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Wilco made its long-awaited (by me, at least!) return to South Dakota tonight, four days shy of 19 years since its one and only previous show in the state and in (I think) the very same room. I look forward to another performance in the Mount Rushmore State sometime in, let's say, 2041! Come on, Jeff's hips...hold on!

 

All kidding aside, though, I'd say this was about as enjoyable a show as one had any reason to expect on a Monday night in a way-beyond-tertiary market. The Washington Pavilion Of Arts And Sciences — for the record, the event actually took place in the 1,800-capacity Mary W. Sommervold Hall, the centerpiece of the Husby Performing Arts Center located within the WPOAAS — was far from sold out, but those in attendance were on their feet from the start and seemed enthusiastic enough. A few folks even had some direct interactions with Jeff that ranged from amusing to cringey.

 

For instance, after saying next to nothing for the first half of the set, Jeff acknowledged the crowd before Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull. "Thanks for inviting us here," he said, with arms outstretched. "It's a pleasure to address the Galactic Council in person." It's a line he has used before in venues that are particularly steep-looking, almost forboding, which this room was, with its concrete balconies looming over the main floor. Anyway, it didn't take long before someone in the audience corrected Jeff that the term is actually "Galactic Federation." To which Jeff replied, with a smirk: "Nerd. ... Nerd recognizes nerd. What does that come from, one of your space movies? I don't know anything about that." That interaction seemed to open up the floor for other people to yell out, which of course led Jeff to say, "Guess we're gonna have a conversation. Let's go one by one..." And that, in turn, seemed to cause people to pipe down. "That worked out well," Jeff said.

 

A few songs later, Jeff gave tonight's version of the pep talk he has been delivering lately about how he understood some people not wanting to participate in a show through actions like clapping or singing along. "If I was here seeing me, I'm a little reserved in general," Jeff said. "I'm not the life of the party, you know?" But he added that recently he had been trying to open up a bit more and that folks in the audience should too, because "you're not going to go to your death bed thinking, 'Wow, I'm really glad I didn't clap along at that show in Sioux Falls.'" He added that the band came with a little spirit in the form of their music and they fed off the spirit of the audience and that exchange is "not like anything else on earth." (Sincere moments like that are usually tinged with at least some humor, though, as Jeff qualified his remarks a song or two later by joking that "people going 'Whooo' might regret that on your death bed.")

 

Just before Jeff and Co. started the next song, however, some guy yelled out for the band to "play some Son Volt." Why do people still do that? Is it just because Wilco hasn't played here in two decades that some of the heckles are also approximately two decades behind? I can't remember if Jeff said anything in response, though he clearly heard it. I also don't know if it was related, but I noted that just then Jeff called an audible for a bit later in the set when he spread the word to the crew and his bandmates that they would be switching from the planned Passenger Side to Box Full Of Letters. (I was standing right in front of John and Pat and I could clearly see John mouth to Pat, "Box, not Passenger.") When that slot came up, Jeff said to the crowd, "Wanna hear a song off our first record? Probably as close to Son Volt as we're gonna get."

 

From that point on, as the rest of the main set wound down, the band seemed to get progressively looser and/or goofier, culminating with I'm The Man Who Loves You. No, person who cares about such things, Glenn did not stand on his drum stool or engage in other shenanigans that you might enjoy, but this was an especially goofy version of the song. First, Jeff started playing slightly early, while the outro to Heavy Metal Drummer was still finishing — usually, they make that transition pretty seamlessly — and then for some reason, Pat went over to Glenn during the opening chords and the two were sort of having a little stare-off until Jeff noticed and gave them a look, like, "What's going on?" Pat simply replied with a shrug and a little smile. I'm pretty sure John and Pat also both collectively forgot to sing the first set of "ooh oohs" as they've been doing while playing the album version of the song, but then both recovered to execute the subsequent "woo hoos." Almost no one notices or cares about this part except me, I'm fairly certain.

 

The encore, meanwhile, was another series of moving parts. I didn't actually notice this myself, but I guess the techs initially brought out guitars for Jeff and Nels that could possibly be used for a certain song suggested by the show's official poster — which caused one fan in particular who was right up front within earshot of Jeff to comment that he liked that combination of instruments. To which Jeff replied, "It's not what you think." Haha. Anyway, the whole thing became a moot point anyway, when the techs were sent scrambling to bring out a different set of guitars for another song entirely.

