In a recent poll of readers’ opinions on the greatest living American songwriters, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy came in 20th. He’s been writing great songs for a long, since his days with the pioneering alt-country band Uncle Tupelo. While Wilco may have started out in a similar vein, it’s moved far beyond that, with a body of work that encompasses indie and experimental rock, idiosyncratic takes on classic and power pop, and more.
Over the course of two sets in their recent appearance at Wolf Trap, Wilco showed why they’re one of America’s most beloved, respect, and acclaimed bands.
As I was sitting down for the show, an old McSweeney’s piece, “What Your Favorite Sad Dad Rock Band Says About You,” popped up on my phone. The first line of the entry on Wilco was almost disturbingly accurate me: “What if your own sad dad had more shirts and more of a beard and more debt and more fun, and there was just more of him in general?”
While dad rock may be something of a pejorative, there’s a truth to that description, in that Jeff Tweedy is a loveable, goofy dork. He asked the audience to “let us know how we’re doing” after each song. He quipped that “I’m Always In Love,” which they played in a stripped-down version, is one of the few Wilco songs appropriate to play at wedding. “Via Chicago,” which opens with the line, “I dreamed about killing you again last night,” he noted, is most definitely not appropriate for a wedding, though it has apparently happened. (John Darnielle has commented, similarly, on the weirdness of the Mountain Goats’ “No Children” being played at weddings.) Jeff also mentioned the sunset, which was, indeed, quite beautiful.
Watch Wilco perform “Via Chicago” live for Songkick on YouTube:
Wilco kicked off the first set with “Handshake Drugs,” which appeared in an episode of The Bear a couple years ago, followed by “If Ever I Was a Child,” the title track from 2022’s Cruel Country, “Forget the Flowers,” “Evicted,” and “Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull.” After “I’m Always In Love,” the set continued with “Everyone Hides,” “Hummingbird,” “It’s Just That Simple,” “You and I,” and “War on War.” They finished the first with “Falling Apart (Right Now)” and “California Stars” from Mermaid Avenue, an album they made with British folk-punk singer Billy Bragg using unfinished Woody Guthrie lyrics.
The second set started with “Box Full of Letters,” followed by “Annihilation,” “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” “One Wing,” “Either Way,” and “Whole Love.” Nels Cline’s solo on “Impossible Germany” recently appeared in a Rolling Stone list of the best guitar solos. “Jesus, Etc.,” the band’s signature song, has been covered Norah Jones, Margaret Glaspy, and others. The second set continued with “You Are My Face,” “Hate It Here,” “Walken,” “Kingpin,” and “Heavy Metal Drummer.” They finished the second set with “I’m The Man Who Loves You,” and did “The Late Greats” and “I Got You (At The End of the Century”) for their encore.
All told, they played more than 30 songs, spanning their entire discography, with a little something for everyone. The band was tight and the songs were excellent, which is nothing less than you’d expected from Wilco.
Here are some photos of Wilco performing live at Wolf Trap on June 18, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Ari Strauss.
