REVIEW: Our Weekend at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival

Jul 6

06/26-6/28 @ MASS MoCA, North Adams MA

“With an incredible lineup, including a plethora of music performances, several comedy cabarets, surprise musical pop-ups, and world class contemporary art, there was a lot of ground to cover — both literally and figuratively.”

For three days, music, art, comedy and joy filled the grounds of MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. Solid Sound, the festival curated by Wilco, brought multiple stages and artists of all states into town to the delight of an infatuated audience. James Mullen, Jonathan Patrizio, Dana Brady and TJ Foster were on hand to talk about the action, while Nate Bogardus, Maggie Aulman and Alison Bachorik documented it on camera. Read on for an extensive recap of the jam-packed weekend.

Day One
Words by James Mullen

When I crossed the threshold into MASS MoCA and entered Solid Sound for the first time, it was obvious that I had been missing out on a transcendent experience; this was hands down one of the most unique venues I have ever been to. The layout of the grounds, with its two courtyards, Joe’s Field, and the industrial-style architecture of the renowned museum, makes Solid Sound feel like an entire world unto itself. Poets-for-hire feverishly pounding away on vintage typewriters, pop-up sets among immersive art exhibits, and a true melting pot of food vendor options, fill the weekend with things you won’t find at any other musical experience.

As the clock drew ever closer to the 5 p.m. start time for the first big stage performance, the crowd began to swell from all corners of the campus and swarm around Courtyard D like a hivemind buzzing in anticipation of Billy Bragg’s first-ever appearance at Solid Sound. The heavens momentarily opened with a good old northeast summer downpour. Although the rain pummeled the crowd, the show went on as the audience refused to scatter, some even taking shelter under the eaves on the edges of the courtyard, causing Bragg to remark, “It looks like Glastonbury now, you’re all wet!”

He delivered a rousing anti-fascist message throughout his set with poignant and heartfelt protest lyrics, demonstrating how seriously he takes his role as an artist and activist. He described last winter’s protests against ICE in Minneapolis as “Trump’s Stalingrad” before a performance of “City of Heroes.” Closing out his set, he reminded the crowd that music alone can’t change the world, but it does have a certain power. He said that performing these songs and hearing the audience’s response helps recharge his activism, and he hopes it does the same for everyone. “Always remember that there’s a courtyard full of people in North Adams who feel the same! You’ve heard their voices!”

Following Bragg’s cathartic set were excellent performances by Sharp Pins on the Courtyard C stage — Chicago natives like Wilco, with a high-energy, almost shoegazy indie-rock sound — and Gang of Four, who warmed up the crowd on the main stage in Joe’s Field with their signature post-punk energy and a stage light display that formed the Palestinian Flag in support of those suffering in Gaza.

All through the day though, you could feel the anticipation building for the night’s main event: Billy Bragg and Wilco taking the stage together. The two set to perform songs from the Mermaid Avenue sessions for the first time since recording their trilogy of Woody Guthrie tribute albums. The initial album was released in 1998, meaning this was 28 years in the making. When the time finally came, they delivered something no one in attendance could ever forget. The performance spanned the entire Mermaid Avenue catalogue, complete with a surprise appearance from Natalie Merchant to sing with Bragg on “Way Over Yonder In the Minor Key,” a cover of “All You Fascists Bound To Lose,” and a touching tribute to Jay Bennet, who Jeff Tweedy hailed as an integral part of the project and a driving force behind many of the Mermaid Avenue songs.

As they returned for their encore, Tweedy and Bragg embraced in an intimate moment that prompted a big audience reaction. They then invited all of the artists from the day to join them for their final two songs of the night, including Woody’s daughter Nora and his great-grandchildren who all lent their talents to “California Stars” and a special rendition of Woody’s timeless protest folk anthem, “This Land Is Your Land.” After the song, Jeff thanked Nora for sharing Woody’s songs with them to which Nora replied, “I waited 28 years to have Billy on one arm and Jeff on the other!” It was a touching end to the first day of Solid Sound that laid the groundwork for an unforgettable weekend to follow.