 

And then the show came to a close with what I secretly hoped it would: the Monday>Outtasite finale. Monday on a Monday should always be a thing, no? I vote yes. Anyway, Jeff didn't utter the "son of a..." transition, but Glenn might have. It was a fun way to close out a pretty representative set for this Cruel Country run — though, ironically, it was also the exact same way the other South Dakota show concluded back in 2003 — even if it wasn't actually planned this time. Sometimes I wonder what causes Jeff to change his mind like that in the moment from what he had planned on doing earlier on. Is it just reading the crowd and/or the room, or something else? After all these years, there are still Wilco mysteries to unpack, which, I suppose, is a good thing.

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played (there were several changes from the printed list, including a shakeup of the encore, which was listed as The Late Greats>Falling Apart>I Got You, as well as the aforementioned swapping-in of Box Full Of Letters for Passenger Side):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

How To Fight Loneliness

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Tired Of Taking It Out On You

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

Box Full Of Letters

Heavy Metal Drummer>

I'm The Man Who Loves You

----------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Monday>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

I realize the limited audience for these little blatherings of mine, and I further realize how that audience likely diminishes the more days go by without my getting these blatherings on screen, but this show at Fargo Brewing Company deserves a proper accounting (or at least as proper as I can achieve) and I know that at least a few souls out there will probably get something out of it so, three days later, here goes nothing...

 

Sometimes with Wilco shows, you find yourself in some global metropolis in a legendary venue with plush velvet seats, ornate decor harkening back to a more glamorous and civilized age and many years of history and tradition behind it, and sometimes you find yourself standing in the relatively cozy fenced-in parking lot of a brewing company in North Dakota. And often, as it turns out, the performance that ends up being the more memorable — at least as far as the more experienced fan is concerned — is in one of those classically tertiary markets.

 

It's not as simple as that, of course, since the energy of the crowd and the mood of the band and a number of other factors such as the weather also have something to say about elevating a show above the fray. But when all or most of those factors come together in a positive way, you can end up with a really fun and memorable evening as took place in Fargo the other night.

 

Although the concert area outside the Fargo Brewing Company was actually quite nice as far as those kinds of setups go, you nevertheless could close your eyes and get the feeling of being out in the middle of a field in a vast expanse of open land, especially when a train rolled by very close to the stage. If you've been to the Solid Sound Festival and experienced the proximity of Joe's Field to the nearby railroad tracks, well, this was even closer. I almost couldn't believe how close the train came to the concert area, and perhaps Jeff felt the same way about being out in this expanse when he and his bandmates took the stage and began playing the plaintive opening chords of Cruel Country closing track The Plains. It was only the second time the song has been played live — Nels added a nice little solo on one of Jeff's rubber-bridge guitars — and it set a tone for the evening.

 

To be continued...

 

For now, here was the complete setlist as played (Outtasite was on the printed list as the final song of the show, but wasn’t played, which I think was the only change/omission):

 

The Plains

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>
Many Worlds (coda only)

Shouldn’t Be Ashamed

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

All Across The World

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

I’m Always In Love

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

————————————————

Falling Apart (Right Now)

U.S. Blues [Grateful Dead]
I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

12 hours ago, Shug said:

Wilco-loving Deadheads gotta stick together! .  For us, victory and surrender are concepts that don't apply to music, not a battle, no borders or boundaries, only music that moves you or doesn't.  This was gonna happen sooner or later, ha ha ha!!!

#FuckingHippies  

Once again, I *really* could use a couple more hours of sleep but let me at least put finger to keyboard and try and get down a few thoughts before the ol' noggin starts to shut down...

 

Things I've learned so far on this trip to Minnesota: 1) There's a Grand Rapids here, too. Who knew? Take that, Michigan! For the record, it's a smallish, but charming city that sits on the Mississippi River about three hours drive north of Minneapolis. 2) Minnesota Vikings fans really like to yell, "Skol!" at every opportunity, but especially the day before the season opens against the Green Bay Packers. 3) There aren't nearly as many Culver's as you think in northern Minnesota. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, 4) Wilco still has the power to surprise after all these years.

