatre’s marquee. The Calvin is a regional musical institution, and the photos of us under that marquee are a happy reminder of days like our first Wilco show together.
For our first dance at Snugfest, my brother plays guitar and one of our best friends plays mandolin. They perform Wilco’s version of “True Love Will Find You In The End.”
Over the years, Mr. Snugs and I have seen hundreds of concerts together all over the world. We love our annual excursions to New Orleans Jazz Fest, our adventures at Sunfest in Palm Beach and at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Fest. And then there’s Solid Sound Fest, hosted by Wilco every other year at MASS MoCA. MM is a museum, and one of the largest contemporary performing arts centers in the United States. And it’s only an hour from our home.
At one of the last festivals we attend before the pandemic tears our world apart, we are in the crowd after dark with thousands of other people, with Wilco hosting a karaoke night during Solid Sound. The last song of the night is performed by a brave and lovely woman who sings “True Love Will Find You In The End.” Wilco frontman, Jeff Tweedy, and the whole band come on to play with her. And Tweedy says something to the effect of, “We didn’t pick any covers for tonight, except this one.” All of our friends around us are weepy eyed, looking at us, and Mr. Snugs and I are ecstatic, with tears rolling down our faces.
The energy of the whole night, and of this special song is magical. And during the past few years, these memories are what keep me going, this one for sure. Thanks for the tunes and thanks for the times, Wilco.
In my first edition of “Collecting Setlists” I wrote about Fountains of Wayne. Recently, I found one more that had been hiding to add to my collection. That’s definitely a footprint at the top, right?
Thanks for reading Morning After Thoughts with Jessica B. Sokol!
Love this article Jessica. I have a new pub called “Great Books, Great Cities” and wondering whether you might have an interest in writing a guest piece about the significance of Powell Books in Portland with full attribution back to your Substack. If you are open to this, let’s discuss.
I love reading about the set lists. So many stories about acquiring them.
Wonderful way to start the morning. 🎶🎉🌈💚🌻