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Solid Sound - 2015 - June 26-28


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I'm so glad to finally have the announcement made! And I'm glad it's not over the 4th of July weekend.

 

The only hotels within walking distance are Holiday Inn and Porches, and last year neither one of these were available to the public. They were reserved for the artists. Who knows what will happen between now and then, but it would probably be a miracle to get a reservation at either one of these places unless you've got some insider status.

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As I suspected. All good. 2013 is going to be hard to top...of course this just REALLY makes me want to find a way to go to those two all-request solo acoustic Jeff Tweedy shows in Feb. in Chicago. Then after this, I'll alternate...2014- All Request Benefit Shows, 2015- Solid Sound, 2016- All Request Benefit Shows, 2017- Solid Sound, etc. ...good plan, eh? I did both last year...honestly will probably have to miss both this year, but...you never know!!

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Hi there viachicagoists,

 

Me, my OH and littley are planning to come across from the UK for this. We don't mind camping, but won't be able to bring tents etc all the way from London. Any recommendations/places to avoid when booking accommodation?

 

Hello by the way - long time lurker :)

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Hi there viachicagoists,

 

Me, my OH and littley are planning to come across from the UK for this. We don't mind camping, but won't be able to bring tents etc all the way from London. Any recommendations/places to avoid when booking accommodation?

 

Hello by the way - long time lurker :)

 

Hi Londonist,

 

Mrs Queenie and I were there last year from Scotland.  As the others note, forget trying to get accommodation in North Adams, but Williamstown is good and the free shuttle buses make it relatively painless - you won't miss out on anything.

 

However - and this goes out to all VCers - DO NOT BOOK THE WILLOWS INN.  I booked there last February when Wilcoworld noted they still had availability.  They insisted on full payment up front of over 600 dollars for three nights.  Given this was a special trip and they seemed fairly close to NA, I decided to take the punt. When we turned up we were told to follow this guy in his car - a journey of some four miles further away to another Motel (I forget its name) right on the edge of town on the main road to Vermont.  When I complained the guy got really angsty, told me he said they were 'sold out' when I booked - he did not of course -  and accused me of threatening him.  So we were left with no other alternative.  The motel wasn't bad, but it was not what we'd paid for.

 

I'm going to contact Solid Sound organisers and advise them to take this rip off merchant off their recommendations, but please spread the word in the meantime. 

 

I hope we can go back in 2015 though!!

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Was the definitive announcement for 2015 (complete with dates) an attempt to indicate that the next installment will be a "bigger deal" than in years past, or is it just a way to politely say "we're not doing it this year". 

 

And with no Solid Sound this summer does that likely mean no full band shows until the fall?

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Hi Londonist,

 

Mrs Queenie and I were there last year from Scotland.  As the others note, forget trying to get accommodation in North Adams, but Williamstown is good and the free shuttle buses make it relatively painless - you won't miss out on anything.

 

However - and this goes out to all VCers - DO NOT BOOK THE WILLOWS INN.  I booked there last February when Wilcoworld noted they still had availability.  They insisted on full payment up front of over 600 dollars for three nights.  Given this was a special trip and they seemed fairly close to NA, I decided to take the punt. When we turned up we were told to follow this guy in his car - a journey of some four miles further away to another Motel (I forget its name) right on the edge of town on the main road to Vermont.  When I complained the guy got really angsty, told me he said they were 'sold out' when I booked - he did not of course -  and accused me of threatening him.  So we were left with no other alternative.  The motel wasn't bad, but it was not what we'd paid for.

 

I'm going to contact Solid Sound organisers and advise them to take this rip off merchant off their recommendations, but please spread the word in the meantime. 

 

I hope we can go back in 2015 though!!

I just have to respond to the comment about the Willows. I've stayed there twice--in 2010 and again last year--and both times it just couldn't have been nicer. I totally believe you had this bad experience, because the innkeepers are simply overwhelmed with the response to Solid Sound, but I don't think your experience was typical, at least not to my knowledge.

 

Most of the hotels in Williamstown are smaller mom and pop type operations, without elaborate reservations systems, and it's easy to believe they could screw up a reservation. Recognizing that this is a huge challenge for them, getting swamped with people madly booking a year or more in advance, I have always been a real noodge, following up and reconfirming my reservation about once a month leading up to the event. It's not like we're dealing with major hotel chains.

 

So I'm not blindly endorsing the Willows, but my friends and I have not had negative experiences there. I would advise anyone, though, to take special care to protect yourself and follow up frequently to make sure you're still booked.

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I just have to respond to the comment about the Willows. I've stayed there twice--in 2010 and again last year--and both times it just couldn't have been nicer. I totally believe you had this bad experience, because the innkeepers are simply overwhelmed with the response to Solid Sound, but I don't think your experience was typical, at least not to my knowledge.

 

Most of the hotels in Williamstown are smaller mom and pop type operations, without elaborate reservations systems, and it's easy to believe they could screw up a reservation. Recognizing that this is a huge challenge for them, getting swamped with people madly booking a year or more in advance, I have always been a real noodge, following up and reconfirming my reservation about once a month leading up to the event. It's not like we're dealing with major hotel chains.

 

So I'm not blindly endorsing the Willows, but my friends and I have not had negative experiences there. I would advise anyone, though, to take special care to protect yourself and follow up frequently to make sure you're still booked.

