By N Calvino // Photos by Sam Mauri
Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival is one of the greatest music festivals that America has to offer. Full stop. Enough has been put to paper on the history of the band’s biennial takeover of the Mass MoCA campus. It is – without fail – three days of music and art in an accessible environment. One thing I’ve come to realize over the years is that I don’t love writing reviews. I’ve been doing music journalism in some form or fashion since 2008, and every time I finish a review of a show or an album…I’m left with this nagging feeling that I cannot possibly say everything I want to say and that I don’t have the proper time to convey everything that should be said.
In the spirit of that collective experience, I’ve asked some fellow attendees to weigh in on their experiences in the hopes that it paints a bigger, better picture than this one person’s take could ever try and accomplish.
“The sense of discovery was really fantastic”
When was your first Solid Sound? What was that one like for you?
From the smoke of a Yankee Hotel Foxtrot full court press, beating from beyond the bridge, dawn of midi, an acoustic techno set, the air thickens and spills, waves of consequence rebounding over brick, under shoes, the world turned into an aquarium, a million moon black hole summer, a slam dunk, thudding, oblique rhythms, the textures are changing, gravel in your palm in your ear, the hammering of a prepared piano, a feeling dripping, viscous, into the tapping of a drum, supplicants at the altar of sickle sweet summer, drowning in the honeyed love as a stream, soaking, the music stops, you trudge home three miles, it is 2017.
First Solid Sound was the very first of its kind in 2010. I consider my timing so lucky – I moved to Boston from the Midwest in 2006, and first saw Wilco in 2008 at Tanglewood in the Berkshires with Andrew Bird. It was one of the most magical concerts I’d ever attended. I already liked Wilco, but seeing them live brought my fandom to a whole new level. To have a whole festival hosted by my favorite band just a couple hours from home immediately as my die-hard fandom was birthed seemed like a no brainer. And it was so small, then, and so familial. My first night there having been inside the gates for barely any time at all, I stood in line behind Nels and Yuka Honda for food and I knew [it] was going to be special.
First was 2011, the 2nd one. I was 17 and my dad (who I got into Wilco) brought me. It was fantastic, as they’ve all been since, and looking back it really brought my dad and I together in a new way, exposed us both to lots of new music and comedy and art too. Funnily enough the things that stuck with me the most about that year were exhibits at MoCA: Sol LeWitt, All Utopias Fell (the airstream trailer), Katerina Grosse.
2013. That was a pretty magical year- the covers set, a bunch of my favorite bands in Low, Yo La Tengo, The Dream Syndicate…immediately solidified as a special fest.
My first Solid Sound was 2013. I attended the first two days and was – in retrospect – too eager to make sets work for my schedule rather than absorb it as a festival participant. The all-covers set remains one of the most fun shows I’ve ever seen.
The 1-2-3 punch of “The Boys Are Back in Town,” “Cut Your Hair,” and “In the Street” was really gratifying for my inner, younger self.
2011 – it made me believe that I could actually go to festivals and enjoy them. It might have been 2013. I never enjoyed big events until Solid Sound. I supposed I’d heard too many horror stories from Bonnaroo and events like that. Too many people, nastiness in general, bad behavior. Solid Sound is well run and I love its location at Mass MOCA. It’s the context I guess. The crowd is always pretty lovely too.