 

Not to bury the lede further, but I can't say I had the highest of expectations for Wilco's headlining set at the second annual Grand Rapids Riverfest. Coming less than 24 hours after a pretty compelling show in Madison, Wis., it would have been easy for Jeff and his bandmates to deliver a solid, respectable festival performance and move on to the next stop. I confess to almost having my story written, at least in my head — something about consistency and the fine line a band must sometimes walk (particularly when supporting a new record) between presenting the show it wants to present night after night after night and things getting stale.

 

I also had gotten it into my head for some reason that the festival would be taking place at a little amphitheater on the river or something like that, so when I arrived and saw that it was actually a conventional outdoor stage setup in the parking lot between the Grand Rapids Area Library building and its front lawn, well, it was honestly a little bit of a letdown. To be fair, there was a nice little "Riverwalk" behind the library that offered some lovely glimpses of the legendary waterway. Still, it was not exactly what I had envisioned.

 

So the show begins and it's going along pretty much as expected. Jeff had his usual first check-in with the audience about six songs into the set, saying "What a lovely thing to get to do. Thanks for inviting us." Then he asked how many people "actually live here," and thanked them especially and "not all these carpetbaggers," before relenting and admitting that he and his bandmates love the carpetbaggers, too. During this crowd interaction, Jeff also had to take the time out to somewhat gently scold someone to his right who had apparently been a bit overserved and was "jostling" other folks in an attempt to get closer to the stage. Fairly typical festival stuff, more or less.

 

Other visits to Banter Corner included Jeff thanking the crowd for clapping during Hummingbird, saying that the previous night's audience needed "a pep talk to get involved in the show, but you don't." He added that if if they had participation trophies to hand out, everyone would get one..."but, you know, supply chain issues." (This was also the point when a "Skol!" chant broke out, which also happened multiple times on my flight to Minneapolis earlier in the day.) A bit later, Jeff also had another funny bit where he asked, "Do the bugs ever go to sleep? I feel like Pigpen. I've only been on the road for two days; I shouldn't have this many flies around me." He added, jokingly, that it must be "part of my persona...that guy who smells bad. Ziggy Bratwurst." You probably had to be there.

 

Another interesting bit that I don't remember ever hearing before came when Jeff introduced A Lifetime To Find. He said that when he was producing the forthcoming album by northern Minnesota band Trampled By Turtles he offered them the song to cut for their record, which they apparently did. But because the album has taken so long to come out, Jeff decided to also record it with Wilco and put it out on Cruel Country. He compared it to Hank Williams writing Hey, Good Lookin' for Little Jimmy Dickens back in the 1950s before cutting it himself (though Jeff was definitely self-deprecating when telling the story, not trying to compare himself with Williams).

 

As for the setlist, well, I thought it was a nice nod to a festival audience that Wilco decided to close their main set with some old favorites like Heavy Metal Drummer and I'm The Man Who Loves You. (And since I know there's at least one lady who's going to ask, no, Glenn didn't stand on his drum stool before and they played the album arrangement with the ooh, oohs restored and Jeff singing the second "writing this letter to you.")

 

I had figured we weren't going to get Kicking Television again, either, which is understandable, so the only remaining drama was how the show would conclude. I knew something unusual was up when I saw one of Wilcrew put down a cheat sheet at Jeff's station during the encore break. However, I could not have predicted that the second song of the encore would be a full-band version of the Grateful Dead's U.S. Blues. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense that after learning a number of Dead songs for the Philco set(s) that Jeff and Nels performed with Dead bassist Phil Lesh a couple of weeks ago at the Sacred Rose Festival in Chicago — of which U.S. Blues was one — that one or more of them could conceivably pop up during a Wilco show. I just didn't expect it to be this one — and since it wasn't on the printed setlist, we can assume that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

 

So there you have it. It might not happen as often anymore, but if nothing else, this Grand Rapids festival show demonstrated that Jeff and Co. can still surprise and delight even the most seasoned onlookers/longtime fans from time to time. And even though I'm not quite ready yet to fully embrace the Dead's apparent "victory" over the generation of punks and new wavers who initially rebelled against them, well at least I'm glad that their music has provided some new frontiers for Wilco to explore.

