This happened so long ago. Was I even there? So, with apologies to the bands, here's the speed run mostly for posterity:

Villagerrr is Mark Scott (vocals/guitar) and friends. On this night he had four friends: guitar, pedal steel, bass, and drums. Together the outfit occupied the nameless space built from laidback indie rock, poignant indie folk, and country rock. Scott's slow compositions bobbed along pleasantly, neither taking time to develop nor going straight for the punch. Each was satisfying, if somewhat homogeneous. I do recall being surprised that the short-scale U-Bass boomed so pleasingly. And how the steel offered both high, country sobs and soaring psychedelic head trips. A friend once told me he planned to use a lot of pedal steel on his new album. When I raised an eyebrow, he clarified it would be in a "Pink Floyd sort of way." Now I know what he was talking about. I also recall that the final song had a nice instrumental climax that closed out the band's forty-minute set with aplomb.

Between acts I wolfed down a vegan smash burger from Slimm's while trying to hold my position next to the stage. Next time I'll make it a double and add the tots too. And get a napkin.

Ratboys is from Chicago. Its core of Julia Steiner (vocals/guitar), Dave Sagan (guitar), Sean Neumann (bass), and Marcus Nuccio (drums) was augmented by Andy Krull (pedal steel/guitars) for this tour. Outwardly the band inhabits the same rough genre-less space as its opener. Always a dangerous proposition. Still, Ratboys is simultaneously, and incongruously, both more rock and more Americana than its tourmates. Somehow. The set started with Steiner on acoustic and Krull on crying pedal steel. I won't agree to any definition of post-country, but others seem to feel Ratboys define it. What I am confident about is that the group's telling of "Penny in the Lake" was country without the need for any modifier. But that wasn't all the seventeen-song set offered – it also had bite, especially when performing in its three-electric-guitar incarnation when both Steiner and Krull picked up electrics. The nine-minute "Just Want You to Know the Truth" found the middle ground, stretching out, creating the vibe, and never losing its punch. And that solo! Good God! Of course, no matter the mood, Nuccio's drums were big and rambunctious. When Sagan played his solos he wandered the stage, sometimes going back-to-back with Steiner. But that was it for the stage show. There much banter either. The only real break came before closer "Burn it Down" when Steiner paused to hurl some needed expletives at ICE. Afterwards the players walked away, leaving the crowd calling for more and instruments ringing. The ensuing two-song encore ended with "Black Earth, WI." That one stretched out to infinity, highlighting just how well Ratboys has merged inventive indie rock with the headspace of cosmic country. And that's about all I remember.