I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: August 22, 2021] Wilco / Sleater-Kinney / NNAMDÏ [rescheduled from August 23, 2020]

I saw Wilco five years ago and it was one of the best shows I’d ever been to.  The band was amazing.  The live versions of their songs were tremendous and they played thirty two songs (two encores).

They were top on my list of bands I wanted to see again.  But they didn’t come close to us until this double headline tour last year which became this year.

The bad thing about the double headline is that neither headlining band plays a full set,  I assume this is nice for the bands, but who knows.   What this mean logistically is that the band played twelve fewer songs at this show.

But those twenty songs were fantastic.

They started with the most appropriate song for a post-pandemic tour “A Shot in the Arm.” And yes, that was all we needed. 

Five years ago they were touring the Star Wars album and they played seven songs from it.  This time they played only one, the rocking “Random Name Generator.”  One of the things I was most looking forward to was watching guitarist Nels Cline wring all the noises he could out of his instrument.  And he did not disappoint.  It was great fun watching him play during “Random.”  Eventually I had to start watching the video screens just to be able to see his hands a little more clearly.  The guy next to me, who was really quiet during Sleater-Kinney, went absolutely berserk every time Nels took a solo (you can hear him whoop in the video above).  The whoops and shouts and dancing were pretty amazing, frankly.

Since I saw them last, Wilco has put out two albums.  They only played one from Schmilco “If I Ever Was a Child,” but they played three from the new Ode to Joy.  They also played one from Wilco (the album), but it wasn’t “Wilco (the song)” it was “One Wing” which was evidently the first  time it was played this tour.  So that’s cool.

In addition to watching Nels Cline, I love watching drummer Glenn Kotche.  One of the things that blew me away last time was his drumming in “Via Chicago.”  I was REALLY hoping they’d play it again, but they didn’t.  However, Kotche’s drumming is amazing at any time.  Even in this mellower part of “I am Trying to Break Your Heart.”

I’ve always liked “Impossible Germany” but I had forgotten that it was a soloing moment for Nels Cline.  He played a lengthy, amazing solo (you can hear my neighbor going nuts).

I enjoyed hearing the “new” singles “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” and “Everyone Hides.”  Then Jeff mentioned that his mother said we all die alone.  But he said that that wasn’t true and he wrote “Born Alone” so that he’d never forget that we don’t die alone.  I love the way the end of the song just goes on and on to unexpected chord changes.

Last show they played three songs from A Ghost is Born and this time they played two different songs from the album “At Least That’s What You Said” and “Theologians.”  In between them came the second song from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the wonderful “Jesus, Etc.”  Then came the rollicking “I’m the Man Who Loves You.”  In this song, Jeff gets to play a lengthy extended noisy chaotic solo.  He clearly has a lot of fun and when it was over he said “I think that was the best solo of my life.”

Kotche got another moment to shine during “Heavy Metal Drummer” and they ended the set with a wonderful “I’m Always in Love.”

They went away for an encore and came back for two more songs, The Late Greats” and a singalong filled “Outtasite (Outta Mind).”  I hoped they’d come back for another encore, but it wasn’t that kind of show.

Really it was just great to see them again.  I hope it doesn’t take another five years for them to come back.

Æ = A.M. (1995)
⇓ = Being There (1996)
§ = Summerteeth (1999)
¥ = Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
∇ = A Ghost is Born  (2004)
≅ = Sky Blue Sky (2007)
⊕ = Wilco (The Album) (2009)
ϖ = The Whole Love (2011)
© = Star Wars (2015)
ζ = Schmilco (2016)
Ø = Ode to Joy (2019)