Wilco setlists: Palace Theatre, St Paul MN 11/22, 11/23 & 11/24

The last three nights, Wilco performed an epic residence at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. The shows, the last on the Ode to Joy tour tour until their residency at the Chicago Theater on December 15, had a number of highlights including  Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of the opening band Low joining in on a cover of Neil Young's “Cinnamon Girl” on the first and second nights, the tour debut of “The Lonely 1,” and the appearance of singer/violinist Gaelynn Lea on the encore of night three on “An Empty Corner” and “California Stars.”

Feast on the rest:

Palace Theatre, St. Paul, MN 11/22/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “Company in My Back” / “War on War” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “The Joke Explained” / “Hummingbird”/ “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Forget the Flowers” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “I’m Always in Love” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “California Stars” / “The Late Greats” / “Cinnamon Girl”

Palace Theatre, St. Paul, MN 11/23/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Kamera” / “Handshake Drugs” / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “One and a Half Stars” / “I Might” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “The Lonely 1” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Hesitating Beauty” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “Dawned on Me” / “Heavy Metal Drummer” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “The Late Greats”

Encore: “Red Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “Cinnamon Girl”

Palace Theatre, St. Paul, MN 11/24/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “One Wing” / “If I Ever Was a Child” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Summer Teeth” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “An Empty Corner” / “California Stars” / “I’m Always in Love” / “I’m a Wheel”

The official show poster at the top of this post was created by Emily Miller.

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Wilco setlist: Orpheum Theater, Omaha, NE 11/20/19

Wilco’s show at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, looks a lot like many of the other setlists on this leg of the Ode to Joy tour, but I bet it was a rocking good time if you happened to be in attendance.

Here's what they played:

“Bright Leaves”
“Before Us”
“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
“War on War”
“If I Ever Was A Child”
“Handshake Drugs”
“Side With the Seeds”
“One and a Half Stars”
“The Joke Explained”
“Hummingbird”
“White Wooden Cross”
“Via Chicago”
“Bull Black Nova”
“Random Name Generator”
“Reservations”
“Impossible Germany”
“Jesus, Etc.”
“We Were Lucky”
“Love is Everywhere (Beware)”
“Box Full of Letters”
“Dawned on Me”
“Everyone Hides”
“Theologians”
“I’m The Man Who Loves You”
“Hold Me Anyway”
“Misunderstood”

Encore:

“I’m Always In Love”
“California Stars”
“The Late Greats”

The official show poster at the top of this post was created by Emily Miller.

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Wilco premiere video for Ode to Joy’s “Before Us” & announce new tour dates

Yesterday, Wilco premiered the second video from their new album Ode to Joy, and announced new tour dates for 2020, which you can access from their website (wilcoworld.net). 

Following the funny hide-and-seek-themed video for “Everyone Hides,” the band is shown in “Before Us” in black and white footage shot at the Wilco Loft in Chicago by photographer Zoran Orlic. 

Orlic, who has a lengthy history working with Jeff Tweedy and company, also edited and directed the clip. Watch it below:

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Wilco setlists: Cedar Rapids 11/15, Kansas City 11/17, & Denver 11/19

Time for another round of Wilco setlists from the fall leg of their Ode to Joy tour. As I’ve said before, the shows have been made up of pretty similar sets of songs, but they still have been fun to follow.

So let’s get right to them:

Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, IA 11/15/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Humminbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “I’m Always in Love” / “Dawned on Me” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “Red Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “The Late Greats” / “I’m a Wheel”

Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland, Kansas City, MO 11/17/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “Company in My Back” / “War on War” /  / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird”/ “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Dawned on Me / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “I’m Always in Love” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “Too Far Apart” / “California Stars” / “The Late Greats” / “I’m a Wheel”

Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO 11/19/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “Company in My Back” / “War on War” / “Handshake Drugs” / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird” / “Via Chicago”/ “White Wooden Cross” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus Etc.”/ “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Forget the Flowers” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “Theologians”/ “I’m the Man Who Loves You”/ “Hold Me Anyway” / “The Late Greats”

Encore: “California Stars” / “Red-Eyed and Blue”  “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”

The official show poster at the top of this post was created by Salvador Calderon.

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Wilco’s first show

“We’ve been practicing in Belleville all week. This is our first show ever.”
- Jeff Tweedy at Cicero’s, St. Louis on 11/17/94

Last night at Wilco’s concert at the Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland in Kansas City, Missouri, front man Jeff Tweedy told the audience that it was the 25th anniversary of the band’s first ever show. 

This proceeded their performance of “Box Full of Letters,” which, when it was first played at their first show at Cicero’s Basement Bar in St. Louis, wasn’t released until over four months later on Wilco’s debut album, A.M.

For their premiere gig, Wilco went under the name Black Shampoo, taken from the title of a blaxploitation flick from 1976. In Tweedy’s 2018 memoir, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back), he wrote that the use of the odd moniker, inspired by drummer Ken Coomer’s collection of cult films, “seemed like a funny, self-effacing way to begin our musical second chapter.”

