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My wife and myself commented during the heat on Sunday that it would be cool if there was a tube ride in the canal that was feasible. Assuming it was relatively clean and had some depth. It reminds me of "lazy rivers" at water parks. 2 bucks for a tube ride from one end of Mass MOCA to joe's field?! Shit i would pack a swim suit just for the opportunity!  Every thing is different at Solid Sound then other festivals.

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the crowd was almost completely silent during Yo La Tengos set. Likewise the crowd around me during both wilco sets was super quiet. no problems with chatterboxes here!

 

ALso that record store was amazing..found some really rare records in seriously good condition for super cheap.

I wish I had checked it out more when I got there on Friday! Still got loads of good stuff on Sunday.

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Never saw Neko Case before, and I may have liked her in a different setting, but found her to be totally boring on Joe's Field right before Wilco.  I don't think that was a good match.  Or maybe I just think her music is boring wherever, but I liked the high energy of The Relatives or something to get you going right before Wilco. 

 

I haven't mentioned much about the museum, but the Xu Bing installations, Phoenix and the cigarette rug upstairs, were outstanding.  And the Loft was real fun, especially the big photo on the end wall that allowed for you to step up and get your picture taken on the keyboards as if you were actually in the Loft.

I kinda agree on Neko - I like her music, but the banter seemed strained and tedious...The Relatives were excellent...

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Awesome experience! Great meeting some folks on VC.  Thank you WilcoMe for all the help in finding a place to stay this year!

 

I was thinkin' what Wilco could do at the next SSF should they come back next year.  Possibly play the new record all the way through on one of the nights?  I think it would be incredible especially if there were no prior leaks of new material.

 

It'd be cool to see Jonathan Richman and The Replacements on the same bill, too.  

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this probably won't get approved to run as a separate gallery for my coverage I was on assignment for, so i'll post it here...on day 2 i got the idea to try to catalog the different Wilco shirts I saw around the festival...here they are!

 

http://photos.tinnitus-photography.com/wilco_tshirts

 

Wow, this is so great, I love seeing all the happy wilco faces. I'm so bummed that I missed it, but this bought a smile to my face. Thanks.

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the crowd was almost completely silent during Yo La Tengos set. Likewise the crowd around me during both wilco sets was super quiet. no problems with chatterboxes here!

 

ALso that record store was amazing..found some really rare records in seriously good condition for super cheap.

 

I was really looking forward to seeing YLT, but no matter where I moved I kept getting stuck near people talking loudly. I wish people would be more considerate and hang out toward the back if they want to talk. 

 

Overall I thought they handled the heat well yesterday. Volunteers were reminding people to stay hydrated and even giving out water later in the day, and they had free sunscreen and those awesome water fans all weekend. I forgot my water bottle yesterday, but I bought a boxed water and refilled it all day. Maybe next time they'll figure out a way to set up a free water station closer to the field.

 

I wish MMW would've gotten a longer set, but watching Nels wail with them was the perfect way to end a great weekend!

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I was one of the people talking during the Saturday evening set.  Someone asked me to please take the conversation away from the music.  At first my friend and I were pissed...Then we realized he was right.  There's no need to carry a conversation during the show - you have all day to do that.

 

On a different note, we were standing in the back before the Nels show.  We were told we needed to sit.  We pointed to the baby in the stroller and the staff said "um, ok.  I guess you're fine".  Then all the seats filled...then the staff came back and said that we needed to sit (there were no seats!) and it "wasn't really a good set for kids".  After such a great weekend in every way, that was a little slice of awful customer service and unacceptable attitude on the part of the staff.

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Did anyone catch any of the stand up? We Didn't see any of it. We did see the yo la Tengo scored documentary...which I Unfortunatly fell asleep too.

We had woken up at 3:30am the night before..so it was almost impossible for me to keep my eyes open

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Did anyone catch any of the stand up? We Didn't see any of it. We did see the yo la Tengo scored documentary...which I Unfortunatly fell asleep too.

We had woken up at 3:30am the night before..so it was almost impossible for me to keep my eyes open

 

Reggie Watts was phenomenal. If you get a chance to catch him. Do it!

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Since the program didn't show when each comics set started/stopped I had no idea when to even try to see any of them.

 

I know, that was odd, I thought. I just happened to need a break and cool off so I went inside and got lucky.

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My first Solid Sound. I had so much fun. I'm going to make sure I either get a hotel or a better camp site next year. I didn't sleep well and the Solid Ground campsite was in the middle of a field and I was so damn hot. Not to mention people's children were running around and screaming as soon as the sun came up. 

having said that- here's some insight for some older fans. If your kids can't handle running around in the sun all day and then sitting for 3+ hours watching a band in the evening, then they shouldn't be there. It was pretty annoying to worry about stepping on someones daughter who fell asleep on a blanket very close to the stage. Also her son kept pulling her through the crowd. 
Also- just because you put your lawn chair up against the stage at 12pm and then go enjoy the festival does NOT guarantee you will be able to sit there. General admission shows are called general admission for a reason. 

