Wilco — 22 August 2025, Bonner, MT (KettleHouse Amphitheater)

[bböp]

Have we reached that point in a given tour when it’s not so much about what songs Jeff and his bandmates play as much as how they play them? It’s just one schlub’s opinion, of course, but I kind of think we have — and for one night anyway, I’m here for it. It’s liberating, at least once in a while, to just enjoy the actual performance itself and be present for each moment and not worry so much about repertoire or anything else.

 

So it was at the scenic KettleHouse Amphitheater, a 4,000-capacity outdoor venue on the banks of the Blackfoot River east of Missoula. Like many amphitheaters of its ilk, the KettleHouse has a standing-room pit area, a small section of reserved seating and then a general-admission lawn behind that. What I didn’t realize, especially after having such low stages the previous two shows, was that the stage at the KettleHouse is quite high (nearly six feet), so being at the rail, you definitely risked missing out on seeing some things depending on your angle. At least the weather was quite pleasant.

 

For some reason, I thought Wilco had played at the KettleHouse more recently than its only other visit in 2021 when it co-headlined with Sleater-Kinney. Sadly, I missed that one. But I did make it to Jeff and Co.’s intimate show at the ELM in Bozeman a little over a year later, in September 2022, so maybe that’s what I was thinking of. For a state that many bands probably don’t get to all that often, Wilco has actually played in Montana a decent amount over the years.

 

It took Jeff and Co. nearly seven minutes past their announced set time to take the stage tonight, which was a little out of character for a band that’s usually very prompt. But before long they were into their usual rhythm, featuring a number of the rearranged “acoustic” versions of classic songs, such as Art Of Almost, Spiders (Kidsmoke) and I’m Always In Love, that they have been playing during these “Evening With…” shows. Jeff seemed to be in a pretty good mood from the start, doing a little jig during Glenn’s rolling drum outro to Forget The Flowers, introducing the two-set format with some of his usual banter and taking his relatively brief, but intense, acoustic solo during the first breakdown in Spiders that I think is fairly new. Also of note in Set 1, Jeff actually took a solo toward the end of California Stars right before the “dream a dream of you” coda. I don’t remember that ever happening before.

 

What Jeff didn’t do too much of during Set 1 was visit Banter Corner in any significant fashion, but the one time he did stop was pretty amusing. After thanking the crowd for singing along during I’m Always In Love, Jeff spotted someone wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat. “You know I used to pitch for them,” Jeff deadpanned, referring to his throwing out of the ceremonial first pitch at one of their games earlier this month. “I’m not the one who pitched a no-hitter on acid, though. Yeah, (I’m not) Dock Ellis.”

 

In Set 2, Jeff found a new foil for banter in the form of a couple of women right in front of him who apparently decided to have their dinner during Side With The Seeds and might have caused him to stumble a bit over some lyrics. “Sorry I lost my place in that song,” Jeff said afterward, “but I’ve never seen anyone chow down right in front of me like that. You must have been fucking hungry. You should’ve eaten earlier…you know, in preparation for the show. I’m not blaming you for my performance, though. That’s on me.” Then, introducing the ensuing Box Full Of Letters, Jeff quipped, “This song pairs well with wings.” (A song later, Jeff of course had to apologize for calling out the women. He said he hoped he hadn’t embarrassed them too much — to which they replied that it had been “worth it” — and that he would “keep taking your temperature” as the show went on.)

 

From there, the show kind of just got progressively goofier as it barreled toward its inevitable conclusion. This, in particular, is what I was probably alluding to earlier when I suggested that it didn’t matter so much what was played as how it was played. From another brief lyric hiccup in Impossible Germany to Jeff losing himself at the start of I’m The Man Who Loves You when he went a little overboard on the introductory riffs only to miss the actual start of the song  — the look on Jeff’s face at that moment was pretty priceless — things just kind of got pleasantly loose, for lack of a better word.

 

 By the encore, which Jeff and his bandmates finished up with the classic two-fer of I Got You (At The End Of The Century) and Outtasite (Outta Mind), they all just seemed to be in a full-blown fun mood. Pat was hamming it up throughout that last stretch, we got a great John split-leg jump during Outtasite and Nels was hoisting his guitar over his head for seemingly forever as if he didn’t want the night to end.

 

All in all, it turned into a joyful evening when everyone just let loose a little bit. And that’s kind of what you need at this point in what has been a fairly lengthy run of shows. As Jeff said, half-jokingly, near the end of the night. “I don’t know if we’ve ever played a better show here. That’s on you.”

 

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

 

Set 1

Story To Tell

Handshake Drugs

Art Of Almost (acoustic arrangement)

If I Ever Was A Child

Cruel Country

Forget The Flowers

Evicted

Spiders (Kidsmoke) (acoustic arrangement)

Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull

I'm Always In Love (acoustic arrangement)

Hesitating Beauty

Hummingbird

It's Just That Simple

Falling Apart (Right Now)

Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

California Stars

Via Chicago

 

Set 2

You Are My Face

Theologians

Side With The Seeds

Box Full Of Letters

Annihilation

Sunken Treasure (acoustic arrangement; Jeff on acoustic with no harmonica)

Either Way

Impossible Germany

Jesus, etc.

Hate It Here

Heavy Metal Drummer

I'm The Man Who Loves You

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

The Late Greats

Walken

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

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

[Albert Tatlock]

(Mon)ta(na)

[bböp]

51 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said:

(Mon)ta(na)

 

Tony or Joe?

[Albert Tatlock]

9 hours ago, bböp said:

 

Tony or Joe?

I'm more of a Junior Bonner guy myself.

"He has only one problem - the twentieth century"

Make that 21st and it's about right.