My first Solid Sound was in 2015. I had just started really getting into Wilco because my partner was obsessed with them and, having been to the 2013 Solid Sound themselves, pitched the festival enthusiastically to me. It was kind of my first real festival in general–besides going to Virgin Fest when I was 13 and an indoor iteration of Pitchfork in Paris in 2012, I had never been to an all-out music festival. I had also only been to Mass MoCA a scant handful of times. I pretty much instantly fell in love with the festival. First, you’re guaranteed to see Wilco twice, and knowing that they always put on an excellent show means you can already count on some great music. But the lineup that year was crazy, and we went out of our way to see several acts in smaller venues near Philadelphia (where we lived at the time) so that if we had to miss anything we could jump into a set mid-stream and still get something out of it. So Jessica Pratt, Real Estate, Ryley Walker, William Tyler, and Mac DeMarco were among the acts I’d already gotten to see within the previous calendar year–but I think we actually wound up seeing all of their full sets anyway. I still remember a lot of highlights from those sets. William Tyler’s song “Highway Anxiety” left a huge impact on me at that festival specifically–it was so hot and we were standing on the pavement in Courtyard D, and hearing him talk about his driving anxiety made the song feel much more intimate and personal. There were other touches about the festival that struck me then and continue to set the vibe for the weekend each time we return: mainly the atmosphere itself, which is full of extremely welcoming fans in possibly the widest age range I’ve ever seen at a major event like this. Since it’s so kid-friendly, it’s heartwarming to see the fest pull out all the stops to make families feel totally welcome in the space. I had really never seen that before. There were also just little atmospheric highlights that stand out to me: we ordered a snack box and had a picnic on Joe’s Field waiting for the Real Estate set; any time I got too tired it felt kind of magical to get to wander peacefully in the air-conditioned museum; the comedy set that year was incredibly strong, and my first time lining up to go into the Hunter Center felt unique compared to any other festival I could imagine going to–particularly to see some of my favorite comedians (Paul F Tompkins, Tig Notaro, among others) perform in such a relatively small space in the middle of a music-filled weekend.
My first Solid Sound was about 15 million years ago, in 2017. Like so long ago that when I tried to look at pics from that year I had to restore and repair an old iphoto album (I don’t know how people who went to the first one can remember what happened!). I was definitely hooked by the first one. I had no idea what to expect, I was pretty much just following some good friends with good taste on blind faith. As it turns out, that faith was not misplaced. The sense of discovery was really fantastic – the way you could just wander around and hear a new band, see a new artist, and grab some excellent food all at the same time. It feels like a much more intimate festival than most, and you can’t beat Mass MOCA as a location.
This was only my second Solid Sound, and my experiences from both this year and two years prior couldn’t be more different. I remember most vividly enjoying dipping inside Mass MoCa’s building between sets. There was an astro turf installation at the time, and people were just napping on a big, fake hill in the gallery. Ideal. I brought a film camera and was experimenting with double exposures. I took some pictures I really liked. Crowds are a lot for me, so the Big Mission year one was to understand the best balance between seeing music and quiet space, which I definitely achieved. Second most vivid memory would have been seeing Japanese Breakfast for the third time that summer. I love Jubilee so much. I’m also choosing to skip over my memory of Jeff Tweedy deciding to play his country album through two nights in a row, which was disappointing to a first timer, even if I liked the album okay.
My first Solid Sound was in 2022. It was probably not the ideal year, as the world was still emerging out of the 2020 craziness and it was my first music festival out of quarantine. I had a lot of anxiety over attending this event without bringing home covid, and generally find music festivals to be too much stimulus for me to enjoy the music at hand. But of course, as I’m sure many can relate, once I made it to the first set of the weekend, all of that anxiety dissipated.
My first Solid Sound experience was in 2022. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect from a music festival at an art museum nestled in a valley of the Berkshires. I’ve attended many other, usually larger, festivals and have made Newport Folk Festival a yearly tradition, so my loose expectations were heavily influenced by those experiences. Boy, was I wrong. There’s a friendliness at Solid Sound that’s difficult to find elsewhere. It’s more relaxed, community-focused, and less rigidly structured than other festival environments. Yes, Solid Sound is a music festival, but it is much more than that, too.
“It’s almost more fun if I am not as familiar with the acts”
What about the 2024 edition were you most excited about going into the weekend?
Solid Sound 2024’s lineup was brutal because I knew I wouldn’t be able to experience everything I wanted to. From big names like Jason Isbell to (pleasantly) surprising inclusions like Wednesday and Soul Glo, there were very few artists I wasn’t excited to see. Still, the promise of a punk-rock, injury-inducing mosh pit in the courtyard of one of my favorite museums was too tantalizing to miss. For their part, Soul Glo did not disappoint.
