Wilco opening for Neil Young — but not in Chicago
Lots of Wilco news lately, and here’s some more — in the form of a question: Why is Wilco opening seven dates on Neil Young’s fall tour except the hometown Chicago show?
Neil Young announced his new tour this week, including two primary opening acts: Death Cab for Cutie on the first leg (Oct. 14-Nov. 5) and Wilco on the second leg (Nov. 29-Dec. 15). That second leg includes a Dec. 9 show at the Chicago-area Allstate Arena — but that date does not feature Wilco.
(Sun-Times file)
The press release announcing the tour says Wilco is on the bill “through the tour's conclusion with the exception of the Dec. 9 Chicago date which will feature (TBD) and Everest in support.”
Wilco’s publicist Deb Bernadini says the answer is pretty simple: Chicago has heard a lot from its hometown roots-rockers this year. “They just felt it was time for a break,” she says.
Indeed, it's the calm between the storms. Wilco played a five-night residency in February at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre, playing the bulk of its entire catalog. The band also just headlined for record crowds two weeks ago at Lollapalooza in Grant Park. Plus, Tweedy mentioned this week that Wilco's seventh studio album should hit shelves next spring, which means more shows.
For those who can’t ignore the harmonious pairing of Tweedy & Young, however, the closest date with Wilco opening for Young is two days earlier: Dec. 7 at Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills.
Tickets for the Chicago and Detroit shows go on sale Sept. 12 through Ticketmaster outlets. For general admission on the floor, tickets are $75; reserved seating tickets are $45-250.
Young wraps a European tour this Saturday in Germany. (His band for the eight-week North American jaunt will be the same group from the European tour: Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Chad Cromwell, Anthony Crawford and wife Pegi Young.) He then will make his annual Farm Aid benefit appearance Sept. 20 outside Boston.
Wilco, meanwhile, will be working on that new album before joining Young’s tour. Also, the band’s Glenn Kotche will perform his work “Anomaly” with Kronos Quartet (who commissioned it) Sept. 3 at Ravinia’s Martin Theatre.