Wilco — 13 December 2024, St. Paul, MN (Palace Theatre) [Night 1 of 3]

[bböp]

For the final stop on this "Winterlude On The Road" series,  the Wilco Express rolled into the familiar confines of the Palace Theatre on a frigid mid-December weekend in the Twin Cities (is there any other kind?) and rolled out the first part of what figures to be another epic trilogy of no-repeat, wide-ranging shows that have characterized this brief but fruitful tour. As always, it will be interesting to find out what the next two night have in store.

 

Unlike the previous two stops in Austin and Tulsa, Jeff and his bandmates have brought a Winterlude-esque experience to the Palace before — they played three-night runs here in 2017 and 2019 — but as Jeff noted in his introductory comments, this year would be something different. The Palace is a 2,500-capacity venue with a general-admission standing floor and loge and balcony sections with seats (the latter of which Jeff poked a little fun in the second half of the show when he joked, "I'm not gonna say you're lazy or nothing, but you are sitting down," before admitting that the seated tiers would be exactly where he would be if he was attending the show).

 

"We may have called it Winterlude," Jeff said of the previous mini-residencies at the Palace, "but these are (shows with) no repeats, so we've got a lot of songs to play for you and we couldn't be happier to be here." And a few songs into the first set, before launching into I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Jeff remarked, "There's some songs you probably never heard us play, then there's some songs you have..that's how it's gonna go."

 

Set 1 highlights included Should've Been In Love, which remarkably hadn't been played on this run yet, marking the 99th (or 100th, depending on whether you count Many Worlds and the coda to Many Worlds as separate songs) different song performed so far, as well as Far, Far Away and Venus Stopped The Train. What did all those songs also have in common tonight? Well, they all featured a minor lyric flub by Jeff, who didn't do quite as well as he has at other shows of hiding when he made a mistake. You certainly could have forgiven him for the brief blip during Venus, at least, since a plea for help from somewhere in the crowd — as well as the security staff's response to it — could be heard during the very quiet tune. I guess it was for someone who had passed out or something along those lines, which caused Jeff to check in afterward: "Is everybody OK? It's like a thousand below zero, but I didn't think I'd have to remind everyone to stay hydrated."

 

A couple songs later, on one of his odder visits to Banter Corner, Jeff reassured the audience that he had been told that "everybody is fine." Then he continued, "Somebody had a baby and that kid's gonna be far out, man." Then an awkward pause, during which Jeff perhaps realized the weirdness of his comment and then: "(There was) no baby." You probably had to be there.

 

Anyway, onto Set 2 and you knew that things were going to get livelier when Jeff strapped on the Flying V guitar that has made an appearance every night for exactly one song at each of these Winterlude On The Road shows. This time it was for a spirited Someone Else's Song that perhaps wasn't quite as irreverent as the rendition on Night 1 in Austin last week, but still got the de facto electric second set off to a rollicking start. And as it turned out, the Flying V would make a rare second appearance a bit later in the set when it returned to the stage after the apparent audible of Random Name Generator in place of the planned On And On And On. "We can rock some more," Jeff quipped. "Nothing wrong with that."

 

The second half of the second set, which also featured the shredfest You Satellite for the last time maybe for a long time, would basically play out with some of Wilco's most popular rockers, like Box Full Of Letters (on which Jeff extended his running joke about Glenn wanting him to let the audience that this song was from the band's first album, which Glenn didn't play on), Theologians (complete with rare "big riff" ending...nerd alert) and the closing two-fer of I'm The Man Who Loves You and A Shot In The Arm (two of the most--played songs in the Wilco catalog, probably, but still effective).

 

If there was one thing to complain about with this opening show at the Palace, especially for your humble correspondent who still had the relatively intimate confines of Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom on his mind — another amusing anecdote Jeff told, by the way, was after playing the song Hints in Oklahoma, someone in the audience there apparently yelled out "Drill, baby, drill," to which Jeff replied, "We're just a rock band, sir" —  it was that the space between the band and the front row was rather vast. Not only was the band set up pretty far back on the stage, but the gap between the barricade and the stage also seemed to be unusually far, which led to a distant kind of feeling that's maybe hard to convey in words, but was definitely there. The band and its audience were literally too far apart.

