The solution to the one problem he mentions is straightforward, isn't it? Embed the data needed for initial page load in the initial HTML delivered by the server. Perhaps as JSON in a <script> tag.

I'm not too familiar with the new front-end frameworks, do any of them support this seamlessly? If not, I'm surprised, it seems like a fairly straightforward thing to architect.

What dismays me more about the rise of the static front-end single-page-app, is it really means the death of the idea of the architecture of the web. It's going in the opposite direction from the 'semantic web' dream, as well as REST.