Wilco celebrate 20 years of being Wilco by releasing more music and playing more shows

Wilco celebrate 20 years of being Wilco by releasing more music and playing more shows

It’s hard not to imagine Wilco’s rehearsal space/studio “The Loft” having a bell that Jeff Tweedy rings every morning, following which the various members of the Chicago band file in Seven Dwarfs style, sticking a ticket into a punch card machine and then getting down to the business of writing Wilco tunes. The volume, diversity, and quality of Wilco’s output, as well as their practically yearly world tours, is such that it would be hard to argue against the fact that they are a band that means business.

To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the band (and man didn’t that time just fly), Wilco have given us three reasons to remind ourselves of just what professionals they are:

1. They have lined up a six-night December residency at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. Each night featuring a different set list that plucks gems from their entire back catalog.

2. A greatest hits compilation will be available on November 17 called What’s Your 20: Essential Tracks 1994 - 2014. To be honest, the 38-song tracklist is such that calling the songs “essential” is an understatement. They are all practically standards of modern American music.

3. For the Wilcophiles (this author included) who can never quench their thirst for Wilco recordings, the band have also compiled a four-disc box set of rarities called Alpha Mike Foxtrot for release on November 17. This mouth-watering collection goes beyond roping in the out-of-print collections like the (a href=”http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8678-more-like-the-moon-ep/”>More Like the Moon EP and A Ghost Is Born Tour EP and includes demos from their earlier recordings, as well as Neil Young and Big Star covers and live collaborations with folks like Andrew Bird and Fleet Foxes. On top of that, you get essays and liner notes by the band and unseen photos. The vinyl of Alpha Mike Foxtrot will be limited to 7000 copies worldwide. I think I need to change my pants.

Tickets for the six-night residency will be available here and you can pre-order the greatest hits and rarities compilations here.

Dates:

10.21.14 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
10.22.14 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
10.23.14 - Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre
10.25.14 - Raleigh, NC - North Carolina Museum of Art
10.28.14 - Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theatre
10.29.14 - Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theatre
12.03.14 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
12.05.14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
12.06.14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
12.08.14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
12.09.14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
12.11.14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
12.12.14 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre

• Wilco: http://wilcoworld.net

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