I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: June 17, 2026] Wilco

This was my third time seeing Wilco.  I’ve been trying to see them again since 2021 but for some reason it never worked out.  In fact, I’ve been trying to see them a lot since 2016, but it never worked out until tonight.

SteelStacks outside is a fun venue and I grabbed a ticket for my wife and I.  The last time I saw Wilco it was a co-headlining tour with Sleater-Kinney, so their set was short.

But this time, it was just them, so they did two sets (although, somehow they played fewer songs than when I saw them ten years ago).

We arrived at SteelStacks wih plenty of time, but were kind of herded into the grassy area.  I didn’t even realize that they had a merch table.  I probably would have bough the poster (see below) so it’s probably for the best that I didn’t know about it.

This was my wife’s first time seeing them and I knew she’d enjoy the show, both for the songwriting and for the wildness (because Wilco may be dad-rock, but they absolutely crush thing live).

Wilco has been around forever, so they have a million songs to choose from.   It’s possible that you’re not going to hear your favorite song at any of their sets, but it’s pretty likely that you’re going to hear a bunch of your favorites–and some unexpected deep cuts.

I’m not a massive Wilco fan.  I enjoy most of their stuff, although I haven’t really listened to the two latest albums.  And, yea, I really start at around Summerteeth, but I could easily make an ideal setlist and this show covered most of it.

We got off to a great start with Handshake Drugs and If I Ever Was a Child.  Jeff was playing acoustic guitar and we were in front of Nels Cline (with a clear view of Glenn Kotche on drums).  They played a few newer songs that I didn’t know.  I was intrigued by the lyrics to Cruel Country, especially since the first line is cleanly stated–I love my country.  It’s hard to feel that way, but I guess it’s nice to be reminded that we could feel that way again.

It’s always interesting seeing what the crowd gets excited by.  I was really pleased to hear Evicted (I love that guitar melody); there was a huge reaction for I’m Always in Love, but an even huger reaction for Hummingbird.

I’d often wondered if Pat Sansone ever felt like Nels Cline gets all of the love (I didn’t realize they joined in the same year).  But at this show Pat had some absolutely stellar, showoffy guitar solos.  In fact, there were two extended jams in which he and Nels played off of each other.  It was really fun and the songs they chose to do them in were totally rocking so it just felt like a fantastic jam session.

Bassist John Stirratt has been with Wilco since the beginning and for this show, he sang a song that he wrote (and sang on) on the debut album.  The song was It’s Just That Simple, which I didn’t recognize, but it was fun to see Jeff on bass.

I enjoyed that there were a number of older songs that I hadn’t seen them play before like You and I from Wilco (The Album).  But I was really excited that the played 6 songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, staring with  War on War.  I’ve always said I never know who to watch at a Wilco show because Glenn is amazing but Nels is always doing something interesting–like the gadget he used in War on War to make these cool electronic sounds.  And that “who do I watch?” problem is even more pronounced in my favorite live song of theirs, Via Chicago.  I was really excited to see my wife’s reaction to the song because it’s a slow, mellow folkie song.  But, during a couple of parts, while Jeff is calmly singing, the rest of the band plays a wild, noisy freakout.  And the fact that Jeff can continue at his leisurely pace while all of that chaos is going on around him is wonderful.  And that the band can stop abruptly and get right back into the song is very cool.  I noticed that my wife wasn’t terribly focused when the song started but as soon as that explosion happened, she had to look up to see what was going on.  It was an amusing moment.

They followed it with California Stars, her favorite Wilco based song, so  that was cool.  After taking a break, we moved forward a bit–although the view may have been worse.

They played a song from a newish EP that I didn’t know about (Annihilation from Hot Sun Cool Shroud) and then there were a few more YHF songs.  Everyone was psyched to hear I am Trying to Break Your Heart and this was my first time seeing them play Kamera.  This segment of the show was just fantastic with a great version of Impossible Germany–with a fun (long) Nels Cline solo.

Earlier in the show a child was holding up a sign asking for Jesus, Etc. and that it was past his bedtime.  Jeff joked that they were going o play it, but much later.  Then he joked that maybe he didn’t feel like playing it tonight after all.   Well, he did play it late in the set and asked if the kid was still there (unclear if he was).  This song (and a few others featured Nels on lap steel guitar)

Jeff said that this was their first time in Bethlehem and he really enjoyed the place.  And then he played Hate It Here.  And then apologized that those two things were unrelated.  They played Walken and a few bars in, a fan passed out.  Jeff thanked everyone for being cool while the person got help.  They started it again and then another person (or maybe the same person) passed out again.  Jeff joked about how much he loved this version of this song–with really long pauses.