Wilco’s line-up on this day, two and a half decades ago, was Tweedy on lead vocal, rhythm, acoustic and lead guitars, Jay Bennett on acoustic and lead guitars; John Stirratt on bass, Max Johnston on Banjo and fiddle, and Coomer on drums.

A raw feedback-filled recording of the show can be found on these here interwebs with very little Googling, so Wilco fans can easily check out what their favorite band sounded like in the beginning. Incidentally, “In the Beginning” is the name of a CDR bootleg I have of the show. You can hear the boot on YouTube:

Listening to the recording of the gig now, which cuts into the first song “I Must Be High,” is an interesting experience as you can hear Tweedy shaking off the uneasiness of the Uncle Tupelo breakup (Tweedy’s former band, which also consisted of Stirratt and Coomer, played their last show at the club Mississippi Nights on May 1st, 1994) and plunging forward with his new project.

Let’s take a look at the setlist, enhanced by some choice between song banter courtesy of the audibly nervous Tweedy.

“I Must Be High” (“The first song on our record, which won’t be out for a long time, but it’s the first song we ever played, and the first time we ever played is on the record.”)

“Too Far Apart” (Referring to the secret nature of their first show: “So, um, how’d you guys find out? It’s all Beatle Bob’s fault.”)

“Box Full of Letters”

“Should’ve Been in Love”

(“We’re gonna do a song in a minute that we used to do in another band…Max has got an experimental banjo solo in it.”)

“New Madrid” (Uncle Tupelo)

(“This is a song that – it might be kinda ill-suited for Cicero’s Basement, but it’s on our record so…”)

“That’s Not the Issue”

(“I have to sing this kinda quiet, so shut up.”)

“Pick Up the Change”

“The Long Cut” (Uncle Tupelo)

“Walk Where He Walked” (Golden Smog)

“Shouldn’t Be Ashamed”“If That’s Alright” (Uncle Tupelo)

“Give Back the Key to My Heart” (Doug Sahm)

“Wait Up” (Uncle Tupelo cover)

“No Sense in Lovin’” (Uncle Tupelo)

“Lost Love” (Golden Smog) (“Practiced that a million times, man.”)

“Passenger Side” (“Maybe we’ll try that one again later or something.”)

“Casino Queen” (“Thanks a lot for letting us play under a stupid fake name.”)

Encore:

“Reincarnation” (Roger Miller)

(“I really would like to thank you for up to this point not hearing anyone yell ‘Whiskey Bottle,’ I appreciate that – did you hear it? Oh, f***. Nothing against the song, mind you.”)

“We’ve Been Had” (Uncle Tupelo)

(“This is a pretty stupid song, so…a stupider song.”)

“Hesitation Rocks” (Originally known to fans as Let’s Hear It for Rock and Roll”)

Second encore:

(“You know, most of these songs we’ve been playing are from our record that’s gonna come out in March. And then, like the one we just played isn’t on anything. And this one’s not on anything. Although we tried to play it like a dozen times.”)

“Outtasite (Outta Mind)”

“Listen to Her Heart” (Tom Petty) 

Having just formed earlier that year, Wilco had a limited amount of material so 11 out of the 22 songs they performed were covers like the Petty show-closer, leftover Uncle Tupelo tracks, and a Golden Smog song that wouldn’t released for four years (“Lost Love” appears on Golden Smog’s second album Weird Tales, which came out on October 13, 1998).

As for Wilco’s originals, they played 8 of the 13 tracks that would be released on A.M., a song that was an outtake from that album’s sessions (“Hesitation Rocks”), and a song (“Outtasite (Outta Mind))” that would later be on the band’s second album, Being There, that wouldn't officially drop until October 29, 1996.

Although neither features any tracks from this historic event, two Wilco releases were released on the show’s 20th anniversary in 2014. Their first ever “best of” comp, a 2-disc, 38-track collection entitled: What’s Your 20? The Best of Wilco (Essential Tracks 1994-2014), and a 77-track box set, Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014.

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Wilco setlists: Indianapolis 11/12, Louisville 11/13, & St. Louis 11/14

Wilco’s Ode to Joy fall tour keeps on rolling with stops in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri over the last three nights. While fans may still complain about the repetition in the setlists, a surprise was provided in the form of the Bottle Rockets’ (who opened the show) Brian Henneman, along with their drummer Mark Ortmann, who joined in on the encore’s performances of “California Stars” and “Casino Queen.” 

The later song was especially notable as Henneman had played on the studio version that was released on Wilco’s 1995 debut, A.M. Henneman was the lead guitarist on the album, but didn't continue as an official member because he was launching the Bottle Rockets during the same period. Read more about “Casino Queen” here.

Anyway, here’s how the last three shows went down:

The Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN 11/12/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “If I Ever Was a Child” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Forget the Flowers” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “California Stars” / “The Late Greats”

The Louisville Palace, Louisville, KY 11/13/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Kamera” / “Handshake Drugs” / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird”/ “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “The Late Greats”

Encore: “California Stars” / “Red Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”

Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 11/14/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus Etc.”/ “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “I’m Always in Love”/ “Heavy Metal Drummer” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway” / “Misunderstood”

Encore: “California Stars” / “Casino Queen”

The official show poster at the top of this post was created by Justin Helton / Status Serigraph.

