We Are Family: Jeff Tweedy Plays Live In Philly

A rare advantage music journalists have over touring musicians is their ability to describe the feeling of being in the crowd. We pride ourselves on our vivid descriptions of getting soaked in a pit and forfeiting control of our being to the artist on stage. After hearing Jeff Tweedy perform “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter,” I’m worried the scales have swayed. 

“Lou Reed” is the most rockin’ track off Tweedy’s new Triple LP, Twilight Override, which details all the little things that make concerts so special. He highlights the “sticky carpet sucking on his shoes” and feeling the “kick kickin’ in his teeth.” These were the same feelings I had while catching Tweedy and his band perform live in Philly (just not as punk rock as Tweedy describes).

Joined by his sons, Spencer and Sammy, Finom members, Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, and Waxahatchee guitarist, Liam Kazar, Tweedy called on a familiar alt-rock dream team for this tour. 

Tweedy and friends entered Union Transfer with a vault of Wilco and solo material, but mainly relied on the new stuff. They opened with seven cuts from Twilight Override. “Parking Lots,” a numb spoken word poem, split the bending guitar-driven tracks and the delicate, backing-vocal-filled ones. In the song, Tweedy considers alternate versions of himself, including a version who is a little cooler and knows a lot about cars.

A ripping solo in the midst of “This Is How It Ends” followed. With Wilco, Tweedy guides the guitar mastery to bandmate Nels Cline, but make no mistake, Tweedy is a bonfied guitarist. Give the man some credit, Lou Reed was his babysitter. In these vintage solos, he doesn’t make it about himself, as he feeds the love into each of the band members, often transferring ‘proud dad smirks’ to Spencer and Sammy. 

The whole show has a loving family aesthetic. Yes, you can tell they want to be there, but what’s even more apparent is that they all treasure each other. Jeff even joked that he’s known each of them since they were toddlers and is responsible for their success. 

Dry humor is a key component of any Tweedy set. During the past three times I’ve seen Tweedy solo, his banter has been the heart of the performance. His usual shtick is poking fun at audiences who feel obliged to cheer for a guitar solo or clap at the end of songs—he loves to make fun of crowds that go crazy for lyrics that mention the city he’s performing in. But now that an acquainted crew backs him, the music has stolen the attention.

Tweedy still quips every few songs, but he seems much more impressed by watching his son’s dazzling percussion than boosting his ego by working for a pompous laugh from the front row. This tour, he wants things on stage to be tight, rendering an ideal sound for a live performance of Twilight Override. The audience didn’t mind the change of pace; it’s hard to feel anything but satisfaction when watching the set. It’s like watching a local family band make it big after years of working out the kinks.

During the encore, Tweedy introduced the songs, saying something along the lines of, “We’re going to cover a song we want to play, and then we’ll cover something you’ll enjoy–a special song for Philly.” The song belonging to Tweedy and Co. was “Houses,” an Elyse Weinberg track from 1968. Digging into the Philly-centric song, bassist Sima Cunningham took the mic and began singing “We Are Family”—I’m not sure if they could have picked a better song to represent the energy on stage.

Jeff Tweedy has always been a low-key rock n’ roll stud, and on the Twilight Override Tour, he’s building his legacy with friends and family. Tweedy’s Philly stop may not have felt as dirty and sweaty as the shows he describes on “Lou Reed,” but it’s a heart-warming reminder that as long as Tweedy is touring, whether it be with Wilco or with his sons, everything will be alright.

Jeff Tweedy and his band are on tour now. Find tickets here. Listen to Twilight Overide here.