bböp Posted Sunday at 02:47 PM Share Posted Sunday at 02:47 PM It had been, as both a promoter and Jeff himself reminded the audience, a decade since Wilco had last played in Tallahassee. To the day, as a matter of fact. Indeed, on April 26, 2015, the band stood on this exact stage and spent more than two hours running through a 30-song set. Back then, it had been called the Capital City Amphitheater and Jeff and Co. obligingly broke out The Whole Love rarity Capitol City at the start of the second encore. In fact, amazingly, that was the last time that song has ever been performed live. Now the venue has acquired the somewhat fancier moniker of the Adderley Amphitheater at Cascades Park, but it remains a pleasant little outdoor oasis for music in the middle of a downtown green space. On a very lovely Saturday evening, Wilco made its return to the Florida capital with another roughly two-hour show that pretty well reflected where the band is in 2025. It was basically a condensed version of the "Evening With…" set with which Jeff and his bandmates kicked off this "Sweet and Sour" spring tour the previous night in Alabama. The Tallahassee crowd, for its part, seemed eager to show its enthusiasm from the moment Wilco hit the stage. There was a roughly 10-foot gap between the front row of seats and the barricade set in front of the stage and different groups of people would periodically test the security guards as the show went on to see what they would tolerate. Each time, a guard would shoo them away. In fact, there were even some slight boos when one intrepid couple came down and attempted to do a little dance down front during I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. One woman asked Jeff, in effect, to endorse a crowd surge early on, but he demurred, saying, "That’s out of my jurisdiction. I just work here. If it was up to me, you could do whatever you want, but thanks for asking. That’s very polite." Near the end of the man set, security finally relented. After Hummingbird, when a few more folks tested the proverbial waters, they were allowed to stay and the stage rush was on. It didn’t take long before the entire area between the start of the seated section and the barricade was filled up, causing Jeff to quip, amusingly, "Uh oh, it looks like the lunatics have taken over the asylum." Fortunately, the stage rush happened at the perfect time with the show about to kick into its rock ‘n’ roll climax. Jeff even joked, "I’m glad we saved some of our best songs for now." Then he pointed at a guy near the front wearing a Ween T-shirt and shared a brief, but quality, anecdote about how that band had once opened for Uncle Tupelo and smashed their own guitars — during soundcheck, no less. “Then they came off stage and asked if they could borrow mine,” Jeff said. "It was the most rock ‘n’ roll thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life." Then, as Wilco launched into I Got You (At The End Of The Century): "Next to this!" The rocking would continue in the encore when Jeff gave a shout out to front of house engineer Jared, who I didn’t know originally hailed from the area. Jared apparently had a number of family and friends in attendance, and Jeff thanked them "for raising a good person," before counting in the show-closing twofer of Monday>Outtasite (Outta Mind). Was the former’s "Get me out of F-L-A" line a winking nod to the sound man and his subsequent move to Chicago? We’ll never know. Jeff seemed to be in a great mood all night, and it’s not hard to understand why given the beautiful weather and the fact that it was the first show of the tour with support from Waxahatchee, whose current band features two people Jeff knows very well — Spencer Tweedy on drums and Liam Kazar on lead guitar. Before Impossible Germany, Jeff thanked Waxahatchee for "playing these shows with us." Then, with a wry smile: "I don’t know about the drummer, though. Sketch." We didn’t get any collaborations between the two bands tonight, though that surely is coming at some point. It was sweet to glimpse Jeff, Glenn and other Wilcos watching part of Waxahatchee’s set from the side of the stage and giving Katie and her band hugs after they finished. All in all, it just set the tone for a feel-good evening — one that the majority of those in attendance seemed to hope can be repeated someday. Say, a decade from now? As Jeff left the stage following the final song, he took a moment to check his watch and thank the crowd one more time. “Take care of yourselves,” he said. "See you on, uh, April 26, 2035." Here was the complete setlist, as played (didn't get a look at a printed setlist, so can't say if there were any changes/omissions): Company In My Back Evicted Handshake Drugs I Am Trying To Break Your Heart If I Ever Was A Child Everyone Hides I Am My Mother Cruel Country Quiet