Well, just when it seemed like we might not get any collaborations by Wilco with other artists at this year’s Sky Blue Sky Festival, several happened at the 11th hour that got everyone talking — for better or, uh, not better. This was during the encore of Jeff and Co.’s third and final show of the event, which was just about in the books when some of the folks who were still around came out and helped to bring it home.
The cavalcade of collabs kicked off when Wilco returned to the stage soon to be joined by the ever-present MJ Lenderman, who emerged with electric guitar in hand, took position between Nels and Jeff and powered through a garage-y Outtasite (Outta Mind). “We had to bring someone out who knows one of our songs,” Jeff joked beforehand. Afterward, Jeff was all smiles as he shared a sentiment that many in the audience were likely feeling at that moment: “This has been such a fucking great time.” (There was also a bit when someone in the crowd must’ve shouted something that Jeff heard and spinned into one of his running jokes about “individual encouragement” and how “we don’t need it, but we want it.”)
After a twangy Falling Apart (Right Now), with Pat engaging in his some of usual fake B-bender shenanigans, the stage was set for the sit-in that had many marveling afterward. “We can’t pass up an opportunity to do a Neil Young song with J. Mascis,” Jeff said of the Dinosaur Jr. frontman whose band had immediately preceded Wilco tonight on the SBS main stage. To Mascis, Jeff said, “You guys sounded great earlier.” (J. is known for being pretty stoic, but I couldn’t help but think what if he got on mike and thanked Jeff for the individual encouragement. I would have paid extra money to hear that.) Anyway, Mascis had already done a Neil song — Lotta Love — with Lenderman and his band The Wind on Day 2 of the fest on Friday, and it was just kind of an Uncle Neil sort of weekend, with Revolution Blues also having been covered by Golden Smog on Day 3 on Saturday.
We had seen a lyric sheet being taped down at Jeff’s feet during the set break, and so you figured some sort of cover was coming. And that finally happened with Mascis when the familiar opening chords of Cortez The Killer started to come out of the main stage PA system. It was a song Jeff and Nels had played together relatively recently, last October at New York’s Brooklyn Steel, when Nels joined the Tweedy solo band for its encore. What a fun guitar workout that was, and adding Mascis only heightened the slow-burning pyrotechnics. The three electric guitarists took their time working through the song’s unique progression, each giving one another enough space to explore at times yet also working together in a cool interplay. It was definitely one for the books.
The show could have ended there and I don’t think anyone would have been the least bit disappointed, but in these sorts of situations, I guess tradition calls for one final big ensemble number. And in Wilco world, that usually ends up being California Stars. So it was that Jeff invited “everyone who’s still around” to come on stage and finish the show off with a big singalong. There was Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris with a glittery gold “flying V” guitar, and Dr. Dog drummer Eric Slick on a shaker and Dinosaur Jr. bassist Lou Barlow, among many others, on backing vocals. We also got familiar faces in Tweedy band members Liam Kazar and Spencer Tweedy on tambourines and Sima Cunningham and Sammy Tweedy on backing vocals. Even Spencer’s fiancé Casey of Case Oats got up there, along with two other unidentified ladies two of Dr. Dog’s female backup singers.
With that many folks on stage, though many of them are pretty familiar with the Woody Guthrie tune, it can be difficult to all get on the same page with who is singing which parts and all of that. So it was a bit of a trainwreck. I’m pretty sure the ensemble didn’t even get through the song’s two repeating verses both times through, for example. And the various instrumental solos were kind of muddled. Whatever, I guess. At least everyone seemed to be having fun. Interestingly, A Shot In The Arm was actually on the printed setlist as the planned final song of the show, but I guess at that point Jeff probably figured let’s just leave it as it is.