I assumed that the show would be fairly short (my daughter had her graduation the next day, and my wife had her final day of the school year).  So I didn’t think they’d play until 11.  When it was like 10:15, I told her that according to other setlists, there were only 4 songs left.  She rightly said that that could be anything from 15 minutes to 45 minutes long.

The end of the set was amazing with a super fun Heavy Metal Drummer.  And then she was right with a really jamming I’m the Man Who Loves You with a creaky and noisy solo from Jeff, and the always jamming Kidsmoke (another phenomenal live song–that ending part is so darn good and this time Jeff had us all sing along to the melody).

And then it was time for an encore break.  Earlier Jeff had joked that they had plenty of time, but they came rushing back out saying they only had time for one more.  I think The Late Greats was also on the set list and I’m sure they could have squeezed it in, but instead they played a slightly stretched out version of I Got You (At the End of the Century).

It was such a great show and we left in high spirits.

Then we got in our car and waited, I shit you not FORTY-FIVE MINUTES for the traffic to leave the venue.  It was th emost outrageous and dispiriting thing that could happen at a show like this.  There weren’t that many people!  But the venue has a traffic light that for some reason the venue can’t fix, or have a cop or something.  The traffic light is red for us for 45 second to a minute and then green for about ten cars.  It SUCKS.  And seriously makes me not want to come to another show here.  Which is a shame because the venue is great and the sound is fantastic.  But what in the hell kind of setup is that?

 

Steel Stacks 2026	The Mann Center 2021	The Mann Center 2016
SET 1	A Shot in the Arm §	EKG [recording] ©
Handshake Drugs ∇ [2]	Random Name Generator ©	More… ©
If I Ever Was a Child ζ [2]	Before Us Ø	Random Name Generator ©
Cruel Country Λ	One Wing (tour debut) ⊕	The Joke Explained ©
Forget the Flowers ⇓	I Am Trying to Break Your Heart ¥	I Am Trying to Break Your Heart ¥
Evicted ©	Art of Almost ϖ	Art of Almost ϖ
Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull Λ	If I Ever Was a Child ζ	Pickled Ginger ©
I’m Always in Love § [3]	Impossible Germany ≅ [2]	Hummingbird ∇
Hummingbird ∇ [2]	Love is Everywhere (Beware) Ø	Handshake Drugs ∇
It’s Just That Simple (John on guitar/vocals, Jeff on bass) Æ	Box Full of Letters Æ [2]	Where Do I Begin ©
You and I ⊕	Everyone Hides Ø	Cold Slope ©
Love is Everywhere (Beware) Ø [2]	Born Alone ϖ	King of You ©
War on War ¥ [2]	At Least That’s What You Said ∇	Via Chicago §
Via Chicago § [2]	Jesus, Etc. ¥ [2]	Laminated Cat  (Loose Fur cover)
California Stars  (Billy Bragg & Wilco cover) [2]	Theologians ∇	Company in My Back ∇
Falling Apart (Right Now)  Λ	I’m the Man Who Loves You ¥ [2]	Box Full of Letters Æ
SET 2	Heavy Metal Drummer ¥ [2]	Heavy Metal Drummer ¥
Box Full of Letters Æ [3]	I’m Always in Love § [2]	I’m the Man Who Loves You ¥
Annihilation ♠	Encore	Dawned on Me ϖ
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart ¥ [3]	The Late Greats ∇	Impossible Germany ≅
Kamera ¥	Outtasite (Outta Mind) ⇓	The Late Greats ∇
Either Way ≅		California Stars  (Billy Bragg & Wilco cover) (with Richard Thompson)
Impossible Germany ≅ [3]		Red-Eyed and Blue ⇓
Jesus, Etc. ¥ [3]		I Got You (At the End of the Century) ⇓
You Are My Face ≅		Outtasite (Outta Mind) ⇓
Hate It Here ≅		Encore
Walken [paused twice/crowd injury] ≅		Spiders (Kidsmoke) ∇
Kingpin ⇓		I’m a Wheel ∇
Heavy Metal Drummer ¥ [3]		Encore 2: (small acoustic set)
I’m the Man Who Loves You ¥ [3]		Misunderstood ⇓
Spiders (Kidsmoke) ∇ [2]		Give Back the Key to My Heart (Doug Sahm cover)
encore		War on War ¥
I Got You (At the End of the Century) ⇓ [2]		I’m Always in Love §
		Jesus, Etc. ¥
		A Shot in the Arm §

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)
Λ = Cruel Country (2022)
© = Cousin (2023)
♠ = Hot Sun Cool Shroud EP (2024)