The Wilco-Cincinnati Connection

Away from the stage, I have never seen any member of Wilco in the flesh.

That change while I waited to meet my old friend Rob on the streets of Cincinnati for a Wilco show. As I attempted to get a shot of the digital marquee that flashed Wilco’s photo briefly in stream of 20 other artists, the tour bus parked adjacent to the Taft Theatre opened and out walked Jeff Tweedy with a second band member (you know, one of the newer guys … not John Stirratt) an a security guy straight from Sons of Anarchy.

I had been through a handful of flat Wilco shows in the past half-decade. I chalked one of those up to the material (Wilco the Album) and another to the band feeling off.

This show was not one of them. Wilco went on a marathon tour of its musical history, touching on every album except Wilco (The Album) and cracking open its large vault of rarities. Across 30 songs and 2.5 hours, they obliterated memory of recent shows

The Wilco-Cincinnati connection has become an occasional tradition with Rob and I; we met in June 2009 for a Wilco show elsewhere in downtown Cincinnati. That was a newer theatre - nice but without any flourishes. The venue helped the 2015 show; the Taft Theatre had a sheen of 1920s glamor that still suited to a rock show. The Taft's choice of craft brew, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale from Lexington, didn't hurt either.

By opening with Less Than You Think sans the lengthy noise-rock coda, the band quickly established that the night would be full of twists. With the recent release of rarities compilation Alpha Mike Foxtrot and the first official release of many non-album tracks, nothing felt off-limits at this show.
The import EP More Like the Moon was well-represented, with three songs, including a personal favorite (A Magazine Called Sunset) and a heavier version of Kamera. Loose Fur song Laminated Cat (also called Not for the Season) made the cut, as did a pair of Mermaid Avenue Volume II stars (Airline to Heaven, Secret of the Sea).

 Tweedy contributed his typically wry, sarcastic banter, commenting about the humid river smells of Cincinnati and warning the audience not to expect their favorite song because Wilco never had any hits so everyone has a different favorite. Of course that sparked a shouting match for various songs, to which Tweedy responded, “You see?” before reminding everyone that they had a setlist and they could go into the lobby to settle their argument while they band played.

(Aside: Wilco often gets labeled unfairly as Dad Rock. If Dad Rock means that I can count on one hand the number of people who recorded any part of the show on their smart phone, I’m fine with it).

The encore came and went with a blast of three Being There tunes (Red Eyed and Blue, I Got You (At the End of the Century), Outtasite (Outta Mind), all concert staples.

The Wilco-standard second encore took an odd turn with all the members emerging with acoustic instruments. Through five songs they spanned later-era Uncle Tupelo (New Madrid), all-time favorites (War on War, California Stars), one gem of a Sky Blue Sky outtake (The Thanks I Get) and the one song that completes a Wilco show, Shot in the Arm. Hearing those tunes embellished with banjo and pedal steel made the second encore special, wrapping songs everyone in the theatre knew in fresh sounds.

By ending with an acoustic encore encompassing the band's 20-year run, Wilco came full circle. The sprinkling of rarities into the show kept it from venturing into greatest hits revue, and the fresh instrumentation benefited many older tunes. The all-acoustic approach could signal that a band so surprising from album to album could have a few more cards left to play.

May 5, 2015 Cincinnati, OH | Taft Theatre
1 - Less Than You Think
2 - Handshake Drugs
3 - Camera
4 - Hummingbird
5 - Panthers
6 - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
7 - Art of Almost
8 - Sunken Treasure
9 - Either Way
10 - Pot Kettle Black
11 - Secrets of the Sea
12 - Heavy Metal Drummer
13 - Jesus, Etc.
14 - Born Alone
15 - Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season)
16 - Airline to Heaven
17 - Box Full of Letters
18 - Dawned On Me
19 - Impossible Germany
20 - A Magazine Called Sunset
21 - Theologians
22 - I'm the Man Who Loves You 
Encore: 
23 - Red Eyed and Blue
24 - I Got You (At the End of the Century)
25 - Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Encore:
26 - The Thanks I Get
27 - War On War
28 - New Madrid [Uncle Tupelo]
29 - California Stars
30 - A Shot in the Arm