Wilco – 26 June 2025 (Poble Espanyol – Barcelona)

The Chicago band Wilco, a familiar face in Barcelona due to their frequent performances in the city (some even remembered their concert in the same venue in one of the early editions of Primavera Sound back in 2004), were set to kick off the 3rd edition of the Alma Festival Barcelona. This event, which would run until the 21st of July, was hosted in the Poble Espanyol de la Ciutat Condal.

Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, Best kept Secret Festival 2016 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

The concert started off somewhat slowly in terms of rhythm, with the songs ‘Company in My Back‘ and ‘Evicted‘ reminiscent at times of some records by The Doobie Brothers or The Birds of the time with Gram Parsons as leader. Fortunately for us, Nels Cline‘s guitar came to the rescue with a superb ‘Handshake Drugs‘, and then with ‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart‘ and its catchy chorus, the pace of the concert increased by leaps and bounds.

However, the concert featured a variety of rhythms and styles. There were more folk songs, such as ‘If I Ever Was a Child‘, and more frenetic pieces, such as ‘Via Chicago‘, which showcased Glenn Kotche’s drumming skills. There were also direct Beatles-inspired pop songs, such as ‘Hummingbird‘. ‘Quiet Amplifier‘ and ‘Either Way‘ perhaps lowered the atmosphere a little too much, where there was also an excessive volume from the drums. But surprisingly, the band opted for a U-turn, accelerating the concert again with the back-to-back performance of ‘Either Way‘ and ‘Meant to Be‘, which kicked off a vibrant final third of the concert. During this, the band, led by Jeff Tweedy, performed a medley of their greatest hits.

Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, Best kept Secret Festival 2016 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

The massive karaoke rendition of ‘Jesus, etc.‘ was the perfect introduction to ‘Impossible Germany‘ and another incredible guitar solo by Nels Cline. This was followed by a jam session with ‘Heavy Metal Drummer‘, after which they said goodbye to the audience in style with what was possibly the best song of the night, an immeasurable ‘Spiders (Kidsmoke)‘, with each of the band’s musicians having their 15 seconds of recognition throughout a song with so many passages that it could be from any mid-70s Krautrock band.

Even though the audience had already risen to their feet, there was still time for some impeccable encores. These started with ‘California Stars’, a song they had recorded with Billy Bragg back in 1998. Jeff Tweedy‘s vocals were at their best during this song, and he then performed ‘Walken’ before finishing the concert with the unbridled ‘I Got You (At the End of the Century)’, which could easily have been written by their compatriots Weezer. It was a perfect end to another remarkable concert by the North Americans. They went from lowest to highest, with Nels Cline on spectacular guitar. They offered a wide range of songs from their extensive discography, and demonstrated why they are one of those bands that almost never disappoints live.