Wilco’s Cruel Country Tour Continues In The Midwest & We've Got Set-lists & Posters To Prove It!

Official poster by Matt Pfahlert/TheSilentP.com.

After a brief break, Wilco’s Cruel Country summer tour continues with stops in Madison, Wisconsin; Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Fargo, North Dakota; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so let’s catch up with what they played and some of the fine art that accompanied the shows. Yeah, there’s a lot of same-ness here, but some cool tunes revolve in and out, and there’s the highlight of the cover of the Grateful Dead’s “U.S. Blues.” 

Wilco founder/front man Jeff Tweedy first performed the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter-written song when he and his band’s lead guitarist, Nels Cline, performed with Phil Lesh & Friends at the inaugural Sacred Rose Festival at the SeatGeek Stadium outside Chicago on August 26th. There’s a video of the performance by the band dubbed Philco of the song, which theme and vibe-wise fits well with the Cruel Country material, included below in the setlist entries.

So have at ‘em:

The Sylvee, Madison, WI 9/9/22

“Handshake Drugs” / “I Am My Mother” / “Cruel Country” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Hints” / “War on War” / “ If I Ever Was a Child” / “Via Chicago” (w/ “Many Worlds” outro) / “At Least That's What You Said” / “Story to Tell” / “Hummingbird” / “Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull” / “Hearts Hard to Find” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “Impossible Germany” / “Love is Everywhere” (Beware)” / “California Stars” / “A Lifetime to Find” / “I’m Always in Love” / “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”

Encore: “Falling Apart (Right Now)” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century)” / “Kicking Television”

Grand Rapids Area Library, Grand Rapids, MN 9/10/22

“Handshake Drugs” / “I Am My Mother” / “Cruel Country” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Hints” / “War on War” / “ If I Ever Was a Child” / “Via Chicago” (with “Many Worlds” coda) / “At Least That's What You Said” / “Story to Tell” / “Hummingbird” / “All Across the World” / “Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “Impossible Germany” / “Love is Everywhere” (Beware) / “California Stars” / “A Lifetime to Find” / “I’m Always in Love” / “Heavy Metal Drummer” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You”

Encore: “Falling Apart (Right Now)” / “U.S. Blues” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century)” / “Outta Mind (Outta Sight)”

Fargo Brewing Company, Fargo, ND 9/11/22

Official show poster by Zach Pape.

“The Plains” / “Handshake Drugs” / “I Am My Mother” / “Cruel Country” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Hints” / “War on War” / “If I Ever Was a Child” / “Via Chicago” (with “Many Worlds” coda) / “Shouldn’t Be Ashamed” / “Story to Tell” / “Hummingbird” / “All Across the World” / “Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “Impossible Germany” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “California Stars” / “A Lifetime to Find” / “I’m Always in Love” / “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”

Encore: “Falling Apart (Right Now)” / “U.S. Blues” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century)”

Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD 9/12/22

Official show poster by A. Micah Smith.

“Handshake Drugs” / “I Am My Mother” / “Cruel Country” / “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” / “Hints” / “War on War” / “How to Fight Loneliness” / “ Via Chicago” (with “Many Worlds” coda) / “At Least That’s What You Said” / “Story to Tell” / “Hummingbird” / “Tired of Taking It Out on You” / “Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull” / “Jesus, Etc.” / “Impossible Germany” / “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” / “California Stars” / “A Lifetime to Find” / “Box Full of Letters” / “Heavy Metal Drummer” / “I’m the Man Who Loves You”

Encore: “Falling Apart (Right Now)” / “Monday” / “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”

Next up, Wilco brings Cruel Country to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colarado. I believe it'll be their 10th time performing at the historic venue so it ought to be a blast.

More later...