Tough to say…. for the first time in a while it actually may have been the Wilco “deep cuts” set. Like a lot of people there, I’ve seen Wilco an embarrassing number of times, at least 50 or 60 shows since 2009, and this felt like a culmination of so much excitement at hearing them bust out something crazy at a show, be it a cover or a deep cut. The set was absolutely everything I could have hoped for, at least. so many of my favorite songs! “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” with a full band outro?!? Come on!
I have two young kids now, one is 3 and the other is 5. My oldest has already been to 3 Solid Sounds, and my youngest has been to 2. It’s a very family friendly festival, but going with kids is also very different from how I like to do a festival – you have to be ready to pivot! I did my homework in advance [though]- I was especially looking forward to Ratboys, Wednesday (sadly didn’t play because of the lightning), and Courtney Marie Andrews.
Some of the left-field acts down the bill, especially Soul Glo and Horse Lords.
My not so unique answer was to see Jason Isbell, one of this years biggest names on the bill. Having discovered his music at a different festival years prior, I’ve never stopped spinning his albums. It felt particularly special seeing him at Mass Moca with my partner and our buds.
As ever, I’m like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie…[I try not to plan too much or get too attached to any one show or venue before Solid Sound, just because I’ve found wandering to work out so well – or, maybe more to the point, everything on offer is often just so damn good.] Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to just bop around to Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets for a bit.
I think I was most excited for the musical acts this year, and also just to get back to the vibe. My spouse and I have gradually accrued a great group of friends to come with us to the festival, and each Solid Sound feels progressively easier and more fun than the last. I get excited to see what food will be there, particularly to make sure that Umami Bites will continue to show up and dish out their unbelievable wonton tacos, but also recently to get the thrill of visiting the Broccoli Truck. Weird to think that Broccoli was one of my most highly-anticipated parts of the festival this past year. I was also just really excited to see Dry Cleaning on the lineup, among others. I could list every musical act I was excited about, but it was pretty much the whole lineup. The return of the Sylvan Esso DJ Set was also a welcome thrill, because it wound up being one of my favorite elements of the 2022 fest.
I definitely wanted to see part of the Sylvan Esso DJ set, because we didn’t have time to stay in 2022. Also, Soul Glo played the Sinclair recently, so I could not wait to see them again. My role at Solid Sound also shifted from spectator to media person this year. I was really psyched to have a photo pass, even though I also felt intimidated by new responsibilities.
It’s really difficult to pinpoint what I was most excited for in this year’s lineup. I’ve come to believe that it’s almost more fun if I am not as familiar with the acts and get to come to them during the buildup to the festival. I’ve always found new albums that become favorites thanks to Solid Sound. I was excited to see the addition of the free library in partnership with Penguin Random House. I powered through a few rock memoirs with which I was prepared to part in the hopes that they would find a good home. When I arrived on Saturday with my bag of books, I was shocked to find that they had stocked new copies of Jeff Tweedy’s books as well as some promised banned books. Getting to walk away with brand new copies of The House on Mango Street as well as the Wilco concert poster book had me feeling very grateful.
“—a standing ovation that lasted longer than any of the songs we had just heard.”
What sets or experiences stood out the most?
Gosh, how do I even begin to narrow this answer down. Finom’s pop up set at the Chris Doyle animation exhibit stands out as particularly special. However, getting to experience the Plastic Bag Store performance piece before the fest began was fantastic. Really put a bleak twist on the start of the weekend’s activities.
Courtney Marie Adrews’ popup in the museum, particularly when Tweedy joined her for “You & I”, was really special. It was also a huge thrill to see the Miracle Legion reunion, which I had been gearing up for for months before the festival. Honestly, though, easily the experience that stood out the most to me were the dinosaurs.
