The Jayhawks’ Gary Louris Joins Jeff Tweedy In North Carolina

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy continued his current solo tour with a performance Friday at Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, North Carolina. The Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris, who recorded with Tweedy on Golden Smog albums dating back the mid-1990s, accompanied Tweedy on a pair of songs from those releases.

As expected, Tweedy’s set was constructed mainly of Wilco tunes, such as the opening “Via Chicago,” as well as “Ashes of American Flags,” “Passenger Side,” “Jesus, Etc.,” “Hummingbird” and “I’m The Man Who Loves You,” among others. He also played “New Madrid” from his pre-Wilco band Uncle Tupelo and “Remember the Mountain Bed” from the Billy Bragg Mermaid Ave. collaboration. New Tweedy originals “Drawing From Memory,” “New Wave Theater” and “Let’s Go Rain” also made Friday’s setlist.

Louris emerged to join Tweedy on acoustic guitar and vocals on “Radio King,” which the pair wrote for the 1995 Golden Smog album Down by the Old Mainstream. The duo also offered a take on “Pecan Pie,” a song often performed by Tweedy that he wrote for the same Golden Smog LP.

The encore saw vocalists Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart of supporting act OHMME backing Tweedy on “Ain’t No Doubt About It,” which Jeff wrote and recorded with Mavis Staples on her latest album. The guests also augmented “California Stars” from the Woody Guthrie Mermaid Ave. project.

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