Wilco Live (Blue)

This is Wilco’s second live playlist this year. The first, Orange, was kind of a greatest hits. Blue is a collection of deep cuts drawn mainly from the back half of the Wilco catalog. Most of the songs in this set are mellow with quiet arrangements. I appreciate how different Blue is from Orange. Similar to Orange, I was at some of the shows (see posters below), so this makes the collection extra special to me.

As with Orange, the recording quality on Blue is good but not great. Jeff Tweedy’s vocals are mixed front and center at the expense of the instruments (an artistic decision I support).

I tend to undervalue some of the albums that Wilco features on this live playlist, for example, Ode to Joy (2019), Schmilco (2016), and Star Wars (2015), and so this collection has encouraged me to return to those albums from the second half of the 2010s.

Track list (songs’ first album appearance is noted in bold italics)

Bright Leaves – St. Paul, MN (2019) Ode to Joy

We Aren’t the World (Safety Girl) – Seattle, WA (2016) Schmilco

White Wooden Cross – Brooklyn, NY (2019) Ode to Joy

Nope – Los Angeles, CA (2016) Schmilco

Country Song Upside-Down – North Adams, MA (2022) Cruel Country

Pittsburgh – Chicago, IL (2023) Cousin

Country Disappeared – Riviera Maya, Mexico (2022) Wilco (The Album)

Forget the Flowers – Austin, TX (2024) Being There

A Lifetime to Find – New Haven, CT (2022) Cousin

Hell is Chrome – North Adams, MA (2024) A Ghost Is Born

Sunlight Ends – Chicago, IL (2023) Cousin

Please Be Wrong – North Adams, MA (2022) Cruel Country

Sunken Treasure – Reykjavik, Iceland (2023) Being There

The Joke Explained – Los Angeles, CA (2016) Star Wars

Blue Eyed Soul – North Adams, MA (2024) A.M.

An Empty Corner – Brooklyn, NY (2019) Ode to Joy

Just Say Goodbye – North Adams, MA (2024) Schmilco

At Least That’s What You Said – Reykjavik, Iceland (2023) A Ghost Is Born

Everyone Hides – Kansas City, MO (2019) Ode to Joy

Locator – Seattle, WA (2016) Schmilco

The Universe – Reykjavik, Iceland (2023) Cruel Country

Quiet Amplifier – North Adams, MA (2024) Ode to Joy

Where Do I Begin/Cold Slope/King Of You – Brooklyn, NY (2016) Star Wars

Candyfloss – St. Paul, MN (2017) Summerteeth

Kicking Television – New Haven, CT (2022) Kicking Television: Live in Chicago