Cruel Country Tour

Wilco with special guest Courtney Marie Andrews

TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park

Indianapolis, IN

August 14, 2022

Photo Gallery: Wilco

Photos by Tony Vasquez

Sunday night at the TCU Amphitheater was the setting for Wilco’s latest appearance in Indianapolis, IN, since the Chicago-based band performed at the Murat Theatre on the Ode to Joy tour in 2019. The sextet started the set with “I Am My Mother” and “Cruel Country,” two tracks from their latest album, Cruel Country. The Indy crowd rose to their feet on the third song of the evening with the first few recognizable keyboard notes of “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” 

Wilco, known for its deep catalog of material, seamlessly mixed newer songs with fan favorites. One shining example was the transition from the song “Via Chicago” from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot into the musical outro of “Many Worlds,” which is personally one of my favorite tracks from their latest release. I noticed that on several of the newer songs, including “Many Worlds,” the multi-instrumentalist, Pat Sansone, was able to showcase his guitar soloing chops. Of course, the guitar virtuoso Nels Clines also shredded on the solo during “Impossible Germany,” Jeff Tweedy even got in the string bending solo action on “At Least That’s What You Said.” 

The band was performing as a tight machine all night to the point that even Jeff Tweedy, whose banter is of legendary status, took a back seat for most of the show. Jeff’s first words to the crowd were, “I swallowed a bug. It’s one of the hazards of summer touring.” Wilco brought the opener, Courtney Marie Andrews, to the stage to sing along on “Calfornia Stars,” from the Mermaid Avenue album with Woody Guthrie poetry set to music by Billy Bragg & Wilco. They ended with the encore with the latest single from Cruel Country, “Falling Apart (Right Now),” and “I Got You (At the End of the Century) from Being There. “

For more ticket info: Wilco Cruel Country Tour

Setlist: I Am My Mother, Cruel Country, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Hints, War on War, Handshake Drugs, If I Ever Was a Child, Via Chicago ( outro with “Many Worlds”), Story to Tell, At Least That’s What You Said, Hummingbird, Bird Without a Tail/Base of My Skull, Jesus Etc., Impossible Germany, Love is Everywhere (Beware), California Stars ( Billy Bragg & Wilco cover with Courtney Marie Andrews), A Lifetime to Find, Box Full of Letters, I’m Always in Love, The Late Greats

Encore: Falling Apart (Right Now), I Got You (At the End of Century)