The sad thing about doing this on Tuesday is that I’ve listened to the new studio releases at home and at work, so I already have opinions and can’t fake any excitement about the new week of material. I would’ve been ready, but last week was crazy and I’m just now listening to the last of last week’s bootlegs. You may say, “Back off on the bootlegs,” but you haven’t seen my backlog.

[I think I need an intervention.]

• The Cardigans’ First Band on the Moon.
  
• Snow Patrol’s Final Straw.
  
• 17 Feb 2000 [Los Angeles, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith.
• 13 Jun 2007 [Washington, DC, USA] concert bootleg of Feist.
• 19 Jun 2007 [Bonner Springs, KS, USA] concert bootleg of Ben Folds.
• 24 Jun 2007 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Sloan.
• 7 Jul 2007 [Kongsberg, Norway] concert bootleg of Wilco.

Last week made me a fanboy of The Decemberists, I think:

• Patty Griffin’s Children Running Through. I held off too long in getting this album. It’s not my favorite Patty record, but it’s very good. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife. Does Monday’s bootleg activity tell you what I think of The Decemberists? I thought so. Four-and-a-half stars.
  
• 9 Oct 1987 [Syracuse, NY, USA] concert bootleg of U2. It’s a pretty good recording, borderline great when you consider the age of it. Also, I’m one of those quasi-U2 fans that really just loves The Joshua Tree era stuff, so … yeah. [Hey, I like War, too.] Three stars.
• 5 Apr 1999 [Columbus, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. Eccccch. The sound overpowered the recording equipment. Hey, I’m thankful to have any recordings of a show, but man, this just isn’t that good. The performances are good, though. Two-and-a-half stars.
• 4 Jul 1999 [Milwaukee, WI, USA] concert bootleg of Collective Soul. Phenomenal sound. Four stars.
• 24 Feb 2007 [Barrington, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Jeff Tweedy. Three stars. People sitting in with Jeff? Meh. But it was for charity, so … yeah.
• 30 Jun 2007 [Toronto, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Wilco. That’s a very good artifact of a show: the right amount of echo from it being a venue with that kind of ambient sound, and a well-placed microphone set picking up an okay sound mix. Any flaws with this show are, I feel, with the sound guy. [I know, I sometimes ride tapers, but I don't ride sound guys enough. A bad sound guy will ruin even the best rig placement and use. Been there, man.] All told, three-and-a-half stars.