Mary Colurso -- The Birmingham News

mbaswell, hello. (And if this is my friend Mike Baswell, double hello!) I understand what you mean, and I, too, hope the date will be rescheduled. But that's not certain. And with concert announcements, please remember, we're dealing with PR talk -- always trying to put the best spin on things.

To me, postponed is when you cancel a date and announce a new one, at the same time -- as Ralph Stanley did recently at WorkPlay. These 31 dates have been canceled -- and abruptly so -- with the possibility of rescheduling. I hoped to make that clear in the story. I agree that Ticketmaster's notice, saying that people can hold their tickets for a new date, is an indication that rescheduling is possible. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

It's been more than 10 years since Wynonna performed here, according to my check of The Birmingham News archives. Her set at City Stages 2001 was cut short by thunderstorms. So, the last real show would be a 1998 performance at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, opening for Michael Bolton.

From Kathy Kemp's interview with Donna Summer, before the 1999 City Stages festival in Birmingham: "The first time I heard 'Love To Love You Baby' over the radio, I almost fainted," said Ms. Summer, who grew up in a strict Christian home in Boston. "I didn't want anybody to know it was me, especially my parents."

Thanks! I'm always glad when we can get Mr. Tweedy on the phone. He's a smart and interesting guy, and Wilco's music reflects that, no? The interview also introduced me to the "dad rock" term, which I hadn't heard before. Apparently, it's been applied to Tom Petty, too. If they'e the examples, well, "dad rock" just plain rocks. :)

As a side note for folks going to the concert: I checked Wilco's website, and there's an opening act tonight, Purling Hiss.

We're agreed on that point, bhamfornow. :) Concert lengths have been shrinking, in general, in recent years. Lots of shows offer 75 minutes from the headliner. When an act plays for two hours, I'm always surprised and glad. For most bands -- maybe jam bands are the exception -- marathon shows are in the past.

More like an hour and 25 minutes for Wiz Khalifa, which actually is a substantial set for the Crawfish Boil. Even at City Stages, the sets usually lasted 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the act.

Here's my what dad, age 85, would say about Nicki Minaj: "She's laughing all the way to the bank." Being ordinary doesn't get you noticed in the pop, rap, hip-hop or rock music worlds. Here's my opinion: She's highly entertaining, whatever you might think of her visual style, and has the talent to back it up. Her show at Boutwell won't be boring. This we know for sure.