 

Which made the apparent audible to Too Far Apart to kick off the encore all the more fitting. Who knows if that's ultimately why Jeff and Co. ended up playing that one when they did, but it certainly was a fun way to bring the night to a close (along with the actual show-closing Heavy Metal Drummer). It ended up being the shortest show thus far in terms of the number of songs played and it wasn't close to the three-plus-hour barnburner we got on Night 2 in Tulsa, but for the first installment of this year's St. Paul trilogy, it was a more-than-welcome return to the area for a group that surprisingly had only played here once since the pandemic on a co-headlining bill with Trampled By Turtles at the Treasure Island Casino Amphitheater back in 2021. Wilco actually opened that show, deferring to the local bluegrass outfit on that occasion, so this was really the first headlining appearance here for Jeff and his bandmates in some time. So take all of that however you want, but that along with the promise of these Winterlude On The Road gigs seemed to make for an especially eagerly anticipated performance.

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played, on Night 1 (in the second set, On And On And On was on the printed setlist but was replaced by Random Name Generator and in the encore, Too Far Apart replaced Ashes Of American Flags, which had been on the printed list):

 

Set 1

Company In My Back

Should've Been In Love

Country Song Upside-Down

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Hints

Country Disappeared

Misunderstood

Far, Far Away

How To Fight Loneliness

It's Just That Simple

Tired Of Taking It Out On You

Venus Stopped The Train (Jeff and Mikael only)

Secret Of The Sea

Hesitating Beauty

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

 

Set 2

Someone Else's Song

You Satellite

Hell Is Chrome

Panthers

Levee

One Wing

You Are My Face

Pot Kettle Black

Box Full Of Letters

I'm Always In Love

Random Name Generator

Theologians

I'm The Man Who Loves You

A Shot In The Arm

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

Too Far Apart

Heavy Metal Drummer

[TCP]

Great recap bbop. I saw two other shows this year at Palace Theatre and the "gap" was the same, I believe. They usually have a lot of photographers, though I felt like there was less last night and correct me if I'm wrong but they seemed to have left after two songs instead of the usual three.

Absolutely fantastic show last night and well worth the winter drive. Seven songs I've never heard live before. Seven!! Interestingly, Too Far Apart was played at my first Wilco show all the way back in 2007, which at the time was the first time it had been played in seven years, really cool to hear it again after all this time. I'm hoping for Blue Eyed Soul tonight.

Another highlight for me was hearing Venus. This was a song I've been in a big fan of for a long time, and I'm glad it's had a bit of a resurgence since the deluxe version of YHF. I still can't believe a song that good didn't get (officially) released for 20 years. I think that says a lot about the depth of their catalogue, and the amount of great songs they were turning out at that period. 

I wasn't expecting Someone Else's Song to sound like that, that was interesting and very cool. It took me a second to figure out what I was hearing.

Somehow I've never heard Far, Far Away before, even at a solo show. It's a classic and I'm glad to finally hear it. An underrated part of Jeff's guitar playing was how he mixes rhythm and lead simultaneously on acoustic and FFA is a great example of that, I tried to study his technique as much as I could in the moment to middling results... But maybe we'll get Remember the Mountain Bed tonight.

I've never been the biggest fan of Country Disappeared, but hearing those lyrics after this past November, in what might be my last trip to the US for some time (let's see what that border looks like next year 🙄) really hit home.

[Albert Tatlock]

T

 

(bit more to come)

[wilcolovesyou]

Thank you, bbop.  I am very thankful for your unwavering After the Show write-ups and wanted to express my gratitude again.  Being able to see the thru lines from many shows, makes the 'whole package' Wilco show experience that much better each time-- so I tip my hat and do a little hand-roll bow to you, my friend.

 

Here are some little things to add:

*After Jeff's playful dis to the balcony sitter-downers, Jeff told Glenn that's where he'd be and Glenn said, "Me, too!" They had a sweet little bro-mance moment there.

*Agree on the vast space between the stage and the rail, especially given that the stage curves out and they're set so far back comparative to the other 2 Winterlude venues.  Wish that could somehow be changed for the next 2 shows because what would we be without wishful thinking.

*Jeff's voice seems on the verge of being hoarse, since to my untrained ears, he seemed to be singing at 50 or 60%. I imagine doing so many long shows at this time of year must take it's toll on the human body so I only mention it as an observation.  I also think the air is unusually dry in MN right now as well.  My hair kept standing up on end all night on the rail and my rail buddies and I noticed that it looked like several folks had the 'about to get struck by lightning' affect as well.

