smells like flowers

Reykjavik is a good homebase, lots to do and see around the southern portion of the country. There's a few good day trips you can do relatively nearby:

 

Blue Lagoon (Pretty much a must visit. This is quite close to the Keflavík airport. We went to these hot springs shorly after arriving. Perfect way to relax after a long flight.)

Gullfoss & Geysir Hot Springs (Iceland's Niagara Falls & Old Faithful. They're fairly close together, definitely a must see.)

Skogafoss / Reynisfjara (Another worthy sidetrip to see more of Iceland's natural beauty.)

 

And of course Reykjavik has enough stuff to do and see that you can stay busy for days. Lots of great stores, restaurants, a cool looking church that you can't miss. It was great spending a few days there just soaking it all in. Reykjavik is big enough that you feel like you're in a typical European city with all the amenities that go along with that (they even have a 24-7 superstore that has a bit of everything.) it's pretty much the only city there that feels that way.

 

Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or need more suggestions.

Thanks for the info. We decided to rent a car and explore around for a few days. I keep reading that it's a mistake to stay in Reykjavik for more than 1-2 days because of the abundant natural beauty outside the capital. And I'm way more of a country mouse than a city mouse!

I love the voice tracks on Random Name Generator and Pickled Ginger. Can't tell if it's another layer of Jeff's voice, singing in falsetto, or if it's maybe Pat or John. And is that a Theremin at the end of Magnetized???

Crazy surprise! Standouts for me were Pickled Ginger, Cold Slope, Magnetized, and the one before that. I heard keyboard/atmospheric sounds all over the place. Still amazed that this came out of nowhere....

For me its the ability to be a channel for spiritual energy and to evoke an emotional response in the listener.  When I think of all the times I saw SRV live, I remember it being completely clear to me that there was a huge and powerful spiritual energy coming into his body and coming out of his hands to his guitar and amps.  It was always overwhelming to me.  Of course to be able to do that, a musician has to have a high level of technical mastery of their instrument so they can stop thinking about technique and let the music flow and that for most takes years of practice.

Beautifully said.

FWIW, I agree with you, Paul, about the setlist at Red Rocks and often wonder why the same songs (even one recently re-introduced, like Secret of the Sea) get played again and again. I suppose that keeps it easy for the band, but there are so many good ones that they hold out on! I've been to quite a few shows myself in recent years and it's hard when one seems kind of ho-hum, as they occasionally do, for the superfan, anyway. But I always enjoy reading your After the Show posts, and especially love the banter corner tidbits you take the time to recap.

That is fantastic. You're going late enough that you'll probably be able to do the Iceland interior. That was the one thing we missed out on going in June, our excursion got cancelled due to road conditions. It turned out okay as we ended up doing a trip to the Westman Islands instead, which was quite interesting (it was the site of a massive volcano eruption in the early '70s, you can still see homes half buried by molten lava there.)

 

How long are you going for? Are you getting a car there?

 

If you're driving around the country, get readly for some beautiful and harrowing drives, especially in the Northwest fjords. Okay, that may sound misleading, the majority of the drive is relatively tame, especially on the ring road, but there's definitely a few spots where it's white knuckle city.

My trip is only six days. Not sure about renting a car. Planning to spend the first couple days in Reykjavik and then do some exploring. Honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed by all the possibilities and decisions! We could keep Reykjavik as a home base and do day trips to see nearby things, or rent a car and strike out on our own for a few days, staying in the southwest part of the country. Would welcome any suggestions! PM me if it seems like this conversation will derail the thread.

I spent two summers in Thailand when I was much younger -- about 25 years ago! It changed my life -- at 20 I had no concept that much of the rest of the world lives in relative poverty (compared to Americans) and yet the Thai people are among the happiest. If you can get there, it is amazing (frequent political unrest notwithstanding). I will never forget seeing a mass of shorn-headed Buddhist monks in saffron robes, serenely walking in the rain, all holding black umbrellas. The temple ruins, floating market, resort islands, and hill country are all must-sees.

I spent 2 weeks in Iceland with a brief side trip to Greenland. Iceland was beautiful: waterfalls and natural hot springs everywhere, glaciers, volcanoes, friendly people... We drove around the country and fell in love with the place. Another thing I enjoyed was the wide open spaces with nobody around for miles: we were the only people at a few sites we visited. It was also nice being able to sightsee very late in the evening due to the seemingly neverending light during the summer days. I would definitely go back if I had a chance.

Going to Iceland in mid- September. Sounds so amazing-- cannot wait!

Did anyone see the Brian Wilson biopic "Love and Mercy?" I've never been much of a Beach Boys fan (the Sunkist commercial in the early 80's certainly ruined Good Vibrations for a whole generation) but the personal story of Brian Willson is fascinating. Our local theatre was only showing it as a matinee and now it's gone.

Hearing about the movie on Fresh Air was also the first time I realized where Jeff's cover of "Love and Mercy" comes from. Just love it when things come full circle back to Wilco.

Muzzle of Bees. I've seen Wilco 11 times and I have not heard it live yet.

Yes to Muzzle! I request it for nearly every show I attend. It's a very elusive song.

Byrds fan here, Louie!

And, BTW, Real Estate reminds me of the Byrds a little, on their records anyway. That sound didn't translate much to the live outdoor setting at SS. My friend's husband calls it "jingly jangly music." I do like some jangly guitars.

California Stars is a more anthemic choice, I think, if they're looking for a traditional closer.

Plus it's their song so it makes perfect sense. There was a time when I was tired of hearing it at shows, but something shifted and I love it every time now. It's such a pretty song.

It's been interesting reading this back-and-forth about partying at SS. One thing is for sure, the drinkers and smokers are way more tolerant than the tee-totallers. I drank, smoked, and sang along with Wilco. Too bad if I offended anyone by having fun and enjoying my favorite band with my best friends.

First SS without The Weight being performed. Overplayed song, but missed opportunity?

I don't get the status of The Weight. Is it considered the best rock song ever?

Sima Cunningham's backing vocals were just gorgeous. Sunday afternoon was full of lovely surprises. Kinda bummed to miss Felice Bros (didn't get word that they changed location and time) but my fault for not doing much social media, I guess. Still get a smile on my face remembering Cibo Matto singing Madonna with Jeff.

thanks-- wonderful photos!

and it's up:

https://digboston.com/solid-sound-festival-2015-wilco-mac-demarco-richard-thompson-et-al-at-mass-moca-june-24-26/

 

 

i have a ton more photos to post later...it seemed like ~70 was a lot for the gallery, but there was a lot of stuff going on!

Nice write-up! Very comprehensive. I feel like I experienced maybe a third of what you mentioned and still felt busy and engaged nearly every minute of the festival. Couldn't view the slideshow on my iPad, though. Is there another link to it?

 The chair/blanket issue is obnoxious.  As mentioned, Newport does it right with chairs only behind the soundboard.  You really can't expect to set up camp near the stage with chairs and a blanket right next to the stage, leave for most of the day, and come back right before Wilco.  It's rude.  Even more, when blankets are all spread out and then the owners get pissed that they are being stepped on.  It also creates a obstacle course to get in and out.  

 

It's a rock concert, not a picnic.  I'm only talking about between the soundboard and the stage.  Behind that, go crazy.

 

Great idea, they should adopt this policy. People just can't stake out a huge territory, abandon it, and expect fans to politely honor the 100 square feet of space they claimed.

The one-two punch of Dark Neon and Let's Not Get Carried Away was unreal. So much rock. And Jeff screaming. Jeebus.

I'd like to chime in regarding the sequence of patrons staring into the camera.  For me, that section was the most compelling portion of the movie; by asking us to look, really look at those multitude of faces, it conveys something about the egalitarian spirit of Solid Sound, including the close relationship with the community and including how those faces, whether famous or not, are all of a piece.  The sequence is long and stylized, yes, but that's what sets it apart from typical fly-on-the-wall footage.  It was a poetic touch in a document that, whatever its pleasures, needed more such touches.

My friend and I are among those folks staring into the camera for what does appear to be an awkwardly long time (really just a few seconds).  Most of the folks look serious or intense, but the camera person caught us towards the end of day three -- it seems to me we're the only ones grinning with the unabashed glee of Solid Sound saturation.  Plus we were a little drunk. 

The weekend forecast I looked at this morning for North Adams was calling for cool temps and rain Friday and Sunday.  Let's everyone collectively hope for sunshine and clear skies! (Or at least no downpours....)

Really enjoyed -- I guess it's digital but looks as if it were shot on film. It looks and sounds stunning. And my best friend and I are in it-- that's fun.

Just yesterday appropriately enough my local supermarket Shoprite was BLASTING Monday over the speaker. I was doing the drumming on my shopping cart

The best "out and about" post ever. Any grocery store that would blast Monday would get my business!

I'm really sad that staying for all of Nels' Sunday performance will likely mean having to miss Glenn's performance, since the space will probably be filled by the time we get over there.

Sunday looks like the hardest day to catch everything I hope to, as well. Quindar (I'm curious!), Autumn Defense, and Felice Bros are all somewhat overlapping.

Interesting thread.... I rarely find myself drawn in by newer bands, and listen to music in general a bit less than at other times in my life. To borrow a phrase from Willie Nelson, it's phases and stages. As teenagers, we defined ourselves through the bands we loved and bonded with friends for endless hours while listening to records together. It was an activity in and of itself. Now, with less time for leisurely listening, I gravitate towards the familiar, while berating myself for listening to the same old artists. But there are some bands whose discography has such a well-worn place in my head and heart that these are the ones I go back to again and again. Fortunately, my husband is a bit more open to new music and I almost always like what he plays. Although I gave him The Kinks box set for Christmas last year and it's been on nearly constant rotation ever since. So much for embracing the new...

Is it safe to assume there will be an actual DVD and not just a digital version?