Wilco Welcomes Mickey Raphael & Celebrates Jerry Garcia’s Birthday At Jones Beach

On Friday, Wilco began their brief time on Willie Nelson's 10th Anniversary Outlaw Music Festival at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York. The band recruited longtime Willie Nelson harmonica player Mickey Raphael to join them for the last two songs of their 75-minute set.

Wilco — frontman/guitarist Jeff Tweedy, guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Glenn Kotche, bassist John Stirratt, keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Sansone — were part of a bill at Jones Beach that featured headliners Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan along with Lucinda Williams and Waylon Payne. Jeff Tweedy and his bandmates also performed as part of the package tour on Saturday in Saratoga Springs (New York) and Sunday in Gilford (New Hampshire).

The sextet opened their set with “Story To Tell,” one of four songs featured on their 2022 studio album, Cruel Country, the band performed at Jones Beach. Wilco also went heavy on fan-favorites, including “Handshake Drugs,” “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” “Hummingbird,” “War On War,” “Impossible Germany” and “Jesus, Etc.” The group’s latest record, 2023’s Cousin, was represented by “Evicted.”

Mickey Raphael came out during Wilco’s penultimate song, “California Stars,” which features lyrics written by Woody Guthrie. Raphael delivered a quick solo and accompanied the band on the end of the tune. Jeff Tweedy then introduced Raphael and asked the harmonica player to stick around.

The Friday evening concert was played on Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia's birthday. Tweedy acknowledged the occasion and wished Garcia a happy birthday. Wilco and their guest then paid musical tribute to Jerry by covering “U.S. Blues.”

The Grateful Dead debuted “U.S. Blues” on February 22, 1974 after the song was originally presented in different form the previous year as “Wave That Flag.” A studio version of the Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter co-write was featured on the Dead’s 1974 studio album, From The Mars Hotel.

Wilco first performed “U.S. Blues” on September 10, 2022 and covered the song 15 additional times over the month that followed. “U.S. Blues” had since disappeared from the band’s setlists until Friday night at Jones Beach outside a lone performance on July 5, 2024 in Chautauqua, New York.

Watch Wilco perform “California Stars” and “U.S. Blues” with Mickey Raphael at Jones Beach via audience-shot video below:

Wilco ended their Saturday night show at SPAC and Sunday night show at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion with the same “California Stars”/”U.S. Blues” sequence. Willie Nelson invited Jeff Tweedy and members of Wilco to back him vocally on “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” at all three concerts.