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played, for Wilco's set at the Grand Rapids Riverfest (as mentioned, U.S. Blues was not on the printed setlist, but otherwise, there were no changes/omissions):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

All Across The World

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

I'm Always In Love

Heavy Metal Drummer>

I'm The Man Who Loves You

----------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

U.S. Blues [Grateful Dead]

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Oh boy, I so don't have the time or energy to write about this one right now...but I feel as though I must contribute at least a little something about probably the best show I've seen by Wilco on its current run of tour dates in support of Cruel Country. Certainly, I think the best performance by the band I've seen stateside thus far (although, full disclosure: I have missed a few. Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually make it to every show...gasp.)

 

Two and a half years ago, in March 2020, Jeff and his bandmates played one of their last shows before the world shut down at Madison's The Sylvee, a newish 2,500-capacity venue that feels pretty intimate despite a wide concrete floor area, a relatively high stage and a couple of balconies. And finally, just before the 21st anniversary of another traumatic event in our nation's history, the band returned with a new record under its belt and a seemingly renewed vigor. "We're back," Jeff announced six songs into the set, in his first comments of the evening. He proceeded to inquire how many people had attended the pre-pandemic show and whether this was the first live concert back for anyone since then. I didn't see too many affirmative replies, but in any case there were numerous familiar faces in the front row who made this gig feel like a gathering of old friends.

 

(Apparently even those a little farther back in the crowd felt comfortable enough with Jeff and Co. to submit a song request or two via the utterly modern method of writing it out on their phones and holding them up. I didn't see this myself, but clearly Jeff saw it — it was, I was told, a request for Pot Kettle Black — and felt compelled to at least shoot down the request nicely. "We're not going to play it tonight, but thanks for knowing the names of our songs. ... We'll be back in three years to play it for you. Maybe you'll be working on your advanced degree by then.")

 

Outside of Chicago, Madison — and Wisconsin, in general — is almost unquestionably a Wilco stronghold. The band has played in town so many times over the years that, as with places such as Austin, Texas, or the Bay Area, it feels like it can do no wrong there. But if flattery will get you everywhere, Jeff nevertheless took time out to compliment the audience about halfway through the show by using his classic line about how he doesn't like most audiences but that this one "seems great."

 

Yet he also took a moment to make the point that it could be even better if everyone participated in, for example, clapping their hands over their heads like he had tried to get people to do a song earlier during Hummingbird. Jeff acknowledged that he fully understood that if everyone in the audience was like him and felt very excited on the inside but barely showed it on the outside, that it would be the worst audience ever. (He didn't say this, but I mean, he wrote a song about exactly this; see: Low Key.) So from the "do as I say, not as I do" department, Jeff nevertheless tried to encourage crowd participation by remarking that one's mindset should be that "I'm not gonna go to my deathbed thinking I didn't clap my hands over my head in Madison. I'm gonna be happy I fucking lived."

 

It would pay off as the main set drew to a close with a pulsating version of Spiders (Kidsmoke), which itself followed a joyous rendition of I'm Always In Love. Personally, I'm a sucker for the Krautrock arrangement of Spiders. I admit I'm always a little surprised to learn when some people apparently don't like it as much. But however you feel about it, the ending is a chance for the audience to take Jeff up on his suggestion of embracing the spirit of a rock show. I'm paraphrasing here, but he urged people to grab hold of the spirit the band had tried to bring and to not let go of it as the band gradually fell away from playing the song and everything focused on a unified clap.

 

As if that wasn't enough, with the show already at the 2-hour mark, the band came out for a three-song encore capped off by a frenetic Kicking Television. It's great, IMHO, that Jeff and Co. have resurrected the rarely performed A Ghost Is Born-era B-side in recent weeks, and after missing its debut in New Haven back in late August, I was psyched that it was back on the setlist for at least one more night.

 

There were plenty of other highlights, so I'm sure I'll miss something, but one other quick visit to Banter Corner worth noting came before Hearts Hard To Find, when Jeff clarified that the first line of the song — "I don't mind, when certain people die," — had "nothing to do with current events." And for as often as I've thought to myself, "Do they really have to play Impossible Germany every single night?" sometimes it comes together and can still take your breath away. Sure, there's nits to pick such as the arrangement on California Stars — whither banjitar? — but I'd say in general the band seems to really be settling into the Cruel Country material and integrating it with older tunes.

 

Would it be nice to see a little more variety in the sets, even as far as songs from CC or some twangier older songs (Someday Soon, anyone)? Sure, but as long as you get an outing like we did tonight, Wilco could probably play just about anything and people would walk away happy — and maybe even a little pleasantly sweaty.

