Eight songs into Wilco's set Thursday night at the First Interstate Center for the Arts, guitarist Nels Cline went on one of his patented lengthy solos on "Impossible Germany." It was a blend of avant garde noise and perfect stinging notes that Cline loves delivering, and that regularly transports the band's fans at shows into some soaring other dimension before he reels the solo back in and locks in with the other five men on stage.
On this night, it seems like it took lead singer Jeff Tweedy off into that other realm, too.
"I missed that," Tweedy told the roughly half-full room after the song's conclusion drew a raucous response of appreciation. "I think that was good for me."
Indeed, the same could be said for this show kicking off a co-headlining tour with Wilco and Sleater-Kinney, the first major indoor concert in Spokane since March 2020 and, Tweedy said, Wilco's first performance in 512 days. Vaccinations and masks were encouraged among attendees, but not required, and pandemic trepidation and an indoor environment amid the Delta variant spread surely played a part in the attendance being less than a full house. For those who did rally, though, the arrival of an actual Big Rock Show was a welcome blast of normalcy.
At face value, the pairing of bands could be seen as odd, given Sleater-Kinney's history as punk pioneers evolving out of the riot grrrl movement and Wilco's occasionally twangy brand of classic rock. But both bands have always had more colors in their sonic palettes than casual observers would give them credit for, and Sleater-Kinney's new album Path of Wellness veers closer to straightforward rock territory (musically at least) than they've ever been, while Tweedy and Co. have always been more aggressive live than their recorded output might imply.
Sleater-Kinney started the evening, and this is the third tour in a row they've launched in Spokane, along with the third different lineup Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein have brought with them. This version includes guitarist Fabi Reyna (who really stood out via some excellent solos and energy), drummer Vince Lirocchi, bassist Bill Athens and keyboardist Galen Clark.
The band played seven of the 11 songs on Path of Wellness, and while Sleater-Kinney's focus on their latest album was no surprise, their disinterest in delving back into "classic" band anthems was noteworthy. I don't remember the last time I saw Sleater-Kinney when they didn't play a single tune from Dig Me Out or The Hot Rock. They only played one song from before their seventh album, The Woods (the title track to 2002's One Beat).
That's not necessarily a bad thing, as this is a band that's been evolving mightily the last few years, expanding their sound in unexpected ways. Songs from their divisive 2019 album The Center Won't Hold proved to be among the strongest performances Thursday (particularly "Hurry On Home" and "Can I Go On"), while the new songs were naturally more tentative. The opening one-two of "Path of Wellness" and "High in the Grass" were solid, even if delivered to a seated, less-than-energetic audience. But more and more people got engaged (and on their feet) as the band hit on songs like "Price Tag," "Bury Our Friends," "Jumpers," "Modern Girl" and "A New Wave." I'd be curious to see how this touring lineup gels through this tour and how much better the new songs fit in with the old.
As always, though, watching the interplay of Brownstein and Tucker is a treat. Brownstein is a true rock god guitarist, a blast to see shimmy on stage, and Tucker's wail remains the same, and delightfully so. (You can see Sleater-Kinney's full setlist below)
Wilco took the stage roughly a half-hour after Sleater-Kinney left and promptly settled in with an inspired blast of "A Shot in the Arm" followed by "Random Name Generator," two rocking songs that let everyone in the band build up a head of steam.
While they did play three songs from their latest album, Ode to Joy, Wilco delivered tunes from no less than 10 releases, a pleasing sprawl of a setlist that held plenty of favorites for old fans: "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," "Jesus, Etc.," "I"m the Man Who Loves You," "I'm Always in Love." Introducing "Box Full of Letters," a tune from their 1995 debut, Tweedy said "this is the longest we have gone without playing this song, for sure."
Wilco is a band full of ace players, from the aforementioned Cline to drummer Glenn Kotchke, bassist John Stirratt, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, and in Tweedy they have an excellent songwriter leading the band.
It's hard to imagine Wilco ever having a bad night, but this show — again, their first in 512 days — felt different. As Tweedy put it between exhortations to get vaccinated and thank yous, this touring rock and roll thing feels all new again. That's true for the audiences who've been craving seeing their favorite bands. And it's obviously true for the artists in Wilco and Sleater-Kinney, who genuinely seemed elated to be on stage again. (See Wilco's setlist below).
Wilco setlist
1. A Shot in the Arm
2. Random Name Generator
3. Before Us
4. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
5. Art of Almost
6. If I Ever Was a Child
7. On and On and On
8. Impossible Germany
9. Love is Everywhere (Beware)
10. Box Full of Letters
11. Born Alone
12. Jesus, Etc.
13. Theologians
14. I'm the Man Who Loves You
15. Everyone Hides
16. Heavy Metal Drummer
17. I'm Always in Love
18. Ashes of American Flags
19. California Stars
Sleater-Kinney setlist
1. Path of Wellness
2 High in the Grass
3. Hurry On Home
4. Price Tag
5. Down The Line
6. What's Mine Is Yours
7. Can I Go On
8. Bury Our Friends
9. Shadow Town
10. Worry With You
11. Reach Out
12. Jumpers
13. Bring Mercy
14. Complex Female Characters
15. Surface Envy
16. Modern Girl
17. A New Wave
18. One Beat
19. Entertain
