Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy engaged in a contentious discussion with a fan during a solo show on Friday night at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Tweedy was apparently set off by the audience member shouting “Kavanaugh” at him. Jeff’s combative exchange with the supporter of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who today was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the United States Supreme Court, lasted for over five minutes. The fan was later removed from The Fillmore by venue security as per multiple reports.

The heated back-and-forth came towards the back end of Tweedy’s main set in San Francisco on Friday. bböp, a member of a Wilco fansite known for his insightful and accurate show reviews, notes “Jeff made a joke about how each person in the audience should yell out some sort of ‘affirmation’ between songs” following a performance of “Impossible Germany.” One audience member bellowed “Kavanaugh” in response and according to bböp’s report, Tweedy quickly started verbally sparring with the man. Jeff asked the Kavanaugh supporter what he liked about the judge to which the attendee noted the judge ratified Roe v. Wade. Tweedy was fully set off at this point and said the following:

“I will tell you what I think. I think he’s a lying sack of shit with ugly, chicklet teeth. I think there’s about a thousand people that could have been picked, but the point was for them to be cruel. The point was to show women that they are not going to be fucking paid attention to. That’s the whole point. They are not going to be listened to. That’s the whole point. If they had any decency at all, they would have chosen somebody else. They had the votes … anybody else. Don’t you think that would have brought the country together?”

The audience broke out in a huge cheer at that point. However, the man who originally screamed “Kavanaugh” wasn’t finished and asked why it took so long for sexual assault allegations to be brought up against the judge. “When is the best time to bring up sexual assault, sir,” Tweedy responded and soon added, “They didn’t bring it up until the last minute … that’s the reason that you want Kavanaugh to be rammed through?” The audience member apparently mentioned he didn’t attend the concert to argue with Jeff and that he loved the performer. “You love me? So why would you taunt me like that?” and added yelling Kavanaugh at him was tantamount to “hate speech.”


Jeff eventually turned his attention to the child of the man who screamed out “Kavanaugh.” Tweedy can be heard saying “Is that your dad? I’m sorry buddy” and responded to comments that couldn’t be heard by saying, “I’m sure he’s a good dad” and “I’m happy to play my music for you guys” before starting a new song with the tentative title “Let’s Go Rain.” bböp’s report noted the incident came up within Tweedy’s banter a few more times later in the show. “I was just trying to think of a scenario when I would go to a show and taunt somebody,” bböp paraphrased Jeff — who was shaking his fist in a joking manner — as saying after “California Stars” who then yelled out “Ginsberg!” Watch video featuring most of the “Kavanaugh” incident shot by Nick Jong:

A Twitter user claiming to be the man who verbally sparred with Jeff Tweedy at The Fillmore shared a few thoughts after the concert:


Jeff Tweedy plays the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Saturday evening. A webcast of his Rooster Stage set begins at 5:45 p.m. PT here.

Setlist

Jeff Tweedy at The Fillmore Bombs Above

Some Birds

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

New Madrid

Having Been Is No Way to Be

Family Ghost

Remember the Mountain Bed

Evergreen

Passenger Side

Hummingbird

You and I

Impossible Germany

Let's Go Rain

Either Way

Jesus, Etc.

California Stars Encore I'm the Man Who Loves You

Misunderstood

Acuff-Rose

A Shot in the Arm