 

Here was the complete setlist as played (there were no changes/omissions from the printed setlist):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Hearts Hard To Find

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

I'm Always In Love

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

-----------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Kicking Television

26 minutes ago, TweedyShowFan said:

Kicking Television was an amazing treat - apparently not played since 2014? I had never seen it that's for sure. It also was a great punk payoff for a Banter earlier in the evening when Jeff said something like "Playing all mid-tempo numbers at an outdoor show - that IS punk rock, Bitch!" Nels was literally pogoing during KT. 

But the all-important question…were you pogoing? 

Well, after a year's worth of anticipation and some last-minute hiccups, the idea of a large-scale music festival on an island off the coast of Massachusetts featuring some of today's most beloved indie and Americana performers, finally became a reality this weekend with the three-day Beach Roach Weekend event on Martha's Vineyard. Following headlining sets by the Avett Brothers on Friday and Beck on Saturday, it was Wilco's turn to put a bow on a Sunday schedule that also featured performances by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Caamp and Emmylou Harris.

 

And while Wilco's scheduled 90-minute time slot meant that there would be a few songs necessarily cut from the band's typical Cruel Country tour set, that didn't mean that Jeff and Co. didn't make use of every minute they had to play — and then some.

 

Despite the VIP setup at the festival ensuring that only those who purchased the "Beach Club" level tickets would be in the area closest to the stage — in my experience, most VIP situations split the stage so that a portion of the area in front consists of "regular" general admission ticketholders and then another part is the VIP section — at least the sightlines and sound quality if you got close enough to the "outer rail" (that is, the area behind the "Beach Club" pit) were pretty good. It seemed like there were plenty of folks who would call themselves Wilco fans in attendance and, in general, it seemed like a decent audience, although obviously it was a festival so you had different levels of fandom as far as interest and enthusiasm.

 

As for the band, it came on a couple of minutes early and stretched its set about as far as time would allow by starting Spiders (Kidsmoke) just before the scheduled end time at 8 p.m. and playing until about 8:08. So we ended up getting about 10 extra minutes, by my count. And we also got a little bonus collaboration when the band invited "old friend" Jason Isbell out to join on electric guitar on California Stars, which is always a fun treat to see him doing a little guitar dueling with Nels.

 

From a Banter Corner perspective, there were a couple of bits worth noting. Before going into If I Ever Was A Child, Jeff remarked, "I like to sing this song to myself, so you don't have to listen if you don't feel like it." I'm not sure if that was meant to try and get a chatty festival crowd to pipe down a bit, or just steeling the audience in general for a quieter tune. And a bit later, after a loud request for Cruel Country deep cut Darkness Is Cheap, Jeff replied, "We're not gonna play that one tonight, but thanks for knowing the name of one of our songs, sir. That makes us proud. Here's another song you may know the name of (Jesus, etc.). It's been a long tour. I'm talking slow. We...will...play...the...song...now." Maybe you had to be there for that one, but it was pretty funny.

 

Otherwise, pretty much the only other noteworthy chat from Jeff came during the clapping section of Spiders, as he tried to get as many people as possible to participate. "This is something everyone can do," Jeff urged, adding that it was pretty dumb but that it was part of the rock 'n' roll spirit (or something to that effect).

 

Of interest to perhaps no one, I noticed that Jeff and John sang different words on the first pass through the hook on Story To Tell, when it goes "The world is always on the brink/Love is dumber than you think...," and one of them sang "Singing songs of death and doom" and the other sang "Writing songs..." which of course comes during the next pass. I'm not sure who sang the wrong word, though I think it might have been Jeff because I saw him go over to John afterward and give what looked like a "My bad."

 

Otherwise, though, this one was a pretty good distillation of what the band has been up to the past couple of weeks as it presents Cruel Country nightly for the first time on this side of the Atlantic. I would expect something similar for the ensuing run of shows next month after a short break, and hopefully Jeff and Co. will keep adding in some other CC material into the setlists, as well as also continuing to incorporate some old favorites/deep cuts. Kicking Television, ahem, would be welcome again in September/October...just saying. As would a number of other chestnuts, and I'm not just saying that because I've heard California Stars — by some accounts — 3,000 times and KT probably only, like, 30...

