Yesterday I discussed the final performance of The Band and today we visit another “last waltz,” it too deeply rooted in americana. 20 years ago tonight, Uncle Tupelo played their final gig, at Mississippi Nights in their hometown of St. Louis. It was a bittersweet celebration and I’m not sure the years have diminished that heart-tugging disappointment all that much. Sure, in the wake of this show, Jay Farrar (and former drummer, Mike Heidorn) went on to form Son Volt, while Jeff Tweedy, Max Johnston, John Stirratt, and Ken Coomer went on to form Wilco. But, neither band was Uncle Tupelo. No shame in that, but it’s the truth. RIP UT.
A couple years ago I put together a history of Uncle Tupelo, which you should visit as soon as you’re done here. So, rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m gonna excerpt the end of that post — with a few revisions — because I stand by what I said then, and quoting myself is one of my favorite hobbies.
Uncle Tupelo – Looking For A Way Out
Mississippi Nights, St. Louis
May 1, 1994
Over the last 20 years, it’s normal to speculate on the possibility of an Uncle Tupelo reunion (unlikely), but that query overlooks the fact that there WAS an Uncle Tupelo reunion. Mike Heidorn returned to the drumkit for Uncle Tupelo’s penultimate song, “Looking For A Way Out,” the 2nd track from their best album (in my opinion), Still Feel Gone. The reunion briefly creates a pallor of goodwill in the room as Farrar and Tweedy obviously relish the opportunity to play one last time with their old friend. One last time for Heidorn to be the secret glue that held the whole operation together. It’s a great moment lucky enough to be caught on film.
On a side note, “Looking For A Way Out” is the obvious precursor to Slobberbone‘s “That Is All,” but I think it also anticipates “Distopian Dream Girl” off Built To Spill‘s classic, There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994). This comparison makes sense when you consider that Doug Martsch‘s role as lead guitarist in his power trio wasn’t all that different from Farrar’s role in the old power trio version of UT.
I spoke earlier of the musical continuum. It’s worth noting that the one song to appear on Uncle Tupelo, Slobberbone, and Built To Spill setlists is “Cortez The Killer.” Discuss amongst yourselves.
Uncle Tupelo/Coffee Creek – Gimme Three Steps
Mississippi Nights, St. Louis
May 1, 1994
And so the Uncle Tupelo story ends here, with a little Skynyrd. Why the fuck not? Brian Henneman of the Bottle Rockets — UT’s guitar tech and 2nd guitarist on and off from 1990-93 — sings lead mainly because he was the only guy who knew all the words! It’s fun to watch now because we’re removed from the moment, but I have to imagine that at the time it was more of a half fun, half sad whistle past the graveyard type deal. Given Henneman’s lead vocal and guitar, you could make the argument that this final Uncle Tupelo ever is actually more of a Coffee Creek reunion/performance than UT proper, but it’s close enough for historical purposes.
If you really want your mind blown, consider this timeline fact.
- Uncle Tupelo’s first show – June 30, 1987
- Uncle Tupelo’s last show – May 1, 1994
The duration between those two dates is 6 years, 10 months, and 1 day. The current incarnation of Wilco, a band once seemingly fraught with change, has basically been in place since spring 2004. That’s a full decade, over 3 years longer than the entirety of Uncle Tupelo. Stupid ravages of time.
Uncle Tupelo is one of my favorite bands ever, and one of the indisputably great, yet tragically short-lived American rock ‘n’ roll bands that includes Creedence, Nirvana, The Minutemen, and the Velvet Underground. Every now and then it’s good to be reminded of how awesome they were.
“No more will I see you
No more will I see you
No more will I see you.”