The always impressive rock band Wilco has really kept fans on their toes this year adding new gigs weekly to their already busy summer. Five more shows round out the 42-stint marathon in support of their latest achievement, The Whole Love. The new dates include a two-night run at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA on July 17-18, a show at the nTelos Pavilion in Charlottesville on July 19th, and two shows at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, NY, July 23rd and 24th.
The band is firing on all cylinders too. After a small hiccup in the form of 2009’s Wilco (The Album), Jeff Tweedy has found the rock formula once again. Newer tunes like Art of Almost, and I Might go along with concert staples, Impossible Germany and Handshake Drugs with ease. And Tweedy hasn’t forgotten about his now 10-year old album (Happy Birthday!), Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which to this day, the sight of the album cover brings me back to my (happy) college days. If you haven’t, check out the awesome Sam Jones documentary ‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart’ which shows the struggle the band had in getting YHF to the masses. Go Netflix it immediately. If you’re just getting into Wilco, I always recommend their live album from 2005, Kicking Television, but again, that’s just a starting point as Nels Cline didn’t hit his stride with the band until 2007-2008. What he brings to the band isn’t as underrated as it used to be, but he’s still the diamond in Wilco’s rough.
Getting back on the road in May, Wilco headlines the Hangout Festival on May 18th before a quick trip to Europe for some more festival love. Then for the first time since 2009, Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Ampitheatre is their home for two nights on June 22nd and 23rd. Another show that stands out is July 7th in Sioux City, IA. Billed as a Saturday in the Park, the FREE event has been going on since 1991 and has become Iowa’s premiere attraction of the summer. This year, Wilco will headline with the support of Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Joss Stone.
Speaking of support, the one thing Wilco does better than most is pick openers to go on the road with them. While The Punch Brothers and Dr. Dog open the Red Rocks gigs, Blitzen Trapper and Megafaun play with Wilco at the July 27th Newport Folk Festival at Fort Adams State Park in Rhode Island. The Avett Brothers open in Camden, NJ too.
Of special note is Wilco’s first ever performance at the iconic shell of the Hollywood Bowl on September 30th. Tickets go on sale May 5th, with an opening act still TBA. Always check out wilcoworld.net for pre-sale ticket information. I can attest that the Wilcoworld pre-sales have some damn fine tickets available and they go mostly unknown by our scalpers pals. A few pre-sales are going on now with some slated to start this week for the just announced performances. Wilco is one of the better live acts currently making the rounds on a consistent basis so there’s no excuse in missing them.
Wilco’s 2012 Summer Tour Itinerary
May 10 Fayetteville, AR Arkansas Music Pavilion
May 11 Birmingham, AL Sloss Furnaces
May 12 Jackson, MS Thalia Mara Hall
May 14 Tampa, FL Morsani Hall
May 15 Miami Beach, FL The Fillmore Miami Beach
May 16 Saint Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheater
May 18 Gulf Shores, AL Hangout Music Fest
May 19 Memphis, TN Mud Island Amphitheatre
May 31 Barcelona, ES Primavera Sound Festival
June 4 Dublin, IE Forbidden Fruit Festival
June 8 Porto, PT Primavera Sound Festival
June 22 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 23 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 25 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Garden
June 26 Boise, ID Idaho Botanical Garden
June 28 Missoula, MT Big Sky Brewery
July 1 Duluth, MN Bayfront Festival Park
July 2 Rochester, MN Mayo Civic Center Aud
July 3 Davenport, IA Adler Theatre
July 7 Sioux City, IA Saturday in the Park
July 8 Geneva, IL Fifth Third Bank Ballpark
July 15 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
July 17 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
July 18 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
July 19 Charlottesville, VA nTelos Pavilion
July 21 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
July 23 Brooklyn, NY Celebrate Brooklyn / Prospect Park
July 24 Brooklyn,NY Celebrate Brooklyn / Prospect Park
July 27 Newport, RI Fort Adams State Park
July 28 Cooperstown, NY Brewery Ommegang Field
July 29 Essex Junction, VT Midway Lawn
July 31 North Adams, MA MASS MoCA
August 1 Hartford, CT The Bushnell
August 3 Rochester, NY Highland Bowl
August 4 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
August 10 Goteborg, Sweden Way Out West Festival
August 11 Rees-Haldern, Germany Haldern Festival
August 12 Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, UK Wilderness Festival
August 14 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Den Atelier
August 16 Saint Polten, Austria Frequency Festival
August 18 Hasselt, Belgium Pukkelpop Festival
Sept 30 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
And in case you missed it, check out this rad time lapse released by the band a few months ago of Misunderstood. Love how the band always infuses new life into some of their older songs.