I wound up taking the day off work Friday and going by myself to the festival – my first time getting a day at the festival by myself since 2017. A standout moment for me for the weekend was being front row watching Jeff Tweedy be interviewed by the Song Exploder podcaster Hrishikesh Hirway, about Jeff’s book “How to Write One Song.” Hirway interviewed him so skillfully, because the book had resonated with him so personally, he played clips of the audiobook from when he found himself thinking “Jeff, are you in my house?” Jeff would either respond thoughtfully or also be kind of surprised by good advice that he had very earnestly and sweetly forgotten he’d given. Maybe halfway through the talk, someone a few people over from me passed out, and people started calling for help and water. Jeff and Hrishikesh stopped the chat. Jeff made sure they got water, and tried to help ensure that the person was cared for. Jeff’s aunt and his sister (we learned because he pointed them out in front of the barricade as this happened) were up front helping get the person water and shade and making sure the person was safe, and Jeff with his very awkward charm stood in front of the person as they came to, saying “hey! You interrupted me!” and then chuckled and made sure the person was all right before they continued the conversation. We also learned that his aunt and sister were responsible for the majority of the first records he was ever exposed to that mattered in his world. I was right up front so it felt like I got to bear witness to a very special moment of both Jeff’s humanity and also of the festival’s, in general.
…Soul Glo and Horse Lords. But also both Wilco sets of course – I think they pulled off the “deep cuts” angle really well and struck a balance between songs people would be hyped for and a few total head-scratchers. And the Ghost is Born set, pretty jaw-dropping on the whole.
I’d been shooting all day Friday, stressed about maybe biting off more than I could chew (When was I going to have time to edit everything??), and then it was time to photograph the Wilco Deep Cuts set. Jeff’s first song was “One Sunday Morning”, which, if you know me, is a song I connect to the summer my fiance and I first started dating, listening to it together on our very first trip to North Adams. I got really emotional in the photo pit. Double bonus: that song is a million years long, so I had so much time to get acclimated to the shoot. Sometimes, it all works out!
Oh man… Friday the deep cut set and Yuka Honda’s incredible set (which deserved a late night dancefloor!)… Saturday was loaded with good bands start to finish, not sure what the highlight was… it’s really hard to pick. I think I would say that Wilco did a pretty fantastic job of stealing the show this year, which I don’t necessarily find to be the case most years! In the museum, “to see oneself at a distance” was my runaway favorite exhibition. Small but thoughtful. Important and powerful.
The smallest sets usually feel the most special to me. Finom in the Chris Doyle exhibit on Sunday was incredible. And Courtney Marie Andrews on Friday! Jeff Tweedy joining her right at the end was a hell of a cherry on top, too. (That being said, there were no bummers on Joe’s Field this year, either. Iris DeMent might’ve been my favorite. REALLY tough call though).
Two sets really embodied the Solid Sound spirit for me this year. Joanna Sternberg’s pop-up set in The Prow was nothing short of restorative. The singer-songwriter played to a packed room, most of us sitting cross-legged on the floor or leaning over the second-story balcony. It was clear we were all captivated, both by their music and earnestness. The crowd pleaded for an encore, then another, as Sternberg bargained for extra time. When their final chord rang out, the room erupted in applause—a standing ovation that lasted longer than any of the songs we had just heard.
The second was Finom’s pop-up set in the Chris Doyle video exhibit, The Coast of Industry. Listening to the band’s (joined by Spencer Tweedy) eclectic sound in a dark room with hypnotic, nearly Boschian visuals painting the band and audience alike in an ever-moving wash of green and blue light felt like the gentlest acid trip. We weren’t listening to music—we were experiencing it.
Wilco’s sets almost have become an afterthought for my Solid Sound experiences. It’s not because they aren’t one of my favorite bands. But they are almost the proverbial cherry-on-top at their own festival.
Finally seeing Miracle Legion was a privilege. Ditto for the Courtney Marie Andrews and Joanna Sternberg sets.
Looping back to Wilco – this year hit me hard. Seeing what may very well be the only performance of “Quiet Amplifier” turned me into a sobbing mess. That song continues to be a favorite and I never thought I’d ever have the opportunity to see it pulled off live. It represents so much of how I felt at the time of its release and just continues to blossom.