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Wednesday Wilco Song Spotlight: “Broken Arrow”

As yesterday was Neil Young’s 74th Birthday, it seems a given that this week’s Song Spotlight should shine upon Wilco’s cover of one of the legendary Canadian singer /songwriter’s finest compositions:

“Broken Arrow” (Neil Young)

Wilco debuted their majestic cover of Neil Young’s “Broken Arrow,” a psychedelic track that first appeared on the classic 1967 album Buffalo Springfield Again, at a MusiCares tribute to Young in early 2010, then went on to perform it throughout their tour into the summer of that year.

In a Rolling Stone feature about the MusiCares event, Jeff Tweedy told Shirley Halperin, “We rehearsed this song for two days. The guys in our crew said it was the first time they’d ever seen us rehearse in three years.” He added that they had selected “Broken Arrow” because it is “really episodic and strange, and when you hear it, it’s pretty obvious that Wilco has taken a lot from this one song.” 

Wilco’s version, which you can watch right above, faithfully recreates the song’s “Mr. Soul intro, the “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” organ bit, the trippy, start-stop arrangement, and the jazzy clarinet- and drum-driven ending. Even the original’s concluding heartbeat sound effect gets its due. 

After performing it around twenty times in 2010, Wilco retired “Broken Arrow” from their repertoire. Tweedy gave a clue as to why when he denied a request for it at his Annual Benefit For Education solo show at the Vic Theatre in Chicago the following April, explaining, “It’s like got a million parts.”

This is an edited excerpt from Wilcopedia by Daniel Cook Johnson, published by Jawbone Press (www.jawbonepress.com). Order your copy here.

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Wilco setlists: Charlottesville 11/8, Cincinnati 11/9, & Columbus 11/10

As I’ve been posting Wilco’s setlists for their current tour, I’ve been relating more and more with the fans who have been complaining about the overall sameness of the songs being played. With only four or five slots changing every night, the shows are way too similar for many despite how solid the band’s performances have been.

However, the last few nights featured the tour debuts of “The Joke Explained” and “Side With the Seeds” so at least there are a few surprises. So without further ado, here are the last three setlists for this leg of Wilco’s Ode to Joy tour.

Sprint Pavilion, Charlottesville, VA 11/8/19  

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Handshake Drugs” / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “Hummingbord” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Impossible Germany” / “Box Full of Letters” / “I’m Always in Love” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “Jesus, Etc.” / “California Stars” / “The Late Greats”

Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH 11/9/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Kamera” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Hummingbird”/ “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Dawned on Me” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “Misunderstood”

Encore: “California Stars” / “Red Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”

Palace Theatre, Columbus, OH 11/10/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “Company in My Back” / “War on War” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Side With the Seeds” / “One and a Half Stars” / “The Joke Explained” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus Etc.”/ “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Box Full of Letters” / “I’m Always in Love”/ “Everyone Hides” / “Heavy Metal Drummer” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway” / “The Late Greats”

Encore: “Misunderstood” / “California Stars”

The official show poster at the top of this post was created by Brian Methe.

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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Wilco setlists: MI 11/4, 11/5, & PA 11/6 + Seth Meyers

After a brief break, Wilco resumed their Ode to Joy tour earlier this week with an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers that went like this:

Following that, Jeff Tweedy & co. performed these shows in which one of the most notable things is that they premiered “Citizens”:

20 Monroe Live, Grand Rapids, MI 11/4/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “One and a Half Stars” / “If I Ever Was a Child” / “Handshake Drugs” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Impossible Germany” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “Forget the Flowers” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Everyone Hides” / “I’m Always in Love”/ “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You”

Encore: “Hold Me Anyway” / “Misunderstood” / “California Stars” / “The Late Greats”

Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI 11/5/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “One and a Half Stars” / “If I Ever Was a Child” / “Handshake Drugs” / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “Either Way” / “Hummingbird” / “Citizens” / “Via Chicago” / “Bull Black Nova” / “White Wooden Cross” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Impossible Germany” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Dawned on Me” / “I’m Always in Love”/ “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “The Late Greats” 

Encore: / “Jesus, Etc.” / “Red-Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “Outta Mind (Outta Sight)

Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 11/6/19

“Bright Leaves” / “Before Us” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “War on War” / “One and a Half Stars” / “Handshake Drugs” / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “Hummingbird” / “White Wooden Cross” / “Via Chicago” / “Whole Love” / “Laminated Cat” / “Random Name Generator” / “Reservations” / “We Were Lucky” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “Impossible Germany” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Theologians” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You” / “Hold Me Anyway”/ “The Late Greats”

Encore: “California Stars” / “Red-Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century” / “Misunderstood”

Daniel Cook Johnson’s Wilcopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the Music of America’s Best Band is available for order here.

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