*Highlights of the show for me were You Satellite, Secrets of the Sea, Panthers and Venus Stopped the Train, though the faster-than-usual tempo of Venus was slightly jarring to me this go.  My mind was blown by You Satellite again, like N1 in Austin.  I wasn't able to see Wilco during their Star Wars tour and honestly, before the Austin show, You Satellite was a <skip> for me each time it popped up at home.  I felt like I was hearing a new song that defied time and space when I heard it in Austin and it did not disappoint last night either.  To me, this is just testament that some songs are meant to be experienced live and no other way.  

*One last thing: I LOVED seeing all the love that John received after It's Just That Simple.  He owned that stage and it was powerful. I did notice he blushed at the attention and seemed more than ready to return back to his usual stage left position. I truly wish Wilco would find a way to add a few songs with John and/or Pat on lead vocals. This Wilco sib is holding out hope for Thirteen to be played on N2 or N3 with John and Pat taking some of the lead vocals.  That's a possibility, right?  A girl's gotta dream....

 

 

[wilcolovesyou]

@TCPMy understanding is that Venus wasn't put on YHF or played live because Jeff felt like the song was too personal and identified people from his past in a way that he didn't feel comfortable about.  It's a haunting song that's just about as perfect as it gets-- in music, in art, in life.  I guess we're the benefactors of time, in this circumstance.  

 

Perhaps, my favorite post on Starship Casual to date: https://jefftweedy.substack.com/p/venus-stopped-the-train-solo-acoustic?utm_source=publication-search

[wilcolovesyou]

Here she is, like a beam of light from music heaven. Get excited— very excited— next time you see her on the stand.

 

[bböp]

2 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

T

 

(bit more to come)

 

#WaitingForThatA #AllDoneNow

[nalafej]

Somebody Else’s Song was the absolute highlight. Great show.
 

We’re lucky to be fans of a band up for this kind of 8 show adventure through their vast and awesome catalog (and with fine curation too- prayer for no Ode to Joy jams tonight unless they actually jam We Were Lucky).  
 

 

nice connecting with some VCers last night too. 

[Albert Tatlock]

2 hours ago, bböp said:

 

#WaitingForThatA #AllDoneNow

The best that I could make as a comeback

Back from a long day prowling the charity shops of Guildford - picked up some great books for reading over the Christmas period. Enjoy the show tonight while I watch Cardiff on the TV - after my fish and a rice cake of course.

[BTom]

OK, I have to express discontent over bbop’s post.  I have lived in Minnesota 67 years.  This is not - I repeat, not - a frigid weekend.  Not by any means.  In fact this morning we have some lovely fog to accompany the balmy 29 degree temperature.  Additional fact - I’ve not yet even moved beyond my lightest winter jacket all season and I’m outdoors a lot.  That said, I understand the problems of thin-blooded people in this climate.  It’s not for everyone.  Speaking of season, I’m intentionally avoiding set lists since the only show my wife and I are attending is tonight and we both want to be surprised.  However, fingers crossed that Laminated Cat has not yet been played.  Then later tonight, or tomorrow morning, I will enjoy bbop’s reviews as always.  A great way to live vicariously!

[lost highway]

51 minutes ago, BTom said:

OK, I have to express discontent over bbop’s post.  I have lived in Minnesota 67 years.  This is not - I repeat, not - a frigid weekend.  Not by any means.  In fact this morning we have some lovely fog to accompany the balmy 29 degree temperature.  Additional fact - I’ve not yet even moved beyond my lightest winter jacket all season and I’m outdoors a lot.  That said, I understand the problems of thin-blooded people in this climate.  

 

Bless your Norse hearts. You folks are truly remarkable. With love from sunny Colorado (highs this week in the mid 50s).

[bböp]

53 minutes ago, BTom said:

OK, I have to express discontent over bbop’s post.  I have lived in Minnesota 67 years.  This is not - I repeat, not - a frigid weekend.  Not by any means.  In fact this morning we have some lovely fog to accompany the balmy 29 degree temperature.  Additional fact - I’ve not yet even moved beyond my lightest winter jacket all season and I’m outdoors a lot.  That said, I understand the problems of thin-blooded people in this climate.  It’s not for everyone.  Speaking of season, I’m intentionally avoiding set lists since the only show my wife and I are attending is tonight and we both want to be surprised.  However, fingers crossed that Laminated Cat has not yet been played.  Then later tonight, or tomorrow morning, I will enjoy bbop’s reviews as always.  A great way to live vicariously!

 

Haha, point taken. Thanks for checking out these inane ramblings, whenever you do so. I will admit it was much balmier (read: only about actual freezing) on Night 2 versus Night 1. But I was only going by Jeff's comment that it was like "a thousand below zero." Well, that and my numb toes...