With a new album on the way, a memoir and a coinciding book tour, Jeff Tweedy has plenty to say right now. This is less a last dash to cash in before he loses his fire, but rather a burst of creativity that strikes one in mid-life. Let’s be glad he isn’t buying motorcycles and convertibles instead. The Wilco frontman’s current solo acoustic tour is sort of a preemptive run, a tease of sorts, of his year ahead as he promotes both a book and an album, and on October 2nd he came to Portland’s Newmark Theater to give a sold out crowd a taste of both.
As one might have expected with a fresh news of a solo album on the way, Jeff Tweedy would treat the Portland crowd to a handful of songs off his new solo album WARM. The set began with “Bombs Above” and “Some Birds”, the first two tracks on the album. These songs, along with other new tunes played throughout the set, seem to take on a more personal commentary on aging and looking at what is happening in society. Lyrically and musically, the new songs seemed to come in a similar vein to Wilco’s 2016 Schmilco, which has a more hushed and introspective sound. All told, Tweedy would play five of the eleven tracks on WARM throughout the night. “Let’s Go Rain” – which Tweedy said was inspired by wondering how people pissed off God so much to warrant the Noah’s ark flood story – was a playful and poppy folk anthem with a darkly humorous commentary on the state of the world, while the heartfelt “Don’t Forget” found him pondering death in the wake of his own father’s passing last year. With his typical dry sense of humor on full display, Tweedy joked about playing sad songs for sunny festival crowds. He would keep the crowd laughing as much as enraptured throughout the set, dedicating “Normal American Kids” to Brett Kavanaugh with his “filthy Chiclet teeth” and reading off the data of his song requests (“every song I’ve ever written gets one vote!”) before getting the entire audience to sing along during Wilco’s alt-country classic “Passenger Side”.
Tweedy could’ve played his whole new album in its entirety – as he has done with recent Wilco releases and his own solo debut Tweedy – but this night he opted to keep some of the new songs tucked away and give the fans the closest songs he has to “hits”. Wilco tunes like “Hummingbird” and “Ashes of American Flags” were played with gusto and Tweedy seemed to savor the moments where he could whistle or pick experimentally on his acoustic guitar. He even showed a twinge of nostalgia, going into his more country-flavored Uncle Tupelo material with “New Madrid” and “Acuff-Rose”, the latter of which closed out the night.
Obviously, Jeff Tweedy’s solo acoustic performance would never hit the euphoric highs of a full Wilco show, especially not the band’s most recent performance in Portland (REVIEW). Instead, the crowd was given a quiet, enlightening and often funny performance from an artist who knows exactly how to make his fans feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Setlist:
Bombs Above*
Some Birds*
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Remember the Mountain Bed
Having Been is No Way to Be*
New Madrid
Normal American Kids
Hummingbird
Lost Love
Passenger Side
Ashes of American Flags
Let’s Go Rain*
Jesus, Etc
Laminated Cat
Don’t Forget*
I’m the Man Who Loves You
___________________
On and On and On
California Stars
Misunderstood
Acuff-Rose
