Wilco at the Palace Theatre (12-13-2024)

Wilco 12/13 Setlist

If you are a Wilco fan and looking for a deep dive into their extensive catalog over three nights, then the Palace Theatre is the place to be this weekend.

During the show Jeff Tweedy asked how many in the crowd planned to come back on Saturday. The roar indicated that many planned to make another trip to St. Paul.

“We’re going to play some more songs,” Tweedy added midway through the night. “Then we’re going to take a break. Then we’re coming back… We’re opening up for ourselves.”

Basically, it was two full concerts with a fifteen minute break, well over thirty songs over two plus hours, and the kicker: no repeats. Thus, a reason to come back for every fan has a favorite, and it wasn’t guaranteed the song would be played. (“Via Chicago” did not arrive for me.)

With thirty years and thirteen studio albums, Wilco has no problem filling a setlist. But what was impressive was how good the band sounded playing songs that may not have been in the rotation.

“Glenn wants you to know that this is from our first album,” Tweedy said before playing “Box Full of Letters.” Which was a little funny since Glenn Kotche didn’t play on the original album.

Joining Tweedy and Kotche on stage were John Stirrat on bass, Nels Cline on lead guitar, Mikael Jorgensen on keys and Pat Sansone switching from keys to guitar. They were last at the Palace in November of 2017 for a three-night stand. We last saw them in 2016 at Historic Hall’s Island in which Tweedy exclaimed, “We love it here, and we are going to come back every thirteen months, whether you want us or not.”

The appreciation has not dimmed yet for this Chicago band. In fact, it was a little uncomfortable how much love was on the main floor due to the amount of people surging towards the stage. Wilco could easily play a bigger venue, but the intimacy of the venue was the reward for those who were game for a little jostling.

There were a few fan favorites sprinkled throughout the evening like “I am Trying to Break Your Heart” which echoed into a feedback fuzz at the end; “How to Fight Loneliness” which had Tweedy playing a Spanish-tinged guitar solo, and “Heavy Metal Drummer” would end the night. But the reason to go to these types of retrospective shows is to see a loved band up close as they roll up their sleeves and get under the hood of a song, as they did with “Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull” from their 2022 album Cruel Country.

It was the song that ended the first set, and it was well placed when Cline and Sansone countered each other with a call and response on their guitars before melding into an extended, symphonic duo-solo.

These are the kind of electric moments that are best seen live in a crowded venue.

Remaining tour dates: