Wilco Solid Sound Festival

[Analogman]

Dear Analogman:

 

 

 

just sayin', ...

 

I got it Baby Gurl.

[tinnitus photography]

I assume Glenn headed home since his wife was due imminently

[ckc]

Did anyone tape the Autumn Defense? Just wonderin' ......and does anybody know where Glenn went on Sunday?

 

Yes, the intrepid taper Brennan had the seat next to me back by the mixing desk pretty much dead-center in the auditorium. The crowd around his mikes were pretty respectful, so I have hopes that the recording came out well. Imagine it might take him some time to get to his other recordings as he put the Tweedy one first.

 

The A.D. set was the best I've seen in the 7 years I've seen them live.

[homelesslew]

Thanks.

[kidsmoke]

Did anyone tape the Autumn Defense? Just wonderin' ......and does anybody know where Glenn went on Sunday?

 

My son Brennan got their lovely set. He hasn't had time to really listen yet but thought the recording had come out fine. He'll put it up on etree once he gets to it.

 

Glenn almost certainly headed straight home after Saturday's show. His wife was due to give birth. Another Wilco baby!

[Sparky speaks]

Good overall review.

 

http://www.soundproofblog.com/2010/08/proof-of-wilcos-solid-sound.html

[Pockets]

Once again this was a great experience, I'm still working on my review and I'll surely post it here later.

 

My only complaint was that I was one of the younger ones there. Most of the people I met were a lot older than me (since I'm only 13). I still loved meeting them but the problem was when my mother and I first started chatting with them, they thought my mother was the major Wilco fan and she only brought me because I was her daughter, when it really was the opposite.

 

Every other person we talked to seemed pretty surprised when they saw that I was such a Wilco fan at only 13... I saw very few others my age there and if they were there it was because their parents were forced to bring them or something of the like. Talking to the older Wilco fans was cool though since most of them shared my favorite bands (Wilco and Radiohead).

 

I hope to see them in the front row again next year!

[AJ673]

Should we be worried that it didn't make a profit this year or does this happen to all major festivals during their inaugural year? I'm just hoping that fact doesn't prevent another...

[bigshoulders]

Should we be worried that it didn't make a profit this year or does this happen to all major festivals during their inaugural year? I'm just hoping that fact doesn't prevent another...

I think it's too early to worry. I want to ride this high a little longer, anyway... esp. when the boots start coming along. Cheers!

[Bosco]

Once again this was a great experience, I'm still working on my review and I'll surely post it here later.

 

My only complaint was that I was one of the younger ones there. Most of the people I met were a lot older than me (since I'm only 13). I still loved meeting them but the problem was when my mother and I first started chatting with them, they thought my mother was the major Wilco fan and she only brought me because I was her daughter, when it really was the opposite.

 

Every other person we talked to seemed pretty surprised when they saw that I was such a Wilco fan at only 13... I saw very few others my age there and if they were there it was because their parents were forced to bring them or something of the like. Talking to the older Wilco fans was cool though since most of them shared my favorite bands (Wilco and Radiohead).

 

I hope to see them in the front row again next year!

 

You've got good taste, you can't really go wrong with either band, next year we hope to bring our kids, my oldest is 12, he's into Wilco, maybe I'll start sneaking some Radiohead onto his IPod for you.

[Misswe]

This was the first festival I've been to(besides working at the last Woodstock, out of which I ran, crying). I had a seriously wonderful time. Everything was so well planned and the residents of North Adams were really hospitable! When Mavis played The Weight, that was sheer classic awesomeness. I didn't get to experience Wilco's performance the way I would have liked. Some drunken queef gargler was elbowing and ramming into me while I was holding my three year old. I had been in the same spot since the gate opened. A security person would have been helpful with that. Shortly after, my faith was renewed in humanity when some guy bought my son a slice of pizza because he's cute. My favorite part of the weekend was the Tweedy solo show. Phenomenal! One question, what happened to the Solid Sound Jones Soda??? I was one of the first place winners in the photo contest. Everyone I know wants a bottle of it and all I can say is I don't know.

[Magnetized]

Once again this was a great experience, I'm still working on my review and I'll surely post it here later.

 

My only complaint was that I was one of the younger ones there. Most of the people I met were a lot older than me (since I'm only 13). I still loved meeting them but the problem was when my mother and I first started chatting with them, they thought my mother was the major Wilco fan and she only brought me because I was her daughter, when it really was the opposite.

 

Every other person we talked to seemed pretty surprised when they saw that I was such a Wilco fan at only 13... I saw very few others my age there and if they were there it was because their parents were forced to bring them or something of the like. Talking to the older Wilco fans was cool though since most of them shared my favorite bands (Wilco and Radiohead).

 

I hope to see them in the front row again next year!

 

Please do post your review. It's so nice to hear the point of view of younger people who are into Wilco, since so many of us came along at earlier points in their career. It would be really interesting if you could tell us a little about what first made you notice them and why you became such a fan. I distinctly remember being completely nuts about certain bands when I was your age, but I was going along more with pop culture expectations. You, on the other hand, seem to have innate good taste!

