Jeff Tweedy (Band) — 30 October 2025, Louisville, KY (Headliners)

[theashtraysays]

 

More reporting from the local sub(stitute).  Deal with it.  

 

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

Betrayed

One Tiny Flower

Caught Up In The Past

Sign of Life

Forever Never Ends

This Is How It Ends

World Away

Saddest Eyes

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

Magnet (NRBQ cover)

Enough

 

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

 

“Special” song: Magnet by NRBQ.  Jeff introduced this by saying that the members of this band were all from Kentucky and that he hoped everyone here would recognize it.  I don't think that worked out quite as he hoped / planned, as I for one didn't sense an overwhelming crowd response.  Cool song, nice guitar licks, Jeff smiling the whole time.  And maybe it was a warmer response than I could sense being right up front. 

For the record, I had lobbied hard for Monster Mash, since this was the eve of Halloween and they weren't playing on the 31st.  And since Kentucky is known for its bourbon, which starts out as corn MASH, I thought it was a fabulous choice.  Did not make the cut.  Woulda been an absolute smash.  Graveyard smash if you will.  Alas...

 

Support report: Sima Cunningham, solo electric.  Lovely set, mostly from her last record.  Couple songs in she asked if we wanted to hear "a silly song or a heartfelt song".  Mixed response from the crowd so she said "we'll do the silly one since the rest are all heartfelt."  And for the life of me I can't remember what the song was.  I don't think it is on the new record, but it was pretty amusing.  She brought out Macie at the end for the final song Not God from their last Finom record.

 

Venue vibes: Headliners is a pretty nice little room that's been around forever.  I go there a couple times a year, since Louisville is only 90 minutes from me in Lexington but Louisville tends to get better acts (as does Cincinnati, also 90 minutes away) and it's an easy trip home.  Big square room, fairly low stage, bar in the back.  Big balcony down one whole side over top of the bathrooms, with seats/stools along the balcony rail which are highly coveted GA positions.  If you don't get right on that rail though it's a lousy view.   But the floor is nice and spacious, I think it has the "sticky carpet" on the floor of Lou Reed Was My Babysitter fame.  This show had an actual rail immediately in front of that low (and slightly curved) stage.  I've never seen a rail there before, it's always been elbows-on-the-stage, but it was fine really.  Still very cozy and I was in the front so it was actually nice to throw your coat over the rail instead of trying to deal with it.  Sound is good, bar chatter wasn't an issue for Jeff (although a bit distracting for Sima's set).  $5 parking right by the door.  Side note - no poster for the show, just the tour poster. Odd.

One grumble I had was with the entry process.  It's just one door, so just one line assembled ahead of 6:30 door time.  Same as always - one line, one door.  Just before 6:30 they set up a table and bring out the wands and wristbands.  Probly 50-60 people now in one line.  Venue guy goes about halfway back down the line, and leads the back half of the line to the opposite side of the table from where we are, starting a second line in parallel.  I'm third in line, and I say to the venue guy "hey that's not cool - we've all been waiting here quite a while."  Venue guy says "you'll all get in, there's plenty of room and we're sold out tonight".  I say "still not cool, you know better than that." I get wanded and scoot in.  I didn't hear any grumbling once I got in.  I presume venue guy moonlights with ICE.  Nuff said.

 

Bits of tid, including Banter Corner:

• Jeff mentioned that he played Headliners recently (April 2019) solo.  Said he liked playing here, even though from the stage he could see all the way back to the bar and there was a mirror behind it so he had to look at himself all night ("gee that guy looks so PALE") which was a hoot.
• Liam was wearing a hat and had glasses on.  Not NEARLY as dapper as his opening set the night before with the TV cameras in the cave.  Just sayin. 
• I LOVE that half-moon guitar he uses for one song (Flowering?).  The fret inlays are phases of the moon.  I said "Nice guitar", to which he replied "yeah it seems to have quite a fanbase". 
• 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.  Dude.  
• During the band introductions he accidentally introduced Liam as "Liam Cunningham", quickly noting that he's known him all the way back to his earlier name.  
• He again noted that Sima and Macie were in a band "they're called FEE-nom, or fe-NOM, they won't tell me how to say it but they don't seem to mind how either way." 
• After the band introductions, when Jeff again says how great it is to make music with friends, he looked at all of us and told us we all need to get together and form a band.  "Even though most of you all don't play any instruments you should ALL get together and just make a record.  I'd go to that show." 
• At the risk of giving away a showbiz secret, I was close enough to see that there were a couple pieces of paper taped onto Jeff's monitor.  Once was the lyrics to the "special" NRBQ song, as expected.  The other was a shorthand list of the verses in order to Feel Free.  I had wondered how he would keep those all straight, and now we know the magic.  I didn't notice him referring to it too much; maybe it's just a security blanket by this time.  

 

All in all another great show, glad they stopped by Kentucky this run. 

That'll do it for me.  Take it away bbop!!

 

Cheers all!! 

Vince

[TCP]

10/10 recap, thanks Vince!!

[Albert Tatlock]

11 hours ago, theashtraysays said:

Graveyard smash

Ha ha. I would have seconded your vote. 

A fellow crypt-kicker.

Ta.