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played, for Wilco's set at Beach Road Weekend 2022 (didn't get a look at a printed setlist, so can't say if there were any omissions/additions):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

California Stars (w/Jason Isbell on electric guitar)

Box Full Of Letters

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

On 8/27/2022 at 2:37 PM, silsurf said:

Anyone at the show? Would

love to know a set list, from what little I have read it sounds like it was a great time!

 

I watched the live stream, but here was the complete setlist for both sets according to the recap on Relix:

 

Set 1

Dire Wolf (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)

Doin’ That Rag (Grateful Dead cover)

Mr. Charlie (Grateful Dead cover) (Elliot Peck lead vocals)

Jack Straw (Grateful Dead cover)

Airline to Heaven (Woody Guthrie cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)

U.S. Blues (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)

Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover) (Margo Price tambourine and vocals)

 

Set 2

Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead cover) (Karl Denson lead vocals; Margo Price tambourine)

Viola Lee Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers cover)

Pride of Cucamonga (Grateful Dead cover)

New Speedway Boogie (Grateful Dead cover) (Elliott Peck lead vocals)

Franklin’s Tower (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)

Via Chicago (Wilco cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)

Ripple (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)

Being marooned on Martha's Vineyard for the weekend (I know there are far worse places to be marooned), I couldn't make it to this one in person, though I know a handful of people who did. And all I can say is, damn, you guys got Kicking Television! I had heard the band had been working on it in soundcheck in some of the shows leading up to this one and that it had been on the printed setlist for the New Hampshire show two nights earlier, but scrapped due to time constraints. So I figured it had to be coming somewhere along the line...and I guess this was the night. Here's hoping it's not the only one...

 

Reports welcome from those who attended in person.

 

For now, here was the complete setlist according to Wilcoworld (notations and encore break are my assumptions based on other shows):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)
Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Hearts Hard To Find

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

Box Full Of Letters

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

-----------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Kicking Television

Ah, the Wilco summer lawn (and occasional shed/club/pavilion) tour continues...and fortunately I was able to sneak up to The Green Mountain State to attend this one. Also fortunately, the ever-present threat of rain before WIlco took the stage dissipated after a round or two of sprinkles. Of course, we were left with Muggsville conditions — prompting Jeff, in his first comments of the evening, to admit that "one of my least favorite words keeps popping into my mind: moist. It's not a good word. Damp." So yeah, not weather fit for those used to more non-humid climes...

 

I know I keep promising more to come but I will get back to this one in some form sooner than later. Sorry for my recent slackerism, Uncle Albert.

 

For now, here was the complete setlist as played (got a brief glimpse of the printed list and I believe Heavy Metal Drummer was added, while a planned Red-Eyed and Blue in the encore was cut):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Tired Of Taking It Out On You

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

—Bull Black Nova, Heavy Metal Drummer drum intros (despite Jeff's urging, I don't think these count for setlist purposes)—

A Lifetime To Find

Heavy Metal Drummer

Box Full Of Letters

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

-----------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Ah yes, birthday for our man. And also recent lunch companion Elvis "Don't Call Me Declan" C. 

 

Tippy top! Cheers! Mazel tov!

 

 

Here's one I really wish I could have gotten to, just to check out what I'm sure was probably a pretty unique and picturesque venue. I've noticed that this place has had quite a summer concert calendar this year, so Wilco wasn't breaking ground by playing there but I'm sure it was still pretty memorable to play in an orchard setting. Anyway, apparently this place is close enough to Syracuse to warrant a review by at least one Syracuse media outlet (which, among other things, reported that the setlist included Sky Blue Sky, which according to Wilcoworld, it actually did not. If I had to guess, the reviewer maybe got SBS confused with Either Way?).

 

At any rate, it would be great to hear from folks who attended...

 

For now, here was the setlist according to Wilcoworld (notations and encore break are my assumptions based on other shows):

 

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

Handshake Drugs

Story To Tell

Either Way

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

Hummingbird

At Least That's What You Said

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Hearts Hard To Find

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

Heavy Metal Drummer

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

--------------------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Box Full Of Letters

The Late Greats

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Wasn't able to get to Ommegang this time, unfortunately. Heard from a friend that a good time was had and post-show fireworks were also a thing. More thoughts/reports/etc., welcome, obviously...