Amplifier Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull At Least That's What You Said You Are My Face> Whole Love Impossible Germany Jesus, etc. Annihilation Hummingbird Box Full Of Letters Heavy Metal Drummer I Got You (At The End Of The Century) ------------------------------------ California Stars Monday> Outtasite (Outta Mind) 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted Sunday at 02:52 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 02:52 PM For anyone interested, here was Waxahatchee's 45-minute opening set as played: 3 Sisters Can't Do Much Problem With It [Plains] Right Back To It Burns Out At Midnight Crowbar The Wolves Hurricane [Plains] Lilacs Six O'Clock News [Kathleen Edwards] Fire 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
knotgreen Posted Sunday at 03:36 PM Share Posted Sunday at 03:36 PM 43 minutes ago, bböp said: For anyone interested, here was Waxahatchee's 45-minute opening set as played: Six O'Clock News [Kathleen Edwards] I can’t get over this! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted Sunday at 04:27 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 04:27 PM 51 minutes ago, knotgreen said: I can’t get over this! Me neither! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted Sunday at 06:50 PM Share Posted Sunday at 06:50 PM Ta(llahassee). Also, only 4 minutes ago I found out that what I was hearing as Tallahassee Bridge was Tallahatchie Bridge in Ode to Billie Joe. Just because I had at least heard of the former place I suppose. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted Sunday at 09:43 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 09:43 PM 2 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said: Ta(llahassee). Also, only 4 minutes ago I found out that what I was hearing as Tallahassee Bridge was Tallahatchie Bridge in Ode to Billie Joe. Just because I had at least heard of the former place I suppose. Oh yeah, the infamous Tallahatchie Bridge. That's in Mississippi. I believe the most famous musical reference to Tallahassee must be the song Tallahassee Lassie by Freddy Cannon (and also recorded by the Flamin' Groovies and the Rolling Stones, among others). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ghost Of Bob Cumming Posted Monday at 06:34 AM Share Posted Monday at 06:34 AM Continued thanks for the reviews, bbop. Tallahassee is mentioned in an Aerosmith song too, I think. Too early in the day for me to remember which one though. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted Monday at 07:17 AM Share Posted Monday at 07:17 AM 13 hours ago, bböp said: I believe the most famous musical reference to It's funny how many US placenames Brits know from songs without having any clue what they are actually like. Not sure if the reverse is true much, but I'll throw these in in for you to ponder on Believe it or not Chas and Dave opened for Led Zeppelin at Knebworth. I'll leave it for the interested to look up their seminal works Rabbit and Snooker Loopy. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted Monday at 11:59 AM Author Share Posted Monday at 11:59 AM 4 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said: It's funny how many US placenames Brits know from songs without having any clue what they are actually like. Not sure if the reverse is true much, but I'll throw these in in for you to ponder on Surely there's a song that mentions my fave mysterious British burg, Milton Keynes... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted Monday at 01:06 PM Share Posted Monday at 01:06 PM 1 hour ago, bböp said: Surely there's a song that mentions my fave mysterious British burg, Milton Keynes... Of course A friend of mine (also a Woking lad) saw Mick Talbot practically crying into his beer in a pub when The Style Council broke up - I'm all washed up etc. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted Monday at 01:12 PM Author Share Posted Monday at 01:12 PM 4 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said: A friend of mine saw Mick Talbot practically crying into his bear in a pub when The Style Council broke up - I'm all washed up etc. You Brits have your own personal bears? There’s so much I have left to learn… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted Monday at 01:15 PM Share Posted Monday at 01:15 PM 4 minutes ago, bböp said: You Brits have your own personal bears? There’s so much I have left to learn… Ha Ha - literally edited as you sent the message. Old Paul really went through an Another Country/Brideshead period (with a teddy bear in the latter of course so maybe it was a subconscious slip) which was strange coming from someone who wrote Eton Rifles. That corresponded with my time in/just after Uni. Everchanging Moods still a classic. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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