Wilco’s Cruel Country Tour Broke our San Diego Hearts Last Week at Cal Coast Credit Union OAT

When Wilco hits the stage, they don’t need to do much talking to hype up the crowd. Fans come to experience moving musicianship from seasoned professionals. And, Wilco’s newest album, Cruel Country, was the perfect vehicle for this intimate evening.

Jeff Tweedy and the team kicked off the show with the 20-year-old “Handshake Drugs.” Nels Cline’s scorching guitar warned the crowd that the band was ready to put on a well-thought-out, experienced show. The perfect drug for a Saturday evening indeed. The band followed with “I Am Your Mother” and “Cruel Country.”

Cruel Country was released earlier this year and discusses America’s tumultuous history. Just like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, released one week after the attack on NYC and the Twin Towers, revealed the complexity and strangeness plaguing America, Cruel Country is bold enough to discuss our current fractured state.

Fans were treated to perfectly crafted renditions of 24 songs. Crowd favorites included “Hummingbird,” “Jesus Etc.” “Impossible Germany,” and the obligatory “California Stars.” Tweedy commented how good it always felt to play “California Stars” in California. Jeff, we agree.