 

According to Wilcoworld, here was the setlist (notations and encore break are my assumptions based on other shows):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Tired Of Taking It Out On You

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

Box Full Of Letters

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

----------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Once again, early travel prevents me from attempting a more complete recounting of events during Wilco's first full-band headlining show in Montréal in quite some time (I'll have to research later, though I'm sure someone can figure it out). But suffice it to say, it was great to see the band in the confines of a relatively small indoor club again — and this particular one, née Métropolis, has a lot of personal memories and meaning for me — so a fun time was had by all. And it was of course great to see more than a couple of familiar faces, including a few of this city's most longstanding and dedicated "crazy" fans...

 

More to come, but for now, here was the complete setlist as played (didn't get a look at the printed list, so can't say if there were any changes/omissions, though it seemed like there might have been at least one audible):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

All Across The World

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Country Song Upside Down

Impossible Germany

Jesus, etc.

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

------------------------------------------------------------

Box Full Of Letters

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

A personal dream bill of mine — albeit in not exactly a personal dream venue, but you can't have it all — with Kathleen Edwards and Bahamas preceding Wilco in the familiar and giant shed-like confines of the Budweiser Stage. So I had to make it if at all possible, and thanks to the usual flight delays and Covid confusion...well, I barely did by the early 6 p.m. start of Edwards' set.

 

Again, just posting the setlist for now as travel insanity prevents more commentary for the moment...will hopefully circle back.

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played (didn't get a look at a printed list, so can't say if there were any changes/omissions):

 

Handshake Drugs

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

At Least That's What You Said

Story To Tell

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Heart's Hard To Find

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

A Lifetime To Find

Box Full Of Letters

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

---------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Red-Eyed And Blue>

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Had quite a drive to get to this show at the relatively new Live Nation shed in downtown Indy, so a recap of the proceedings will have to wait a bit, but I will get to it...

 

For now, here was the complete setlist as played (it appears that Red-Eyed and Blue and Outtasite were on the printed list I saw — albeit with Red-Eyed listed *after* I Got You — but weren't played):

 

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

Handshake Drugs

If I Ever Was A Child

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

Story To Tell

At Least That's What You Said

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars (with Courtney Marie Andrews on vocals and acoustic guitar)

A Lifetime To Find

Box Full Of Letters

I'm Always In Love

The Late Greats

-------------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

I wasn't able to make it out to Nebraska in person for this new festival that Wilco headlined, but input from anyone who was there is welcome...

Probably should've just sucked it up and tried to write something last night when I got to my lodging, but failing that and having to hit the road again pretty soon, I'll surely have to revisit this and add on later. But for now,  the domestic portion of Wilco's tour in support of Cruel Country kicked off tonight in the heartland and after some, uh, interesting crowd interactions during the first half of the show — more on that later — the band wound up playing a fairly longish, 2-hour, 5-minute set that featured more tunes from the new record than I feel like would maybe be part of a "normal" set.

 

After a six-week break following their summer European tour, this first show back felt to me a little bit like an extended dress rehearsal of sorts. Not to say that Jeff and Co. were making a lot of mistakes or anything, or that they didn't put on a proper capital-S show, but to me, it was almost like they were just running through almost everything they might play off Cruel Country in the coming weeks and getting their feet back under them.

 

The relatively intimate Paramount Theatre in downtown Cedar Rapids (where the band made its Cedar Rapids debut not even three years ago on the Ode To Joy tour) was a perfect spot to do just that, with a receptive and friendly Midwestern audience for whom to play. Of course with a reserved-seat indoor theater show, there is always a bit of the sit-vs.-stand dynamic, and there was again tonight, but unlike some places where it can get downright hostile, this was a pretty civilized outing. People would stand here and there or off to the sides, and most of the crowd would stand after certain songs to give an ovation, but then go back to sitting — at least until the encore, when the rock songs came out. But I didn't get the sense that anyone was getting "shouted down," as it were. It was all very pleasant, seemingly.

 

Not that things didn't threaten to go off the rails at least a couple of times early on when not one, but two audience members approached the stage and tried to either give something to Jeff or get him to sign something. Never a great idea, but for whatever reason, Jeff obliged them both. This truly is, as I've occasionally joked, Wilco's Era Of Good Feelings. (I will describe these encounters and Jeff's reaction to them when I have more time.)

