After a four-year absence, Wilco returned for another show at the picturesque Beak and Skiff Apple Orchard in Lafayette on June 16. The laid back field amidst the apple trees is the perfect atmosphere to receive their loose, playful, but practiced nuggets of songcraft. No one would complain if they set up there yearly, but the wait gave their central New York fanbase ample time to build up a voracious appetite.

Pioneers of the alt-country genre, they are like Johnny Appleseed, grafting different genres together, providing a healthy variety of flavor profiles that kept the audience smiling and engaged throughout their two-set concert, for well over two hours. The quantity of gems written by this band is astounding, and there wasn’t a mealy tasteless one among the whole bunch. Hit after hit, singalong after singalong, fan favorites all night long.

Looking for a taste of twang-riddled country, how about “Forget the Flowers”? In the mood for a heft jam out, take a bite out of “Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull,” Nels Cline and Pat Sansone weaved intricate and beautiful guitar lines while Glen Kotche lead the improv through waves of rhythm, building to a peak of tom rumbles before crashing into splashes of cymbals. Maybe a straight rocker is more your style, then how about “Shouldn’t Be Ashamed” with Cline laying into the distortion pedals. The honking and tonking “Falling Apart (Right Now)” brought the first set to a close with some cosmic country guitar work, more genre-grafting, tart and crispy.

Lead singer Jeff Tweedy was his usual sarcastic and fun self, comfortably bantering with the crowd throughout the night, whether it be praising the owners of a dog for giving it ear protection, or chastising kids for tossing a football during what he deemed to be a standout version of “It’s Just That Simple.” With Tweedy taking over bass and John Stirrat could take lead vocal duties, he wasn’t wrong there, a memorable performance of the country ballad. Seeing a family taking a selfie in between songs, he offered to take it for them, so they tossed him his phone and he snapped off a few. There’s a keeper! Like a seasoned comic, he would often callback to the fan interactions later in the show, the night becoming an inside joke for all in attendance.

The second set pulled the crowd deeper into the orchard, giving the audience opportunities to belt out the lyrics with Tweedy, swaying along with friends and singing along to “Either Way,” and “Jesus Etc.” Cline was given the floor for a step-aside-I’ve-got-this feature-length solo on “Impossible Germany” sating the guitar-enthusiasts hunger. “Kingpin” later featured some Grateful Dead-style choogle, in a more democratic show of force. In one of their more experimental varieties, “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” turned alt-country motorik. But by the end they brought it down to a more familiar folk music level, getting the audience to sing the iconic guitar melody over and over, louder and louder. A communal moment to bring the crowd and band together one last time.

See you again in four years Wilco?!

Setlist

Set 1: Handshake Drugs, If I Ever Was a Child, Cruel Country, Forget the Flowers, Evicted, Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull, I’m Always in Love, Everyone Hides, Hummingbird, It’s Just That Simple, You and I, Shouldn’t Be Ashamed, Via Chicago, California Stars, Falling Apart (Right Now)

Set 2: Box Full of Letters, Annihilation, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, War on War, Either Way, Impossible Germany, Jesus Etc., Theologians, Walken, Kingpin, Heavy Metal Drummer, I’m the Man Who Loves You, Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Encore: The Late Greats, I Got You (At the End of the Century)