Day Two
Words by Jonathan Patrizio

As a massive Wilco fan, Solid Sound has been on my radar since its inception. I have traveled to Chicago to see the band, met them and got a copy of Schmilco signed in an intimate setting, but never made it to Wilco Mecca. That all changed last Saturday, and words like ‘ecstatic’ and ‘mesmerized’ only scratched the surface of what I was feeling as I made my way into MASS MoCA shortly after the gates opened. With an incredible lineup for the day, including a plethora of music performances, several comedy cabarets, surprise musical pop-ups, and world class contemporary art, there was a lot of ground to cover — both literally and figuratively.

As I made my way in, the bars and restaurants were open and buzzing with early customers, and there was a small ensemble playing right outside the entrance. The vibes were off the charts already. I made my way through the lobby and out to the Speedway where the infamous rustic metal W-I-L-C-O letters were wrapped around a portion of the building; a temporary installation for the festival that I couldn’t believe I was seeing in person. I then doubled back for the beginning of Official Claire’s set in Courtyard C before going inside to the Hunter Center to catch some of the comedy.

Going from the bright and sunny outdoors straight into a dark theatre was extremely disorienting as it turns out, but the ushers were readily available to assist folks to a seat. I sat down in the middle of Hodgeman’s opening set as emcee before Emmy Blotnick took the stage and performed a hilarious short set. Eager to not miss anything, I split after that to head over to Courtyard D for Souled American.

Once the sun began taking a toll, I decided to check out one of my favorite galleries at the museum: James Turrell’s “Into The Light.” The pieces use soft, yet brilliant colored lights to shape an otherwise dark room, with some of the pieces utilizing dark hallways as a lead-up to the piece to fully immerse the viewer. From a pink outline of a white wall to a television screen projected on a wall with a single chair, it was a nice change of pace from the sun-soaked courtyard.

From there, it was time for Living Hour, a band out of Winnipeg. I had the chance to speak with one of their founding members, Gil Carroll, ahead of the festival. I knew I needed to see them in person. During their set, Tweedy himself joined them on a cover of Silver Jew’s “We Could Be Looking For The Same Thing.” Gil tells me after the set what it was like to live out a dream:

“It’s so evident when he gets up on stage the kind of star power he has; it was just so cool to not only have the chance to meet him, but to have him sing with us.”

Their brand of indie-rock and shoegaze was the perfect fit for the festival and very well received by the crowd. After their set was the Mini-Mekons in Courtyard D, whom our very own Maggie Aulman had the chance to chat with. The post-punk legends shared stories, laughs, and even the latest genre they’ve embraced: folk. From there, it was time to explore some surprises.

One of the coolest components of Solid Sound is the pop-up shows that are scheduled (or not). While making my way around the compound, I happened upon a group of people sitting down in front of a woman at a piano. She was walking them through a call-and-response. Admittedly, I had no idea who it was but I was intrigued. When she started singing “Wonderment,” I said to myself, “Holy shit, it’s Natalie Merchant.” As it turns out, we had happened upon her soundcheck, but patiently waited for 20 minutes for her to return. It was one of the coolest moments of the weekend, and for me in general; I grew up hearing her voice in my mother’s car, from 10,000 Maniacs to her solo material.

About halfway through the day at Joe’s Field, it was time for those in attendance to break the world record for most people yo-yoing at once. I was one of 5,000 people, including members of Wilco & The Breeders, as we all yo-yo’d to The Flaming Lips’ “Fight Test.” It was an unforgettable part of the festival, where attendees young and old participated in a fun, childlike moment.

Afterwards, there were standout performances from Prewn, SG Goodman, Elizabeth Moen, and Ryan Davis between both courtyards, followed by The Breeders back on the main stage. The longtime project of Kim Deal (ex-Pixies) was firing on all cylinders. The music was tight and energetic and their crowd interaction made it feel like we were watching old friends on stage, making a crowd of thousands feel much smaller.

Following them on the main stage were the hosts themselves. Wilco had been touring leading up to Solid Sound and it showed. While Friday night’s show was a one-off classic album set, Saturday’s included songs from almost their entire discography, and special guests like Merchant returning for “You & I,” Sylvan Esso using sequencers on “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” and former member Leroy Bach playing piano on “Handshake Drugs,” a song he played on for Wilco’s Grammy-winning A Ghost Is Born. The set was maybe the most loose and relaxed I've seen them play (this being my eighth time) — at times, their Grateful Dead & Neil Young influences were quite prevalent with the way they were extending solos and jamming. They even debuted two “works in progress” called “Flawed Men” and “Losing Traction” — hopefully a sign of a new album in the works.

