Wilco is nearing the conclusion of their extensive spring-into-summer tour and chose to grace lil’ ol’ Cleveland with their presence for the first time in a decade. “I love this place,” Jeff Tweedy said while surveying Evans Amphitheatre, an intimate venue nestled inside Cleveland Heights’ own beautiful Cain Park. “We played here on our first tour in 1935,” he joked. But then did “promise to come back here more often,” so Northeast Ohians are going to hold you to it, Wilco!
The evening consisted of two sets and an impressive 33 songs spanning three hours. Many of their current song arrangements feel softer and more stripped down, and part of the fun of seeing Wilco is seeing how their songs evolve live. We still got our fix of climactic moments—”Via Chicago” comes to mind, as does Nels Cline, who we can always count on to rip an epic solo during “Impossible Germany” among others.
This hard-working band seemingly never rests, between their extensive touring and side projects. The ever-prolific Tweedy hits the road almost immediately following the conclusion of this tour in support of his soon-to-be-released new album, Twilight Override.
The Autumn Defense, John Stirratt and Pat Sansone’s band, is also set to release a new album and will hit the road in October. Keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen sits in with so many other bands that I’ve lost count. Cline released a brilliant Jazz album, Consentrik Quartet, in March, and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche creates a new beat per week, which is just insanely impressive.
So this is all to say that while they’re taking a breather for touring together, go check out their other work in the meantime.
