There isn’t anything like seeing Wilco play Chicago outdoors on a perfect summer night. In fact, several of the best shows I’ve seen have been with this winning combination of the long-running local rock band playing against the backdrop of the skyline. Their jaw-dropping performance Sunday at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park was no different, and considering the band’s incredible sets at outdoor venues like Lollapalooza in 2008, the Hideout/A.V. Club block party in 2012 and last year’s Pitchfork Festival set, it might be the clear standout.
Part of the reason Sunday night was so special was the fact that two generations of Chicago bands populated the bill. Along with Wilco, a band celebrating 22 years of existence this year, was Twin Peaks, a scrappy group of which most of its members are 22. Like their Pitchfork set earlier this summer, Twin Peaks was perfectly suited for the outdoors. The songs were loose and loud, especially cuts from their most recent full-length, “Down In Heaven,” like “Butterfly” and “Getting Better.” With four stellar songwriters are their disposal, guitarists Cadien James and Clay Frankel traded vocal duties along with bassist Jack Dolan and multi-instrumentalist Colin Croom. I’ve seen this band many times over the years, and closer “Strawberry Smoothie” has never sounded more massive.
While it’s easy to see how Twin Peaks could be headlining Pritzker Pavilion soon, it was undoubtedly Wilco’s night. The last time they played in Chicago was at Pitchfork 13 months ago, when they debuted their ninth album, “Star Wars,” live. With their upcoming album, “Schmilco,” out Sept. 9, this show could have been a preview of the entire effort. Though they did play two new tracks—a muscular, riff-heavy “Locator” and the subdued “If I Was Ever A Child”—this concert wasn’t about new material but a hits-filled retrospective on a fantastic discography. Clocking in around two-and-a-half hours, the 30-song setlist had a little bit of everything.
Opening with a slew of “Star Wars” tracks, Wilco proved how excellently those tunes translate live. The band then went through its own discography with some hits like “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” and “Via Chicago” and should-be hits like an epically rendered “Art of Almost.” Because the band’s been using the same six-piece lineup since 2004, there’s no way to talk about their shows without mentioning how incredible, consistent and just locked-in these musicians are. The novelty will never wear off of seeing guitarist Nels Cline rip through a solo, specifically “Handshake Drugs” or “Impossible Germany,” or drummer Glenn Kotche behind the kit. It’s difficult to review a Wilco show because, besides their rhythmically challenged fans really screwing up clapping along to “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” everything went without a hitch.
As the set was coming to a close, Wilco’s two-part encore kicked off with shout-along renditions of “Being There” tunes like “Red-Eyed and Blue,” “I Got You (At the End of the Century)” and “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” and then traded electric guitars for acoustics during its second part. The extended encore/acoustic set was welcome, especially with stripped-down renditions of “Misunderstood,” “I’m Always In Love” and the John Stirratt-sung “It’s Just That Simple.” While it occasionally did get sleepy with eight acoustic numbers in a row, it was an excellent nightcap to one of Chicago’s most storied bands. On Sept. 9, “Schmilco” looks to keep that upward momentum going.
Setlist
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Random Name Generator
The Joke Explained
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Art of Almost
Pickled Ginger
Hummingbird
Handshake Drugs
Cold Slope
Via Chicago
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
If I Ever Was a Child
Jesus, Etc.
Locator
Box Full of Letters
Heavy Metal Drummer
I’m the Man Who Loves You
Impossible Germany
The Late Greats
Encore:
Red-Eyed and Blue
I Got You (at the End of the Century)
Outassite (Outta Mind)
Encore 2:
Misunderstood (acoustic)
It’s Just That Simple (acoustic)
War on War (acoustic)
What Light (acoustic)
Passenger Side (acoustic)
I’m Always in Love (acoustic)
California Stars (acoustic)
A Shot in the Arm (acoustic)
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