Jeff Tweedy (Band) — 29 October 2025, Grundy County, TN (The Cavern)

[theashtraysays]

At the risk of totally messing up the sequencing of these posts, I'll chime in on the two shows I was able to attend this past week.  

Here we have the spelunking entry of the Twilight Override tour. 

 

Being a part-time conformist, I shall even follow the new format.  Almost.  

 

Complete setlist, per WilcoWorld but I'm pretty sure it was as played:

Betrayed

One Tiny Flower

Caught Up In The Past

Parking Lot

Forever Never Ends

This Is How It Ends

World Away

Too Real (tour debut)

Low Key

KC Rain (No Wonder)

Mirror

Don't Forget

Stray Cats In Spain

Out In The Dark

Ain't It A Shame

Flowering

New Orleans

Diamond Light Pt. 1

No One's Moving On

Feel Free

Lou Reed Was My Babysitter

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

Twilight Override

Family Ghost

Tennessee Waltz (Redd Stewart cover; sung in harmony by Sima and Macie with Jeff on bass)

Enough

 

Number of Twilight Override songs played (out of 25): 18.

 

“Special” song: Tennessee Waltz, by Redd Stewart.  Very sweet version with Sima and Macie on vocals together at the center mic.  Jeff introduced the song saying that his parents considered it "their song", and it always made them cry.  He said that they got married when his mom was young (15 or 16 I think he said), and that they couldn't get married in IL so they had to come to Kentucky to get officially married.  So even though they didn't have a real wedding they claimed this song as their wedding song. 

 

Support report: Liam Kazar, solo acoustic.  Looking quite dapper in a comfy sweater (TV!), Liam played a lovely set of his solo material, including a tune or two from his upcoming (but available NOW at merch!) record Pilot Light.  Liam won the "cave banter" award for the night.  "I just wonder what the first performance in this cave was.  Maybe a little fire over here, and a dad telling stories to his kids 15,000 years ago.  The kids probably didn't like them.  Nothing worse than trying to be funny to a little kid and them rejecting you." 

 

Venue vibes: Far and away the vibe-iest venue I've seen in a while.  IT'S A CAVE.  A REAL CAVE.  Bigger than I had expected, quite wide and the ceiling was a good 20' high so you didn't feel too closed in.  I was up front and it was fine; I suppose if you were further back it might feel claustrophobic to some.  They had two rails; one about 6-8' in front of the stage, and one about 15' behind that.  The front area required a higher priced "pit" ticket to get to that first rail which was still 6-8' away from the fairly low stage.  Other ticketholders had to stay behind that second rail.  Staff was quite nice and helpful, good signage for parking and how/where to line up, etc.  Sound was quite good; two small stacks on the sides of the stage and a couple lip speakers on the stage for us rail types.  I asked the FOH guy about it; he said that soundcheck was challenging but once the place filled up with bodies he was able to dial it in pretty quickly.  Tickets were pricey, with lots of add-ons and upgrades (early entry, premium parking, cave tour, yurt lodging) which I felt made things too monetized but otherwise a pleasant experience.  

 

Bits of tid, including Banter Corner:

• Did I mention that this show was IN A CAVE?
• The show was being video taped by PBS for future showing in The Caverns Sessions which I believe airs nationwide on PBS affiliates.  Think Austin City Limits but more rocks. 
• This seemed to dampen the ol' banter corner a little, as Jeff didn't chat quite as much, and there was nary a mention of the cavernous setting.  I was quite looking forward to some major Dad-joke banter but really the above Liam comment was about all we got. 
• At the end of the main set, Jeff mentioned that the only way on/off the stage is a walkway alongside the audience (which is how they came in, posing for a few pics along the cavern wall).  Therefore they were not going to exit per se, but encouraged us all to applaud loudly so that the PBS crew could edit it all in for a spectacular encore re-appearance.  We obliged.  Spencer and Sima make a faux attempt at some rock climbing (to nowhere) sidestage as a mock exit. 
• One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that at the end of Forever Never Ends, Sammy trots over to the center mic and takes lead vocals on the repeated refrain to end the song while Jeff slips back.  Kid really belts it out. 
• Speaking of non-Jeff band members, the arrangement this night was (stage right to stage left, or stage Nels to stage Pat in Wilco vernacular), Sammy on keys, Liam on guitars, Macie on violin and keys, Jeff, Spencer, and Sima on bass.  Couple change ups on some songs.
• The band introductions are sweet, with Jeff making a big deal out of how he's knows all of them since they were children (or before!) and how great it is to make music with them all.
• Before Don't Forget Jeff continues to make the very cringe comment that "This is about my dead father.  You remember Grandpa, right?" to the boys.  Hope they edit that one out.
• I didn't take notes at all (correspondent duty kinda crept up on me), so there certainly may have been more / better banter.  Perhaps the recording will jog the ol' memory a bit.  If you see it you'll probably notice an old guy with gray beard bopping a lot on the rail.  That would be me.  

   

Personal Faves / Correspondent Highlights (this seems to need its own section and I don't care if it makes this post ineligible for the Pulitzer):

• Diamond Light Pt. 1 is kickass live.  Spencer really does have a "beast mode" setting.  He and Sima just nail this one. 
• Too Real is a highlight on the album and very happy to hear it live.  
• Parking Lot followed by Forever Never Ends is a one-two shot of "car trouble tunes" that I can totally get behind.
• This Is How It Ends is the best track on the record; sweet song live.  
• Ain't It A Shame is a drag of a song live or studio. Seems to be making the regular setlist tho.  Could live without.  

 

Cheers all!! 

Vince

[Albert Tatlock]

Pretty damn good for an amateur. Ta.

[Albert Tatlock]

31 minutes ago, theashtraysays said:

spelunking

I had to look that up though from the context I could guess of course. Here we call it potholing.