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From: CSCA5

Comments regarding the 3/3/00 San Francisco show at Bimbos 365:

Bob was in great form.  A lean, mean, guitar playing machine.  He informed 
the crowd that his electric guitar was lost in transit and so the show must 
go on with only the 12 string acoustic.  This may have been a blessing if you 
believe recent postings regarding his new musical direction.  However, I was 
looking forward to judging the new material for myself.  The set was tight 
with the bulk of the offerings coming from Workbook.  Bob was in good 
spirits, quite chatty, and even played a few requests (Panama City after 
someone supplied the first line per Bob's request).
The crowd response was overwhelmingly positive.

I was not disappointed having traveled from San Diego for the show.

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From: Noah Guyot

A few observations on the San Fran show..

1- Bob looked great... he's shaved his head and it's obvious that he's been
working out... alot, he looked thinner and healthier than I've ever seen him (or
photos of him for that matter).

2- United lost his Strat between Denver and San Fran, so there was no electric
encore and none of the new stuff that uses the taped background tracks
(evidently they all need the electric)... I was a bit disappointed by that, I
really wanted to hear the new direction that I've read about on the list.

3- The one new song (Bob described it as "the sad one") was on the dark brooding
side, but I think it really has a lot of potential, by the end the crowd was
totally silent...

4- When he was asked about when a new album wound come out he said that he was
working on 2 albums (one is dark like the "sad one" he played, and the other is
a dance record)... apparently neither is going as well as he'd like.

5- At one point he was talking about Madonna (I didn't catch the reference that
started the topic) and he said that when he was working out in the gym he
started to think "either Madonna is getting better, or I'm getting more gay"
which got a good response out of the crowd...

6- Bimbo's is a really cool venue, sort of a retro lounge feel with a nice
intimate feel... I can't wait to see Sebadoh on the 25th... oh yeah, Guided by
Voices & Matthew Sweet are playing 2 shows there on April 17 & 18.

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From: justa

i'm glad someone finally wrote about this show. i'd like to add a couple
of thoughts myself on it.

-- it was the best i've ever seen bob look. someone yelled out that he was
a hottie when he first came out. he said it was partially due to the fact
that he wasn't touring and that he quit cigarettes.

-- one of the best crowds i've seen bob with. they were very quiet during
all the slow and quiet parts of the songs. i think he really sensed it--
bob was in a really good mood, smiling and quite chatty. he even talked
about the california primaries among other things.

-- someone requested panama city motel between songs and he remarked that
it was a really interesting choice. he said he didn't remember the words
to most of it, let alone the music, and that he hadn't played it in 4
years. but he started trying to remember a few of the chords, and before
we knew it he was playing it! it was really cool, he even mumbled 'i don't
remember the words, fuck' during a couple of the verses. it really got a
rise out of the crowd.

-- great to hear needle hits e. always been one of my favorites.

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From: Mike Zurer

It was a good show, very high energy throughout.  I felt like the criticism
of Bob that he does not have much dynamic range could be fairly leveled at
this performance.  When he broke into "Wishing Well," the hair on my arms
and neck rose, but there was nowhere to go from there...  The new one ("Fade
to Black"?) changed the pace, and "Sinners..." and "Brasilia..." were really
good and textured, but everything else was full-blast.  I was also a little
disappointed not to hear anything else of the new stuff, but I should call
United instead of holding that against Bob.  "Panama City Hotel" was cool,
it was nice to see Bob laughing and having fun...  I also enjoyed "Needle
Hits E," after which Bob made a joke about the Foo Fighters, and played a
touch of the verse from "Learning to Fly,"  illustrating the similarity
between the chord progressions of those two songs, and providing fodder for
the next rarities and outtakes tape (assuming we can commandeer Bob's
soundboard tape collection).  Bob was quick to say that he _likes_ the Foo
Fighters, in case we thought he was making fun of them.  I feel like I have
heard Bob make the "xxx is getting better, or I'm getting gayer" joke, but
it was still funny.  This joke prompted an audience member to ask him to
plug No on Prop 22, which he did, and threw in No on 21 as well.  These are
the Anti-Gay Marriage and Youth Crime initiatives, respectively...  I
imagine there's something to be said here about the NYT coverage of
California politics...

I enjoyed the guy from The Mountain Goats, and was happy to see John
Vanderslice, late of MK Ultra, on stage and rocking out in is inimitable
style.  I missed the first opener, I thought Nuzzle, but apparently someone
else.

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From: Kyle Vaughn

  I thought the show went great. Even despite the fact that Bob didn't have 
the electric, it was by far one of the best shows I have seen from anyone in 
awhile, next to Sunny Day Real Estate and the Afghan Whigs. Bob is simply 
the best. This was the first time that I had seen him since November of 1996 
at the Fillmore. I missed the last show there back in 1998. I'm still 
feeling like an idiot. Hearing "Wishing Well" is always a treat. I was 
standing next to the guy who suggested "Panama City", which was one of the 
most entertaining moments of the evening.  I really wanted to hear "Along 
the Way" more than anything, but getting to hear "Needle Hits E" more than 
made up for it.  I also took my best friend who knows Bob because so well 
because. He really enjoyed the show more than I thought he would. Thanks 
Robb!!  I can't wait to hear some new material on record. Hopefully he will 
get something out somehow. I also want to thank those people in the crowd 
for showing up and showing so much enthusiasm for Bob. It's nice to go to a 
show where everyone is as excited as you are and has as much respect as you 
do. 
That's all from me.

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From: daytrip

A fine show despite United Airlines "losing" his electric on a non-stop from 
Denver. My first time seeing him since pre-FU:EL. Lots of fun chat and his 
playing is only getting better (if that is possible). Here is the set, all 
acoustic, no DAT (I was looking forward to hearing the new stuff). Brilliant 
show.