 

but beyond all that I had so much fun. Covers set was super surprising and fun. I love to see a band like that have some fun and not take themselves seriously. Saturday night's set was also surprising. a real hard core Wilco fan set. 

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Did anyone catch any of the stand up? We Didn't see any of it. We did see the yo la Tengo scored documentary...which I Unfortunatly fell asleep too.

We had woken up at 3:30am the night before..so it was almost impossible for me to keep my eyes open

I caught everyone but Reggie Watts, who my wife saw and didn't like too much.  I was already a big fan of Jen Kirkman from Chelsea Lately (plus she's from Needham where we live) and Al Madrigal, and both their sets were hysterical.  John Hodgman emceed, and he was not that funny.  So for me, the comedy cabaret was all about Jen and Al. 

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Also- just because you put your lawn chair up against the stage at 12pm and then go enjoy the festival does NOT guarantee you will be able to sit there. General admission shows are called general admission for a reason.

 

I disagree. Unfortunately, I think that the nature of allowing open access to Joe's field for the entire day allows people to claim a spot. I don't particularly like this method, and think that the line is a fairer way (then again, the sprint to the front can be dangerous which is probably why they opted for this approach). Those who shove their way to the front irritate me way more than the whole chair/ blanket approach.

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I also found it rude that people didn't pack up their blanket/chairs once the show started. We set up camp right before Neko started, but packed up when Wilco was about to go on. Lots of people did not.

 

I was really surprised by the sheer number of kids, part of me thinks this was due to the fact that kids were basically free and that there were lots of activities for them. I saw a lot of frustrated parents at the festival on Saturday due to how crowded it was.

 

Personally I would never bring a kid under the age of 6 to a concert like that. Lots of drug use, drunks, and uncomfortable heat just makes it a no way for me.

 

Sunday was a much better day for kids due to the crowds,but I think there was less kids stuff to do.

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We drove by the wilco campsite and all I could think was those poor poor people. There was superior camping only 20 mins away at mount greylock that had plenty of shade and was much more scenic then a Walmart

Parking lot.

 

We stayed in Adams at Halflinger House (thanks to this board for the suggestion!!) and it was decent, but not anything worth the $150 a night we paid. But then again at least

We weren't sleeping in the hot sun

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this probably won't get approved to run as a separate gallery for my coverage I was on assignment for, so i'll post it here...on day 2 i got the idea to try to catalog the different Wilco shirts I saw around the festival...here they are!

 

http://photos.tinnitus-photography.com/wilco_tshirts

I'm in there! I'm the one wearing the shirt that says WILCO (the shirt)! It's actually my brothers, but I took it!

 

Anyway I thought the Wilco show on saturday night was great.  At least from where I was, it looked like the crowd was having a great time and enjoying the mellower songs just fine.  It was probably the most fun I have ever had at a show, but that might be ust because I haven't seen Wilco since last solid sound.

 

The only bad part was when this group of women came over and stood right behind me and just wouldn't stop talking.  It didn't sound like they were paying attention at all.  In the middle of One Sunday Morning, me and my friend just kinda stared at them until they stopped talking, so at least that song was peaceful!

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I know all the craft beer fans were happy with beer choices, but lightweights like me who like to keep the party going need a choice under nearly 5% alcohol -- bring on the Bud Light! :cheers

The German pilsner was only around 5% from what I remember, and cheers to Wilco for only having craft beers at the show. I had lots and lots of Little Sumpin pale Ale. So good

 

Oh and the beer / food tent in the entrance had the best deal on beer on Saturday $4 for a can of big elm Saison. What a steal! Bought 4 cans for the Wilco set..

 

Oh and the beer / food tent in the entrance had the best deal on beer on Saturday $4 for a can of big elm Saison. What a steal! Bought 4 cans for the Wilco set..

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Oh and the beer / food tent in the entrance had the best deal on beer on Saturday $4 for a can of big elm Saison. What a steal! Bought 4 cans for the Wilco set..

 

Oh and the beer / food tent in the entrance had the best deal on beer on Saturday $4 for a can of big elm Saison. What a steal! Bought 4 cans for the Wilco set..

 

you sure you only had 4?

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My first Solid Sound. I had so much fun. I'm going to make sure I either get a hotel or a better camp site next year. I didn't sleep well and the Solid Ground campsite was in the middle of a field and I was so damn hot. Not to mention people's children were running around and screaming as soon as the sun came up. 

 

 

Man, you must have been near our campsite. Those kids were up super early. Other than that I thoguth Solid Ground was pretty great. THe heat didn't bother me since we got up and hit downtown and the festival pretty early. And, so nice not having to get back in the car every day to drive from a camping spot 20 minutes away. But next time around I am hopping on that Holiday Inn right down the street from Mass Moca as soon as I can.

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