 

Sounds like you had a great time--I was there in the front row right along with you!

[faxman75]

I had something kinda weird happen. I was discussing my love for The National's music with my new friend from the board Jeff before the Jeff Tweedy solo show started on Monday. We had a good conversation about how relationships with bands are similar to women. I was telling him that the Wilco show the night before felt a lot like goodbye to me. It was kind of sad to come to this conclusion in the middle of the weekend but it didn't change the appreciation or love I have for the band, just that I felt I was moving on and that my new love or obsession musically was in fact The National.

 

Less than 30 minutes later Jeff Tweedy starts to banter with a fan near the front (not me) and I was standing there, watching like, holy shit, how the hell did he know? It was really funny. I especially liked when Jeff said "it happens".

 

That said, I absolutley loved the solo performance and decided after that speech and the craziness, of me just having that conversation, I was going to force this relationship to continue despite initial judgment.

 

I will be seeing The National 3 times in October lol. I will also return to N. Adams to see Wilco if they do in fact sign the contract and of course whenever they roll through my state. It was just so surprising to hear this conversation within the hour of having it with someone else. I assumed from the tone of Jeff that he just pulled The National off the top of his head too, I don't think the guy/gal or whomever in the audience mentioned them but I was on the opposite side of the stage and back a bit so I dind't really hear.

[Eternal Instigator]

Hey everyone! I met some of you at The Hub Friday night and were going to come back, but I heard about the reservation problems - we didn't want to take up space...

 

I loved the venue but agree that they will need to put the bigger acts out on Joe's Field. I couldn't get into The Autumn Defense due to the stage change, which was a bummer. There could have been more beer choices, BUT, all the things I hate about festivals were missing. You could easily wander from the sun to some shade or into the galleries. I didn't see a single person falling-down drunk. I read there was not a single incident on the police blotter related to the festival. And everyone was so kind (except the one other woman from Minnesota that we ran into lol)!

 

I think there were several things that made it so great. Everyone was there with the full intention on taking it all in - the art, the music, the setting. There weren't the groups of people who were only there to see one band and showed little respect for the rest of us - it was that spiritual moment that Tweedy digs. Everyone seemed to feel the vibe of what Wilco was trying to accomplish (and the fact that it was working so well) and it just fed on itself. The other thing is what it meant for North Adams. A number of people I talked to that were from the NE said that the town was really trying to pick itself up by the bootstraps after Sprague closed and that this was, by far and away, the biggest event they've ever hosted. I walked up to a couple of officers before Tweedy and thanked them for letting us take over their town. Their faces lit up into huge smiles and they said, "Anytime!" I thanked every staff member and volunteer on our way out Sunday and they all enthusiastically thanked me back. I think this meant a lot to them and the fact that we were on our best behavior kept the atmosphere so positive all around.

 

All in all, this was a most amazing and incredible weekend which I will never forget! We met some great people at our motel and spent Sunday afternoon on the grass watching Tweedy together. I will never again be able to listen to Sunken Treasure without thinking of them and smiling, with a wistful, far-away look in my eyes. LOL! Seriously, it really was a spiritual moment when he stood up there and played that song in front of 3,500 silent people. Just thinking about it gives me the chills.

 

Thank you everyone for being such great fans and great people to spend a weekend with!

 

Candi

[faxman75]

South Adams? lol

[mayfly]

Did anyone pick up the poster they were printing upstairs in the demo? He said they were giving them away at certain points during the weekend. I never got one and would love to buy one, I did sign up on the printers (forgot his name) email list. Any links would be helpful.

 

 

I was there for all but about ten minutes of the two and a half hour poster demo on Saturday. Pete, the guy that is Ghost Town (very nice guy, by the way, fun to talk to) didn't really have a clue how the posters were going to be sold or given away (I should add, he said that he wasn't told specifically). But, he was nice enough to give me and my boyfriend the first one (presumably for hanging out the whole time and asking questions and stuff). I never saw anyone else with one all weekend (and wasn't able to go back Sunday to see the second set of posters he was making.) The whole process of the printmaking was mesmerizing to me. I've always wanted to learn and he's really inspired me to set up a little studio area in my house.

 

I saw Wilco's Solid Sound photos on their site today and was psyched that I made two of the photos (one is at the printing demo, I'm in the red and white stripes, the other was of my back on the lawn).

 

I had such a great time at the festival, I can't even being to explain how amazing it was for me. I was a massive grump by Sunday afternoon since I was so tired, but it was worth it.

[Eternal Instigator]

South Adams? lol

 

Oops, LOL! North Adams!!!

[Blue and Green]

Had a blast last weekend finally getting some videos up on youtube.