But I think their surprise performance of A Ghost is Born is what got to me most. It is my favorite record of theirs and I know they aren’t a band that likes to look back very often. It was incredibly special to see this done without fanfare and very true to the way it sounds on the record. “Spiders” at its most motorik and bleak. “Theologians” – one of a handful of songs that kept me going during some of my lowest ebbs. Getting to close my eyes and forget my surroundings during the meditative drone of “Less Than You Think.” All truly wonderful.
“It was nice to share those little moments with everyone that made this festival happen.”
Favorite interaction with a fellow festival goer, performer, or staff member?
Not to be too cute about the whole thing, but literally every interaction I’ve ever had with the Solid Sound staff has been great. It’s a great, extremely helpful group of folks, and the job has to be STRESSFUL at times.
To be honest there’s too many to count. The amount of genuine conversation started from “love the [insert band tee here]” is immeasurable. Although, having our group be called “best dressed” from a museum employee working a James Turrell exhibit put a smile on my face.
This year, we coordinated a lot with a couple I met at Solid Sound in 2013, before any of us had kids, before I met my husband. We were both toting preschoolers – our girls danced in the museum together in front of the Chris Doyle animation in the Building 5 football-field sized room, held hands running around, and sought each other out whenever they were separated. The kids shared snacks together and laps and wagons. We spent time in the kidspace working on making cardboard swingsets. Our families have blended together at the festival, the only place where we see each other every couple of years -just because once I tried not to be an asshole at the front and struck up a conversation with neighbors in the pit. That’s the kind of vibe this festival breeds – it’s family, it’s the epitome of “Raised on Wilco,” and it’s always had something there for everyone.
When we were standing in the crowd for the Tweedy & Friends set a small child was playing with a car on a notebook page on which their parents had drawn a little highway. My spouse drew a tiny exit sign for the Solid Sound fest and tore it out of their notebook and handed it to the child, who promptly ripped it to shreds. I just loved it. It reminded me of that story about Maurice Sendak sending a drawing to a very young fan, who loved it so much he ate it.
Not an interaction per se but it was wonderful to watch Steve Keene paint for a bit. Having him onsite all weekend was definitely one of the neatest aspects of this edition.
One father and daughter recognized me from like… the 2017 or ’19 edition! It was very sweet to catch up with them. My friend Josie, who I hadn’t seen in years but was a great friend from tumblr and later Boston, was there with her family too. It’s always hilarious when “king of Allston” Ben Stas is recognized by people in a “you’re at EVERY show i ever go to” way. I had a great chat with Joanna Sternberg and her drummer. She and I bonded over loving Azealia Banks (her former high school classmate!).
There was a really sweet moment where a photographer I didn’t know got me a beer during the Sunday Tweedy & Friends set. We talked a little about shows, and realized we’d actually kind-of met in the pit during the Slaughter Beach, Dog show at Roadrunner late last year. The SBD show was one of my first times in a photo pit, and I accidentally brought all the photographers in too early, because I misunderstood a sound check to be the beginning of the first three songs. It felt full circle to me to be chatting with him at Solid Sound. [That’s what I love about the show community; there are all these people in your orbit you meet over and over.]
As an amateur photographer, I love talking to people with years of experience in the industry. I was thrilled to find myself talking to one of Wilco’s touring photographers—Charles Harris—in the middle of Courtyard D as we tried to photograph a duo of roaming dinosaurs (more on that later). Sometimes I find it difficult to talk to industry professionals, especially while I know they are working. I never want to distract from what could end up being the shot. Still, Charles seemed eager to stop and chat with me, a stranger, about his experiences shooting for Wilco. I ran into Charles a few times throughout the weekend, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with him in 2026.
One tradition I’ve made for myself is to make a mix cd to give to friends, performers, staff, etc. In 2022, I made hand printed covers with some linocut stamps I toyed around with in my spare time. But for this year’s set, I did different color art for each sleeve.
