Wilco — 12 June 2024, Milwaukee, WI (RIverside Theater)

[bböp]

Well, Wilco is officially back on tour. Since we last saw the band Down Under in late March, it has gotten some new merch, a couple of new crew members, announced some new music and, as you might expect leading up to its biennial Solid Sound Festival in just a couple of weeks, generally kept pretty busy in Wilcoworld. In fact, I would even say that the world of Wilco is on the road toward North Adams, Mass., as we speak, except for the fact that the tour routing — not surprisingly — has the band back home in Chicago for a couple of shows after tonight's opener just up the highway in Milwaukee (and a subsequent off day).

 

For anyone looking to tonight's show for possible hints about that aforementioned new music (in the form of the recently announced Hot Sun Cool Shroud EP) or the band's much-anticipated Friday night "Deep Cuts" set at Solid Sound, however, there were none. Rather, Jeff and Co. seemed content to get back into the flow of things in front of a receptive audience. Therefore, as you might have expected, there was almost a dress rehearsal-type vibe to the show. "It's...nice to try and remember these songs again," Jeff said at one point.

 

It was still plenty of fun to see, and Jeff said as much from the opposite perspective — that the band was having a great time — but I would say there was maybe a certain intensity lacking. Not that you would be able to tell, unless you'd seen a lot of shows. Perhaps some of that perception had to do with the band being set up quite far back on the stage as well; I would say, at least 10 feet back from the front. Particularly with the visuals behind them and Jeff not saying much for the first third of the set, it kind of made for a sort of "snowglobe effect" or something at times where the band was this spectacle to be observed at a distance, rather than having an interaction with the audience.

 

Then again, maybe audience interaction wasn't the best thing. A prime example of that happened during Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull after the lyric portion and as the band prepared to get into the guitar jam that really defines that Cruel Country song. Just at that moment, there was some commotion over at stage left and a woman approached the stage with a panicked expression on her face and trying to get someone's attention. It soon became clear that she was seeking help for someone who had a medical emergency of some sort, and relatively quickly two security guards emerged and headed over to that area and apparently the situation was resolved. Meanwhile, the band never stopped playing as Jeff signaled to his bandmates to hold off on the jam and basically keep in a holding pattern until the “all clear” was given.

 

This, I have to say, is in contrast with many younger performers who I’ve seen stop songs multiple times whenever there’s some sort of kerfuffle in the crowd. I’m pretty sure it was Japanese Breakfast who I saw stop songs at least four times at last year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, and I’ve seen it happen with Boygenius and a number of other artists. Anyway.

 

"Is everybody OK now?" Jeff asked the second the song was over. "I was brought up in a world where you were told never to stop playing (when something happened during a song). Playing in bars, when a fight broke out, you were told never to stop playing because the fight would only get worse if there wasn't something to dance to." Then a song later, still thinking about it, Jeff added, "I've also had people come at me seriously just because they wanted to ask me a question. It was very confusing."

 

As I mentioned, Jeff had said virtually nothing for the first third of the set other than briefly checking in with the audience, saying it was nice to be back and giving the proper shoutout to the Bronze Fonz. And if it hadn’t been for the medical incident, he might not have uttered much for most of the main set. But after that incident got him going a bit, he did pay a couple of visits to Banter Corner. Naturally, the “victim” of said banter was one of the frontman’s favorite foils — namely, his drummer.

 

Yes, poor Glenn had to take a couple for the team and he obliged as only he can. The first time came after Heavy Metal Drummer when apparently the intro sample failed — I actually hadn’t noticed — and Jeff jokingly asked Glenn to play it again. Glenn hit the sample pad and out came…just the sound of the drumstick hitting the pad. Glenn got a sheepish look on his face and then gestured to his left at his drum tech Ashwin, which caused Jeff to quip, “Oh sure, blame it on the crew guy.” Then during the encore, before Falling Apart (Right Now), Jeff shared with the audience that the band had run through that song during soundcheck and “Glenn messed up the down beat because he was emailing Zildjian,” the cymbal company. Glenn pointed to his crotales and blamed it on a damaged one, which of course garnered no sympathy from Jeff, who went on to joke that if Zildjian didn’t reply, then it would be “onto Mr. Paiste,” and other percussion companies I don’t even recognize. “That’s a little musician humor for you,” Jeff joked.

 

It’s probably both a blessing and a curse for Milwaukee to be located where it is in terms of Wilco’s touring itinerary. Being just 90 minutes up the road means that the city probably gets visited by the band more than a lot of other places, but it also tends to be at the beginning or the end of a run when everyone is just gearing up again or ready to take a break. Still, I have to give the Riverside Theater crowd credit for being relatively enthusiastic, on its feet from the start, and ready to participate as much as a Wilco Wednesday deserved — even if it was sort of a warmup version of it.

 

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

 

Infinite Surprise

At Least That's What You Said

Handshake Drugs

Pittsburgh

I Am My Mother

Cruel Country

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart>

One Wing

Cousin

Hummingbird

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

Evicted

Box Full Of Letters

Jesus, etc.

Impossible Germany

Dawned On Me

Heavy Metal Drummer

The Late Greats

A Shot In The Arm

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

Via Chicago

California Stars

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

[Beltmann]

Great to see you last night, Paul. Totally agree about the intensity; afterwards, I described it as a "tune-up" show. Lots of "hits"--and I love hearing those!--with few curveballs. Even the banter was subdued. Fun fact: It was my wife Stacy who went to get the security folks that helped the ill woman. "There's an emergency!," she said, pushing me aside to leap into action before I even understood what was happening!

[bböp]

5 hours ago, Beltmann said:

Great to see you last night, Paul. Totally agree about the intensity; afterwards, I described it as a "tune-up" show. Lots of "hits"--and I love hearing those!--with few curveballs. Even the banter was subdued. Fun fact: It was my wife Stacy who went to get the security folks that helped the ill woman. "There's an emergency!," she said, pushing me aside to leap into action before I even understood what was happening!

 

Oh wow, I totally didn't recognize that it was Stacy who was up there trying to get the attention for the sick person! Well, I'm glad it was resolved quickly and everyone was OK. Good to see you as well, if only briefly.

[Albert Tatlock]

Ta.

Is it wrong that I know what the Bronze Fonz is without googling?