There was already a bit of that sort of sentiment in the air by the time Jeff and his bandmates reached the home stretch of their main set, following Impossible Germany. “What a gorgeous night,” he said. “We might know some of these (next songs) a little bit better. It’s not a guarantee. It’s the third day, you know? But we’re having a great time, the best time.” Generally speaking, this third Wilco set in four days was a bit more predictable than the previous two, especially with crowd pleasers like The Late Greats, Heavy Metal Drummer and I’m The Man Who Loves You closing out the main set. I will note that I think Jeff had a new and/or temporary guitar tech for SBS and he was a bit late bringing out the red Gibson SG that Jeff uses on I’m The Man after HMD, and so the seamless segue between those two songs didn’t happen as it usually does. Oh well. Also, Jeff very visibly looked up to his left during the first chorus at the stage-left balcony overlooking the stage from where Wilco’s family and friends usually watch the show, putting one hand up to his eyes to block the lights for a second. Aw.
But as with each of the band’s performances at SBS ‘26, there were a few nuggets for the cognoscenti. The deepest cut of this 2-hour, 9-minute set almost certainly was Wilco (The Album)-era outtake/bonus track Dark Neon, which I had a feeling might get played after I saw someone’s balcony adorned with a banner extolling that tune. “That was a deep cut,” Jeff proclaimed afterward. “I think we can understand why. We’ve made that abundantly clear.” Wilco played the song as part of the “deep cuts” set at the last Solid Sound Festival in 2024, but prior to that, it hadn’t been heard live since Solid Sound 4 in 2015 and this was only the 10th time it had ever been performed by the band all-time (if existing records are to be trusted). We also got Mermaid Avenue (Vol. II)-rarity Secret Of The Sea, which Jeff remarked that the band seems to play most often at SBS because of the seaside setting (but actually only has been played at SBS twice). In any case, the jangly delight has only been played a handful over times over the past decade — too infrequently, for my tastes.
And speaking of songs that I think don’t get played enough, we also got treated to the splendid Summerteeth single Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again) for the first time (amazingly) since the first SBS in 2020. I just love that one — it’s a kind of a good litmus test of Wilco fandom if you’re in the know enough to do the accompanying handclaps — and it was heartening to see a smattering of folks clapping along.
Nothing’sever… immediately followed the acoustic arrangement of Art Of Almost that the band has been playing the past couple of years and, between the two songs, Jeff showed his superpower for reading a room (or outdoor courtyard, as it were) when he mentioned he had considered dedicating AOA to the Chicago Bears and joked about how it was too bad that we had no way of finding out what had happened in their playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. Of course, he must have known that a small percentage of the audience would undoubtedly be monitoring the outcome of the game on their mobile devices during the first part of the set. And indeed, fittingly, Wilco had just started playing AOA when I got the alerts on my phone that the game had gone final (and that the Bears had come up just short).
Between that football result and mostly the looming end of the festival, that caused a tinge of melancholy to be in the air tonight for some SBS attendees. Maybe I’m just biased as a Chicagoan and a Bears fan, but even Jeff — who might be a closet sportsball fan, but probably didn’t pay the football game too much mind — hinted as much early on in the show. He did so in his unique way, though, putting a twist on a bit of banter he has deployed to great effectiveness the past few years. “Man, I don’t want it to be over,” Jeff quipped about five songs in, pausing a beat for effect. Then he added the kicker: “I just mean everything in general.” I see what you did there, Jeffy. #wellplayed
Here was the complete setlist, as played, for Wilco’s third and final set at SBS ’26 (as mentioned, the printed setlist had A Shot In The Arm listed as the final song of the show — but it wasn’t played — and also had the order of California Stars and Cortez The Killer switched):
Wishful Thinking
Quiet Amplifier
Company In My Back
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart>
One Wing
Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull
It’s Just That Simple
Art Of Almost (acoustic arrangement)
Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again)
What Light
Hesitating Beauty
Secret Of The Sea
You And I
Impossible Germany
Hate It Here
Walken
Dark Neon
The Late Greats
Heavy Metal Drummer
I’m The Man Who Loves You
Encore:
Outtasite (Outta Mind) (with MJ Lenderman on electric guitar)
Falling Apart (Right Now)
Cortez The Killer [Neil Young] (with J. Mascis on electric guitar)
California Stars (with Gary Louris on electric guitar, Eric Slick on shaker, Liam Kazar and Spencer Tweedy on tambourine, Sammy Tweedy, Sima Cunningham, Lou Barlow and more on backing vocals)
I pledge my troth, which is worth a fair bit actually and not in bad condition as troths go.
Thanks; always a great read!