Nothing majorly important, as I’m not sure who actually has use for CD’s besides a crazy minority of folks. But sharing those this year felt even more special. Whether it was passing one to a friend of a friend I’d never met, a parking attendant who was beyond kind all weekend, or to some of the most exciting musical acts I’ve heard in some time…it was nice to share those little moments with everyone that made this festival happen.
The most flattering moment was being asked to sign one by Jen Tabor of Souldier.
“…While it was only about ten minutes, it just knocked my socks off.”
What took you by surprise?
[This applies to my first Solid Sound as well, but I’m always pleasantly surprised how well a festival of this nature, built around one band, can highlight so many genres and have it all blend seamlessly for a festival goer.]
I was honestly surprised by how few songs I recognized at the Deep Cuts set! I have definitely heard every Wilco album all the way through (maybe not some of the B-sides or the re-released versions, which is where several from the set were taken from), and there were several songs I recognized but couldn’t place – reading the Solid Sound facebook page it sort of feels like everybody was so pumped to hear all of these songs they almost never hear and they had encyclopedic knowledge of them all, though I suspect there are plenty of fans like me that also consider themselves to be huge Wilco fans, recognized only a few, but still enjoyed it all.
A Ghost is Born Saturday night…. surprise of the century.
Young at Heart. Totally unexpected genius! It was inspiring and people knew it was a rare event. To see people that age not holding back, particularly as I approach that age, gave me hope and faith in the human spirit.
I went in totally unfamiliar with Hailu Mergia and emerged immediately needing to know more about Hailu Mergia. Also the dinosaurs. Definitely did not expect the dinosaurs.
[Dinosaurs! Yeah, that’s right, there were DINOSAURS!!] I don’t know who came up with the idea to have several extinct apex predators wandering around the museum grounds, led by a team of handlers in Jurassic Park uniforms, but I hope everyone involved got a promotion. Have you ever been in the middle of a crowd, listening to the band of your choice, only to catch a 7-foot-tall tyrannosaurus rex in your peripheral vision? Well, I have, and it was fucking rad.
The art at MassMOCA is always really good, but this year was a high point for me. The James Turrell special exhibition that actually blew my mind; Chris Doyle’s animated, looping mural in the big room (technically Building 5, I think? I could live to be 1 million years old and never actually remember the layout); the beautiful, haunting, wonderfully handmade world of Plastic Bag Store; and the camp comedy of Programme 4 (they had me at Aimee Mann); were all incredible.
Programme 4 was one of the art installations that I was most interested to check out. We only were able to come around to it just prior to going to the final set following the rain delay. While it was only about ten minutes, it just knocked my socks off. Thankfully it is online because I simply couldn’t get over it.
I think I was most surprised by how easily everything flowed this year. It just felt really simple, really easy to be flexible and enjoy the festival, even when there was a huge rainstorm. Friends of ours organically found the rest of our group in the museum and we all just sat around catching up and catching our breaths before they let us back out onto the field. It was a special break in the activity, and completely unexpected.
“I did feel like my friends were the most dapper bunch of so-and-so’s”
What was your favorite outfit? (yours or someone else’s?)
Rachel from Water From Your Eyes with the Chicago Bulls jacket felt iconic.
Scott McCaughey’s Saturday suit.
Easily Los Straitjackets, but otherwise Mark Mulcahy’s excellent suit during the Miracle Legion set. I also thought all of Young at Heart looked really sharp.
One of the people working James Turrell’s “Into the Light” was wearing white jeans with the Statue of David painted on them. Incredible.
I loved that my group of friends all wore coveralls on different days. We are so stylish!
Wendy Schiller, founder of this very blog, and I showed up one day wearing near-matching blue jumpsuits. This was, I have to emphasize, completely unplanned, and left me feeling like the coolest kid on the playground.
The people walking around in dinosaur costumes! They were *so* cool, and made waiting to get into the festival in line outside not nearly as bad.