For a festival that was running tightly on schedule up until that point, Wilco’s set ran a bit late (to the complaints of no one), which means the “late-night” festivities were already underway. For the first time all day, music was happening simultaneously in both courtyards as well as the Hunter Center. Sylvan Esso performed a DJ set in Courtyard C, The Messtathetics & James Brandon Lewis played their brand of instrumental prog in Courtyard D, and Setting was in the Hunter Center. The latter was where I ended up spending most of my remaining time. The trio consisted of drums, synths/sequencers, and a multi-instrumentalist playing piano, percussion, and banjo, which was being run through effects that made it sound like a sitar at times. Performing completely improvised music, they ended up being one of my favorite acts of the day and kept me glued to my seat, despite telling myself I'd leave much earlier to get home.

Overall, it was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had going to a festival. It felt like everything was thought of and addressed. Re-entry, water stations, first aid with free sunscreen, bug spray, ear plugs, and more, plenty of restrooms, food options, entertainment for families, and more. The ultimate experience for both artists and patrons, and MASS MoCA served as the perfect venue. With the festival only running every two years, 2028 can’t come soon enough.

Day Three
Words by Dana Brady and TJ Foster

Meandering into the MASS MoCA grounds, one thing became immediately clear: we were in the midst of a devoted crowd. For the third day of a festival, one might expect a sea of exhausted faces, pushing through on sheer adrenaline and caffeine. On the contrary; everyone just seemed ready for more music.

Sam & Louise Sullivan was the first act we caught, the courtyard stage directly in front of us as we exited through the gift shop, Banksy style. The siblings sang in perfect harmony as only vocalists related by blood could, with the four musicians behind them following suit, tight as can be. The joy on stage was palpable, a clear sign that the festival’s goal of platforming some underground artists alongside established ones was more than appreciated.

Traveling further into the gallery’s grounds, the Catskills-based Hannah Cohen took the stage in the second courtyard. Cohen’s sound had a dreamy and easy quality to it that felt light and airy, even up against the oppressive heat index; picture a mix of ’70s soul and modern-day pop melding together. Scanning the crowd, we caught sight of a person dressed in what looked to be a full monster costume. Closer to the stage, another person was operating a white fuzzy llama-like puppet. Between the vintage throwbacky feel of Cohen’s set and the presence of these guys, it felt like we were briefly transported to a bizarro version of the original Sesame Street. Or maybe our eyes were just starting to play tricks on us.

It’s here we went our separate ways for a bit, seeking out lunch (a to-die-for Caribbean jerk pork sandwich for TJ, and a Thai peanut salad for Dana), followed by a visit to the festival’s free photo booth, and a trek to the main stage for a performance from English prog-folk artist, Rich(ard) Dawson. The latter provided an almost immediate sunburn. Worth it. Despite being the lone musician on stage, Dawson gave a commanding performance, best described as Glen Hansard meets Jack Black (seriously). His hyper-specific lyricism was interspersed with dry wit between songs — at one point he quips he has to tune his guitar by ear, because it is from 1964, and he could only ever find tuners from 1963 and 1965. A joke so stupid, I laughed my ass off and haven’t forgotten it.

At 4:00 p.m., Nels Cline’s Consentrik Quartet began making some organized noise. At 4:02, the sky opened up, cooling the crowd off with a bit of rain for almost the entirety of the group’s set, which featured a saxophonist, a drummer, an upright bassist and Cline himself, shredding an electric guitar connected to two pedal boards. The drummer played in a fashion that would make even J.K. Simmons from Whiplash proud. It’s not often you hear pleasantly cacophonous jazz, or songs in 9/4 time, and when asked how to describe such a set, Dana was quick to pronounce it “Panera Bread on acid.” Perfect.

The sun re-emerged just in time for Tweedy himself to take the stage one last time, as everyone on the grounds wandered to the main field. The expansive crowd began batting around a few inflatable beach balls (or large balloons, perhaps?) with “THANK YOU” and “BE KIND” scrawled on them, gently along the sea of heads. After a brief hiccup involving a keyboard suddenly going on the fritz early into their set, Tweedy and the band played on seamlessly in the sunshine, mixing in fan-favorites with covers and newer standouts like “Caught Up in the Past” and “One Tiny Flower” from his most recent, sprawling triple album, Twilight Override. A fitting end to a glorious weekend.

Photos below by Maggie Aulman: