Wilco tour charts U.S., European concert dates for spring

After supporting Neil Young on tour for the latter half of 2008, alt-country band Wilco has outlined its own set of national and international headlining dates for spring. The U.S. leg of the tour begins with an April 14-15 stand at Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, WI, and closes out with an April 25 appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA.

Other stops on the U.S. jaunt include an April 18 show at Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, TN, and an April 21 gig at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville, NC. New Mexico-based duo A Hawk and a Hacksaw will provide support for all nine U.S. performances through an April 23 show at The Lyric in Oxford, MS.

A second leg of touring will take Wilco overseas for a block of nine more shows in Spain and Portugal from May 23 through June 4. Scattered festival performances cover the rest of the summer, including a June 13 set at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN.

Public onsales for the first four concerts of the spring tour — April 14-15 in Milwaukee, April 16 in Bloomington, and April 17 in Athens — begin today, February 27.

The current lineup of Wilco is composed of singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cine, drummer Glenn Kotche, pianist Mikael Jorgensen, and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. The band, known for its often changing and experimental sound, is still touring behind its 2007 album “Sky Blue Sky.” The album hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting release from the group.

Wilco debuted in 1995 with “A.M.” but didn’t receive critical and commercial notice until releasing their fourth album, 2002’s hit “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” That release hit No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and was the band’s first album to chart within the top 50. The band followed up that album with the acclaimed “A Ghost Is Born” in 2004, which debuted at No. 8.

Wilco itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)