Is it wrong to say the dinosaurs? Cuz otherwise this is an absolutely BRUTAL question – the style at Solid Sound is always all over the place, in such a wonderful way. I think the jumpsuit game is especially strong at Solid Sound – my friend Sam was a wearer of one such masterpiece. I own one (or I guess a playsuit?) that I’ve been slowly embroidering… I don’t know if it’s my fave, but it’s definitely my most sentimental. Solid Sound feels like the right home for such an object.
There are simply too many to mention. But I did feel like my friends were the most dapper bunch of so-and-so’s every day of the festival. I need to bring my A-game next time just to keep up.
“Not once – in all of the crowd craziness over three days – did they ever produce a subpar Americano.”
Favorite food?
The broccoli truck, not even sure why you’d ask this!
I’m vegetarian, and it has to be one of the more veg-friendly festivals. There used to be cheaper stuff like the Rotary Club veggie dogs (I miss them dearly) but it’s still good. The lines get long sometimes, but we’ll live.
The dumpling truck is evergreen – I don’t eat pork so I can’t do their dumplings (huge bummer I know), but they make a mean coconut sticky rice with a bunch of pickled bits and fermented bits and spicy bits and oof it is good. I didn’t do the broccoli bar this year but that place is great too. I miss the Samosa Man, that was my go-to once upon a time.
Need to shout out the cafe staff at Tunnel City Coffee. Not once – in all of the crowd craziness over three days – did they ever produce a subpar Americano. Respect.
This year, the tacos / margs / yucca fries at Casita took the top spot for me. Followed by the broccoli truck.
[Respect to the broccoli truck.]
Big sexy. Otherwise, my old standby of the wonton tacos from Umami Bites.
The broccoli truck reigns supreme. What do they put in the sticky rice?
BROCCOLI. I’d never thought a broccoli bowl could be an experience.
Oh, the food at Solid Sound… We were truly spoiled for choices. This is like choosing a favorite child, and by that, I mean: of course, I have a favorite, but why would you ask? The Broccoli Bar was something I have been looking forward to since our drive home after Solid Sound 2022. The food is phenomenal and generously portioned, but I also appreciate the friendly yet chaotic (and, dare I say, sensual?) vibe from everyone behind the counter, decked out in wild hats, which felt right at home on the festival grounds. The wonton tacos were a close runner-up, with an honorable mention going to the midnight pizza that gave me enough energy to sprint to Sylvan Esso’s late-night DJ set.
“Bring your friends, plan your outfits, anticipate rain, stay hydrated, and enjoy wherever you are when you’re there.”
What did you take away from this year’s edition?
Having so much fun you pass out in a beanbag chair watching a pachinko animation, shedding tears in a limousine, a twist of lime, an embrace as good as ten mothers, 2024 felt like this.
Same as ever – [it makes me want to create, hear new music and keep exploring, and to do it with friends!]
I had a couple of years where Solid Sound was all mine – I came with friends, but I did it completely on my own terms. The last couple of years at the festival was *hard* – going to a festival with a 6 month old and with a toddler and a baby is *hard* (fun fact, they installed a nursing room at Mass MoCA because I called them about 6 months before the festival trying to plan how I was going to make pumping work with my little – they were intent on making it happen for me, and it makes me really happy to know that so many other chest-feeders can make this festival a reality because of this accommodation!). As my kids are now ages where they can appreciate the festival more, and they can hang a little better, it feels like it’s becoming mine in a whole new way, and as they keep getting older it will (fingers crossed!) keep getting easier.
I think mainly that Wilco have done something pretty remarkable in curating a fest that centers on them and yet never seems to repeat itself. Every year that I’ve attended has been a totally distinct and memorable time, and they do such a great job mixing up their own sets (even when it’s something like the karaoke year that’s not totally my thing) and bringing in other acts that are both Wilcoesque and very much not. It’s always surprising and satisfying.
It’s hard to come back to rural, deep red America after an event like [Solid Sound]. But I come back energized and with a renewed faith in my creative urges. I’ve been around people who are doing interesting things with their lives, and this keeps me going to the next event in life that serves a similar purpose.