[paulcalypse]

I was there for all but about ten minutes of the two and a half hour poster demo on Saturday. Pete, the guy that is Ghost Town (very nice guy, by the way, fun to talk to) didn't really have a clue how the posters were going to be sold or given away (I should add, he said that he wasn't told specifically). But, he was nice enough to give me and my boyfriend the first one (presumably for hanging out the whole time and asking questions and stuff). I never saw anyone else with one all weekend (and wasn't able to go back Sunday to see the second set of posters he was making.) The whole process of the printmaking was mesmerizing to me. I've always wanted to learn and he's really inspired me to set up a little studio area in my house.

 

I saw Wilco's Solid Sound photos on their site today and was psyched that I made two of the photos (one is at the printing demo, I'm in the red and white stripes, the other was of my back on the lawn).

 

I had such a great time at the festival, I can't even being to explain how amazing it was for me. I was a massive grump by Sunday afternoon since I was so tired, but it was worth it.

Will you please post a picture of the poster?

[cracked & hooked]

Words have failed me, but this is kinda what it felt like:

 

It’s just like if Wilco invited you over their house to hang out on a late summer afternoon. You know it would be some cool, funked out industrial playground of a space. Art everywhere. Their generous and fun-loving spirit would make you feel right at home but at the same time you’d be awestruck at your dumb luck. Nels would be stringing together some noisy loop of pedals in the basement and he’d let you play with them. Glenn would be tricking out these crazy drum heads and would want to show you how they work, how he brings them to life. You’d eat falafel and drink beer. Mikael would tell jokes and tinkle around on the piano, filling the space. You’d wander into a room and find John strumming and singing pretty melodies. At some point, Pat would whip out his photo albums and show you his beautiful Polaroids. There'd be new music to explore - record players, headphones, stacks of vinyl. They'd be psyched to turn you on to their new favorite bands. You'd watch old movies. There'd be ice cream. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Jeff would lure everyone out into the backyard and turn the hose on ‘em – all for a good cause, of course. Then, as the afternoon turned to dusk and the deep blue sky faded to a purple bruise, they would gild this lily of day by rocking your socks off. You’d be totally blissed out, realizing you fell in love with the right band, a band that loves you back, a band that makes you feel like you belong right there with them. Then you’d get to sleepover and do it all again the next day. And at the end of it all, you’d have no idea how to thank them for showing you the time of your life.

 

And this is kinda what it looked like.

[Magnetized]

Words have failed me, but this is kinda what it felt like:

. . . . .

And this is kinda what it looked like.

 

No, words have not failed you. That is such a perfect post. It's as if you reached right into my head and heart and pulled out all the random memories and feelings I've been trying to put together in some cohesive way, to tell my friends what this festival really felt like. You couldn't have captured the feeling of the weekend any better. Or so I thought. And then I saw your pictures and videos.

 

I don't know how to thank you for capturing those gorgeous images and putting them together. Blew me away!

[Bosco]

Words have failed me, but this is kinda what it felt like:

 

It’s just like if Wilco invited you over their house to hang out on a late summer afternoon. You know it would be some cool, funked out industrial playground of a space. Art everywhere. Their generous and fun-loving spirit would make you feel right at home but at the same time you’d be awestruck at your dumb luck. Nels would be stringing together some noisy loop of pedals in the basement and he’d let you play with them. Glenn would be tricking out these crazy drum heads and would want to show you how they work, how he brings them to life. You’d eat falafel and drink beer. Mikael would tell jokes and tinkle around on the piano, filling the space. You’d wander into a room and find John strumming and singing pretty melodies. At some point, Pat would whip out his photo albums and show you his beautiful Polaroids. There'd be new music to explore - record players, headphones, stacks of vinyl. They'd be psyched to turn you on to their new favorite bands. You'd watch old movies. There'd be ice cream. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Jeff would lure everyone out into the backyard and turn the hose on ‘em – all for a good cause, of course. Then, as the afternoon turned to dusk and the deep blue sky faded to a purple bruise, they would gild this lily of day by rocking your socks off. You’d be totally blissed out, realizing you fell in love with the right band, a band that loves you back, a band that makes you feel like you belong right there with them. Then you’d get to sleepover and do it all again the next day. And at the end of it all, you’d have no idea how to thank them for showing you the time of your life.

 

And this is kinda what it looked like.

 

 

And that just about sums it up, great job! What an awesome time, I'm sitting at work (listening to Wilco of course), and I'm still kind of in MassMoCA, weird, I'm standing in line for coffee this morning and I somehow expected to bump into John yet again. That they did this for us is so overwhelming unbelieveable that we could NEVER thank them enough!

[mayfly]

Will you please post a picture of the poster?

 

Absolutely. It'll be up later today/tomorrow morning.

[Eternal Instigator]

and I'm still kind of in MassMoCA

 

Ain't that the truth. I've never been to a festival, or on any vacation for that matter, that made me feel like this. I'm pretty sure I left my heart there. But it's sort of like leaving something behind at a new boyfriend's house on purpose - you have to go back to get it

[phillyjon]

Will you please post a picture of the poster?

 

i was begging the woman behind the table for one of these posters. but she said there are going to be contests later to give them away.