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Wilco — 24 August 2025, Seattle, WA (Woodland Park Zoo) [ZooTunes; Night 1 of 2]


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Imagine, if you will, a movie poster from a 1950s sci-fi B-movie called “The Sourdough That Took Over Seattle” or something like that with a sourdough round perhaps taking the place of a flying saucer and descending upon, say, Woodland Park Zoo. I can see it, and I think it could be a hit! (Or maybe I’ve just gone to too many shows now and I’m starting to go a little crazy. Who can say?)

 

Anyway, I bring up this wacky image because on the first night of two sold-out shows by Jeff and his bandmates at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, a sourdough round stamped with “Wilco” did indeed threaten to take over the show after it made its way to the stage during the first set. Before the night was over, that hunk of bread would be awarded to a band member, used as a percussion instrument on more than one occasion and generally be brandished about as a talisman of sorts. Shout out to the person with too much time on their hands to create such a thing because it added a certain amount of fun to the show that kneaded to be had (wink, wink…don’t @ me because Jeff made an even cornier joke that I didn’t even manage to jot down because I was groaning so much. Does anyone remember what it was?)

 

On a lovely night — though apparently the Seattle folks I knew at the show thought it was really hot, haha — Wilco took the stage at 5:59 p.m., a minute early, for what I believe was its first appearance in the long-running ZooTunes concert series that raises money for the Woodland Park Zoo's conservation and education programs. Time was of the essence because the ZooTunes shows are known to have a very tight curfew and must end shortly before 9 p.m., so it was going to be a tight squeeze to fit in a full “Evening With…” program.

 

Despite that potential time crunch, Jeff and Co. decided to throw in a setlist curveball early on with One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend) coming after the standard opening two-fer on this tour of Story To Tell and Handshake Drugs. It was just the second full-band performance of the quiet epic this year and mesmerized the audience, particularly when Glenn brought out some of his percussion accoutrements — featuring the “chicken paddle,” with a bunch of small wooden(?) chickens leaning forward to collectively clack their beaks — near the end. Other noteworthy moments in the first set included Nels adding a sort of goofy ending to Spiders (Kidsmoke) by using his KAOS pad, Jeff and Nels switching solos (that is, Jeff taking the first one and Nels the last one) on California Stars and Jeff changing a “via Chicago” to “via Seattle” near the end of that song, which he almost never does.

 

Jeff certainly didn’t have any reticence about visiting Banter Corner during the first set, first taking note of the picturesque surroundings for the show — which takes place in a lawn with plenty of trees around it — and then even riffing on Seattle a bit. “This is pretty beautiful,” Jeff said. “It’s kind of a ridiculous amount of beauty. Is everybody OK? Is grunge still happening? (Did I ask) that last time? It looks like it’s still happening. It’ll never die.” Then of course there came the sourdough chatter, which started when Jeff spotted someone holding it up for him to see. “Is that a piece of bread with our name on it?” Jeff asked, then gave permission for it to be thrown on stage. “You can toss it; it’s bread,” Jeff said, then questioned whether it was moldy and also jokingly asking where everyone else’s gift was. When some folks in the audience urged him to take a bite, Jeff demurred and asked what might be in it. Someone suggested “psychedelics,” and Jeff replied, “Psychedelics? No, thank you. I’d be under the drum riser — and there is no drum riser.”

 

As I mentioned at the top, that would hardly be the last time the sourdough became part of the show. In Set 2, after an especially cool Impossible Germany solo (and I don’t say that lightly), Jeff bestowed the round to Nels as he sat on his stool to get set for the ensuing Jesus, etc. “He won the bread,” Jeff declared about Nels, who then held it proudly aloft for a few seconds. Then Glenn had to get into the act, or maybe Jeff goaded him into it by telling the audience that “Glenn wants to know what it sounds like.” Thus Glenn got his hands on the sourdough and began to test out its viability as a percussion implement, holding it up to one of the microphones overhanging his drum kit and tapping on it a few times. And during the encore, at the climax of I Got You (At The Century), John got into the act as well by taking the bread and holding it up for Glenn to hit a few times as he would one of his cowbells. More sourdough, anyone?

 

As for Jeff, he paid a couple more visits to Banter Corner during the second set. One came when a few folks decided to take advantage of a brief pause between songs to wish him a happy (early) birthday. Jeff, of course, played it down. “Happy birthday eve to all who celebrate,” he said. “I feel sorry for all the kids who were born on my birthday eve.” A bit earlier, he took a brief survey of the crowd to ask how many people were also coming to the following night’s show. Apparently more than a few hands were raised, causing Jeff to reply, half-jokingly, “Oh crap, we gotta learn a bunch of different songs.”

 

As it turned out, the band did have what would have been another real curveball on the printed setlist for Set 2 in Bull Black Nova but it was unfortunately scratched, perhaps for time reasons. It would have been the first time that song had been played live since April 2023 — I already sense Vince’s (theashtraysays) Nova antenna going up — so hopefully we’ll get it on Night 2.

 

You can’t accuse Wilco of not playing as long a show as it possibly could on Night 1, though, despite the time crunch caused by the strict curfew (not to mention playing a number of its longest songs). Once the clock hit 8:50 p.m. at the end of I Got You, some of us were thinking that surely had to be it. But instead the Wilcrew brought out one more round of guitars and Jeff and Co. blistered through their cover of U.S. Blues to send the ZooTunes crowd home on a fun note — and one on which no bread was ultimately harmed.

 

Here was the complete setlist, as played, for Night 1 (didn't get a look at a printed setlist for Set 1, but as previously mentioned, Bull Black Nova was on the printed list for Set 2 and ultimately wasn't played):

 

Set 1

Story To Tell

Handshake Drugs

One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

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; Jeff on acoustic)

Hesitating Beauty

Hummingbird

It's Just That Simple

Via Chicago

California Stars

Falling Apart (Right Now)

 

Set 2

The Late Greats

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

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

Walken

I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

U.S. Blues [Grateful Dead]

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40 minutes ago, bböp said:

Who can say?

I think we've all got a pretty good idea by now.

 

40 minutes ago, bböp said:

used as a percussion instrument

Finally after all these years. So that particular person ignored the "Don't feed the animals sign?" I imagine tonight is now going to be mayhem on the scale of George and the jellybeans.

Bread_TheSoundOfBread16_Ktel.jpg

 

 

40 minutes ago, bböp said:

kneaded to be had

 

Some of your best work right there.

Ta.

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Yes the Nova was sound checked before the show, and an early bird headed for the rail did tip me off. Night 2 seems to be a given and hopefully it’ll make its way across the border for the upcoming shows there. I’d still trade it in for a satellite up there but hey, beggars / choosers and all that. 

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