Other than I’m down to be back again in two years? Probably that this edition felt like it was continuing a Wilco-trajectory of leaning into some of the more country modes of musical expression. The past couple of years there’s been a general miasma of a pop re-examination of country as a genre, and that mode of exploration has really hit an apex this year (Hello, Beyonce!). I’m here for it, and I’m especially happy to see the exploration continue at Solid Sound, with all of its emphasis on craft and songwriting.
Go into the weekend with an open mind! It’s useful to have a game plan, but don’t be afraid to throw that out the window. You might get to discover an artist whose jams stay with you for years to come, or experience what the museum has to offer. It’s okay to step away from that Deep Cuts set to take a breather with some pizza and good company.
Look, I’m going to be honest, I like Wilco, but I never expected to go to a Wilco music festival. But now, and I just want to put this out there for all friends and family moving forward, Solid Sound weekend is officially reserved in perpetuity. Oh, you’re getting married? My “no” RSVP will not be regretful.
I think every year I feel like “next time I’ll do it just like this but even better,” and this year I felt even more confident about that being true. So my big takeaway is: bring your friends, plan your outfits, anticipate rain, stay hydrated, and enjoy wherever you are when you’re there–whether it’s in the crowd or in front of the art.
North Adams has established itself as an Important Place in my heart, between the artwork, weekends spent there with friends, and all the incredible nature. I guess this year reaffirmed for me that Solid Sound is a special festival because of the bands and the gallery, but moreso because it’s a perfect combination of everything I love. It makes me feel so much more at ease than other music festivals.
“Keep emphasizing art and experimentation…”
Any hopes for the 2026 festival?
Covers set redux or Mermaid Avenue set with Billy Bragg (which are the 2 things I hope for every year).
Many things could be true in 2026! I’m going to be jealous of the Wilco Covers set forever. I wish Tweedy would actually bring Billy Bragg in for a full and complete Mermaid Avenue set. Also, I want to hear them play “Forget the Flowers” so badly.
I would love it if they would do a midnight movie with Anvil Orchestra again. And, apologies to all of my friends who know I’m a broken record, Rhiannon Giddens, please.
They already had Rafiq Bhatia but I’d really love if they brought in Son Lux. I’d be thrilled if Jenny Lewis came (they could all wear their nudie suits)! Andrew Bird would be great too, and maybe not too far-fetched since they’ve toured together already and Andrew Bird seems to like playing in Western MA? And man I would love if Loose Fur (Jeff and Glenn’s side project with Jim O’Rourke) would play – that was a fun band, but with Jim in Japan I’m doubtful of the likelihood. A girl can dream! The truth is, though, it never matters if I’ve heard of even half of the bands going into the festival, I will always take away new favorites, and there will always be incredible art and wonderful activities. Maybe just bring back Samosa Man.
Lean in to the rain. 2026 solid sound pool party? a canoe seating option?
Just more of the same. The Wilco industrial complex does a great job keeping the festival what it should be – lots of eclectic bookings in a more relaxed setting, a really great environment. I do hope they keep that evil robot dog locked away next time though… damn Barr Foundation sponsoring the museum.
I trust Wilco and their team at the wheel.
If I was being more direct and wanted to pitch, some musical acts I’d love to see at Solid Sound are:
Group Listening, Ex-Easter Island Head, Hiss Golden Messenger, 75 Dollar Bill, Lambchop, Margo Price, Patricia Brennan, Open Mike Eagle, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Nashville Ambient Ensemble.
I try to shy away from hoping for specific artists, so I’ll just say I hope they keep aiming big, keep involving the North Adams community, keep emphasizing art and experimentation–in short, keep doing all the things they’re already nailing at each festival.
My hope for the 2026 festival is it gets moved up to 2025.
I hope we can all be there, together <3.
Thanks to: Ben, Wendy, Torie, Allison, Sam, Rosemary, Brent, Lance, Denise, Alanna and Joel.