#Wilco2011RoadTrip.

One time my boyfriend made fun of me because it seemed as though I liked every musical act on the planet but not Wilco, and I said I wasn't a big fan, and he said that I'd just have to wait until we could go to a show together, and then I would see. Fast forward to this December, when we embarked on #Wilco2011RoadTrip (the official Twitter hashtag!) and hit three shows in three cities in four days.

Did it live up to the hype? Yes, yes it did. My mind was pretty blown at that first show. While I may not love the entire Wilco catalog of music, they are something to see live and absolutely incredible musicians.

Day 1: 12/03/2011 Ames to Kansas City
Stop 1: Huxley, Iowa - Casey's General Store
Stop 2: Iowa Welcome Center
"Welcome to Iowa. Figure it out, bitches." Seriously, if you've ever stopped at the Iowa Welcome Center north of the Missouri border while going southbound on I-35...what the fuck?

"Bearcat. Is that like a fat cougar?" -in reference to a billboard for Northwest Missouri State, located in Maryville, Missouri. If Cedar Rapids is the armpit of Iowa, Maryville is the sweaty buttcrack of the entire Midwest.

Stop 3: Flenker's house!
Stop 4: Flenker's house! We left to go to dinner and I forgot my phone. He lives directly across the street from a park which makes going around the block to go back impossible. I caught a lot of crap for this.
Stop 5: Blanc Burgers + Bottles, one of my favorite restaurants ever. Truffle fries, people. TRUFFLE FRIES.
Stop 6: The little cigar shop in Westport
Stop 7: Beer Kitchen
Stop 8: Uptown Theater, a gorgeous space where I made the comment that "Bud Light should never cost more than a nickel", Nick Lowe absolutely killed "Alison", and I promptly got overheated during Wilco's first song and had to spend part of the show in the lobby having my pulse checked. But really, the show was a-ma-zing.
Stop 9: The Foundry. Best people watching ever.
I was drunk and in my notes I have Stop 8 twice.
Stop 10: Westport Street Fare Food Truck. Holy fucking shit. I had the chicken confit tacos. You should go get some immediately. Confit is quite possibly the greatest culinary technique ever invented.
Stop 11: Flenker's house! I tried his IPA and it was good. I ate my chicken confit tacos. I snorted a lot.
"Should have moved out of the Shire"

Day 2: 12/04/2011 Kansas City to Des Moines to Ames
Stop 12: Westport Cafe for brunch with Flenker, Blake, and Maggie. I had the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich I've ever had. I might venture so far as to say it was the greatest sandwich I've ever had. I wanted to cry when I finished it because I was sad that there was none left. ...I like cheese.
Stop 13: Kearney, Missouri - Shell Station
Stop 14: A-Okay Antiques in Valley Junction, West Des Moines, Iowa
Stop 15: Atomic Garage in Valley Junction, West Des Moines, Iowa
Stop 16: The Longest Yard in Valley Junction, West Des Moines, Iowa, where we did not see anyone we know
Stop 17: The Val-Air Ballroom. I'm not going to even bother talking about the show here, but I would like to say this to Des Moines: the Val-Air Ballroom is a disgrace and your people are a disgrace. Read this, which sums up my feelings quite accurately.
Stop 18: Home!

Day 3: 12/06/2011 Ames to Minneapolis and back to Ames
Stop 19: Ames, Iowa - Casey's General Store
Stop 20: The State Theatre. I liked the Kansas City show better but the Minneapolis atmosphere better, if that makes any sense. Combine the two and heads might have exploded. I was getting a little tired of a few songs by this point, but they played "Muzzle of Bees" which made up for it.
"We just got Nick Rolled" -after Nick Lowe sang a song referencing Rick Astley
Stop 21: My Minneapolis apartment
Stop 22: Home!

So #Wilco2011RoadTrip was a success, due in great part to Wilco, and also to Nick Lowe who is just a beautiful person and who I think should be at all my family holidays. The Kansas City and Minneapolis shows both concluded with Wilco and Nick Lowe singing "Cruel to be Kind." Folks, it does not get much better than that.