Wilco’s Nels Cline announces 70th birthday show w/ Lee Ranaldo & Jimmy Rip in Brooklyn

Wilco guitarist Nels Cline turned 70 last week, and he’s announced a special Brooklyn show to celebrate with two fellow guitarists who also celebrate that milestone birthday this year, Lee Ranaldo and Jimmy Rip. It happens on February 25 at Pioneer Works, and the lineup also includes Eucademix (aka Yuka Honda). Tickets are on sale now.

“Turning 70 years old seems like kind of a big deal, I must admit,” Nels writes. “When I realized that two cherished New York comrades in the guitar world were also turning 70 within weeks of my crossing over that age threshold, it occurred to me that some sort of sonic ritual performance might be in order. Hence ’70 IS THE NEW 70.’ The intent is to create an immersive, compelling 70-minute ambient exploration that reflects this experience in all its wonder, exhilaration, dread, astonishment, and creeping surreality. My guitar pals Lee Ranaldo and Jimmy Rip will join me in this endeavor. Lee will have turned 70 by the time we perform our experiment on February 25th, and Jimmy’s birthday will be imminent. I will map out a loose structure after discussing our impressions and shared feelings about this possibly meaningless number/age that feels almost monumental to me. Why ’70 is the new 70′? Because this is new! We have not been here before (unless in some unremembered past life or something). We’re still here! So let’s celebrate, contemplate, and potentially elevate together. And move forward.”

Cline recently performed as part of the Stuart Bogie-led reinterpretation of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew that closed out this year’s NYC Winter Jazzfest, and he has shows coming up as part of Wilco and his Consentrik Quartet, as well as with Grahame Lesh and Josh Medeski, Stanton Moore, and Skerik. See all dates below.

NELS CLINE: 2026 TOUR DATES
Jan 15, 2026 – Jan 19, 2026 Sky Blue Sky Festival Rivera Maya, Mexico *
Feb 4, 2026 Blue Note Tokyo Minato City, Tokyo #
Feb 5, 2026 Blue Note Tokyo Minato City, Tokyo #
Feb 25, 2026 Pioneer Works Brooklyn, NY ^
Feb 28, 2026 Suwannee Amp Jam #2 Live Oak, FL %
Mar 12, 2026 Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, NY +
Mar 13, 2026 Garcia’s Chicago Chicago, IL +
Mar 14, 2026 Garcia’s Chicago Chicago, IL (early / late) +
Mar 21, 2026 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Mar 29, 2026 Big Ears Festival – Tennessee Theatre Knoxville, TN
Jun 26, 2026 – Jun 28, 2026 Solid Sound Festival North Adams, MA *

* Wilco show
# Consentrik Quartet show
^ with Jimmy Rip, Lee Ranaldo, Eucademix
% with Grahame Lesh
+ with John Medeski, Stanton Moore & Skerik