 

For now, here was the complete setlist as played (there were some changes from the printed list, including I'm A Wheel listed but not played as the final song of the encore, Red-Eyed>I Got You getting added and Falling Apart Right Now being the first song of the encore instead of the final song of the main set):

 

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

War On War

Handshake Drugs

If I Ever Was A Child

All Across The World

Via Chicago>

Many Worlds (coda only)

Everyone Hides

Story To Tell

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Tired Of Taking It Out On You

At Least That's What You Said

Hearts Hard To Find

Impossible Germany

Mystery Binds

Jesus, etc.

Heavy Metal Drummer

A Lifetime To Find

Box Full Of Letters

The Late Greats

------------------------------------------

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Red-Eyed And Blue>

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)>

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Guess no one started a thread for this one. Oops.

 

If only for record-keeping purposes, then...I'll fill in the setlist later.

On 7/8/2022 at 11:09 PM, u2roolz said:

Before Tonight (Souled American cover. Spencer on backing vocals & thigh slaps. Sammy on backing vocals.)

-- Susie mentions that the animals outside Lounge Ax were made by “Janie Lanard” [didn’t catch the name. Will figure it out soon.] Spencer shows the clients a monkey that “Janie Lanard” made that was outside Lounge Ax.

 

Pretty sure she was referring to former SA drummer Jamey Barnard, fwiw. Sadly I never got to go to Lounge Ax (top five regret!), so I wasn't familiar with the wooden animals!

 

Anyway, here's a short bio of Souled American for the uninitiated. Clearly an influence on Jeff.

On 6/29/2022 at 6:30 AM, 50footqueenie said:

Such is the power of social media - the immediacy of reporting the minute after the band leaves the stage, the instantaneous catalogue of set lists and then...  the five day wait to hear back from nos correspondante on how his travel home was screwed up by cancellations, delays, bad weather and bad service. #promisespromises 

 

Personally I can't wait. 

 

Better late than never!

 

On 6/30/2022 at 3:40 AM, CrisBcn said:

There were some nice surprises on that setlist like Misunderstood and Randon Name Generator! A great show to finish the Spanish tour. 

Hope you made it safe and sound back home! 

 

I did, thanks! And finally got this last recap written. Hope to see you again soon!

Wasn't there myself, but just for record-keeping purposes, here's...something.

 

Following a week of touring around northern and central Europe (and a day in the UK), then another week touring around Spain, Wilco trekked all the way from Madrid back to somewhere in the middle of The Netherlands for this 75-minute set on the first night of the Down The Rabbit Hole Festival. Apparently the band was supposed to play this festival on the first day of the 2020 edition — July 3, 2020, to be exact — but we all know how everything after March of that year turned out.

 

This time around, Wilco performed on the Teddy Widder stage (which is apparently the second stage at DTRHF) following Clairo. And..that's about all I know. Anybody here attend Down The Rabbit Hole 2022? I'm guessing not, but please chime in if you did!

 

Here was the complete setlist, according to Wilcoworld:

 

A Shot In The Arm

Story To Tell

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Cruel Country

Hints

Handshake Drugs

Poor Places

Hummingbird

All Across The World

Impossible Germany

Hearts Hard To Find

A Lifetime To Find

Jesus, etc.

Heavy Metal Drummer

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Random Name Generator

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

6 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

 

Suggest Tats and Chats and Cats if you want to hook the internet generation. 

 

 

 

You big tease.

 

Haha, you weren't supposed to see the post until it was done! But I should have known that Uncle Albert never rests...

6 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

Is this them? Missing the handclaps though. Love me some flamenco handclaps.

 

 

 

Yes, indeed. There were definitely some flamenco handclaps...but the Madrileños weren't necessarily biting! Or only half-heartedly, at least.

On 6/30/2022 at 7:52 AM, romasb said:

Even though I'm late to the party (and not sure if anyone reads these old threads anyway), I wanted to add a few details because I was there. First thing, big surprise and kind of a downer when walking in: the place wasn't even half full. I have no idea why, floor was maybe half filled, balcony only the first five or ten rows. Many people still being very careful because of Covid I guess.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience of being there. Too bad it wasn't more of an energetic show, but that does makes me even more glad I decided to skip Frankfurt. I generally don't mind the mix of standing vs. sitting shows — though obviously the former are always better IMHO — but I just wish they would change the setlist more to fit the room. Like, if they're going to play these very formal places, then play some more of the songs you wouldn't ordinarily play in an outdoor, festival-type setting, you know? Just a thought...