 

I totally take that on board.  But essentially we were ripped off as we did not get what we paid for! The guy obviously knew he didn't have spare accommodation when I booked.  He lied to me, telling me 'I told you were were sold out when you booked!' - well do you think I'd pay you money to stay in a hotel that's sold out? He must have also lied to the Solid Sound people - advising them he had spare rooms when in fact this was not the case. 

 

Given he knew we were coming 3 and half thousand miles for that weekend, he was pretty sure we'd have to take his poor 2nd substitute.  In my country it would fall under the Trades Act and I would have sold his sorry ass to the authorities, for the miss-selling of goods.

 

We've travelled all over Europe to see Wilco and never had this problem.  It left me with a bad taste on what was otherwise an excellent first trip to the USA.

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I just booked our hotel for the weekend.

 

May I ask where?

 

I called Porches and they said that someone would get back to me. Sounded like only VIPs will be able to stay there.

 

Holiday Inn told me that they could not book this far in advance.

 

Last year we stayed at a small bed and breakfast in Adams. It was ok, but I think we could do a little better this year with more planning.

 

Any tips would be appreciated.

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May I ask where?

 

I called Porches and they said that someone would get back to me. Sounded like only VIPs will be able to stay there.

 

Holiday Inn told me that they could not book this far in advance.

 

Last year we stayed at a small bed and breakfast in Adams. It was ok, but I think we could do a little better this year with more planning.

 

Any tips would be appreciated.

Yeah , I called the Holiday Inn too. They said it was reserved for the bands, etc. I booked at Maple Terrace in Willimastown. There's a four night minimum, but that's how long we want to stay anyway. I spoke with the owner and he seems like a nice guy.

 

Last year we stayed at Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. It was ok, but although it was only 20 miles away it seemed like the longest drive, so we decided to stay closer this time.

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I just have to respond to the comment about the Willows. I've stayed there twice--in 2010 and again last year--and both times it just couldn't have been nicer. I totally believe you had this bad experience, because the innkeepers are simply overwhelmed with the response to Solid Sound, but I don't think your experience was typical, at least not to my knowledge.

 

Most of the hotels in Williamstown are smaller mom and pop type operations, without elaborate reservations systems, and it's easy to believe they could screw up a reservation. Recognizing that this is a huge challenge for them, getting swamped with people madly booking a year or more in advance, I have always been a real noodge, following up and reconfirming my reservation about once a month leading up to the event. It's not like we're dealing with major hotel chains.

 

So I'm not blindly endorsing the Willows, but my friends and I have not had negative experiences there. I would advise anyone, though, to take special care to protect yourself and follow up frequently to make sure you're still booked.

 

I stayed there for SSF2 and it was nice. Last year they wanted us to pay in full ~6 months or so before staying with them. This was enough for me to cancel and find a place elsewhere. For whatever it's worth, finding lodging

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I stayed there for SSF2 and it was nice. Last year they wanted us to pay in full ~6 months or so before staying with them. This was enough for me to cancel and find a place elsewhere. For whatever it's worth, finding lodging

Pay in full 6 months in advance?! There's no justification for that. I'd cancel on them too. Unfortunately, with that much cash coming into the area, people are going to get greedy. Higher rates, 4 night minimums, etc.

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Yeah , I called the Holiday Inn too. They said it was reserved for the bands, etc. I booked at Maple Terrace in Willimastown. There's a four night minimum, but that's how long we want to stay anyway. I spoke with the owner and he seems like a nice guy.

 

Last year we stayed at Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. It was ok, but although it was only 20 miles away it seemed like the longest drive, so we decided to stay closer this time.

 

 

Hmm...I spoke to someone over there (sounded British), and he said he could not make any reservations until June, as they don't book over a year in advance. Oh well, Im sure I will be able to find something easier this year as I will be planning for it, unlke last year when I waitied until April to find something. Altough I'd stay there again.

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I stayed at Maple Terrace for SSF2 and The Willows for SSF3. They're pretty much across the street from one another and super close to the shuttle bus stop. They're both small, family-owned outfits. I think the rooms at MT are marginally nicer. The grounds/scenery at MT is definitely nicer. The pool at The Willows wasn't open until the last day despite assurances otherwise. I paid just under CAD $800 for four nights at the Willows which is pretty expensive considering what you get (i.e. compared to other cities) but you can't look at it that way or you'll go crazy. You can walk to Williamstown in about 20 minutes. It's a pretty college town with a quaint main street and beautiful architecture. 

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For what it's worth, I called the Holiday Inn as soon as this got announced yesterday and the woman there laughingly told me she'd already gotten 6 calls. She put my name on a call back list (since I'd stayed there before) but then about an hour later she called and said she had been informed that it was going to be the same as last year--artists only. Nothing open to the public.

 

Re other hotels in Williamstown, Maple Terrace and the Willows are very similar properties, similar pricing and policies in the past. There's a shuttle bus stop right beside the Willows. [Edit: I didn't mean to repeat everything Indigo said--we crossed in the mail.]

 

I believe that last year most if not all area hotels were requiring 3 or 4 night stays and full prepayment in advance. And yes, I think they all jack their prices up a little. Supply and demand.

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yeah, we will be doing a 4 night stay this year most likely.

 

I reached out to a few places, hopefully I will get a call back.

 

Staying South of North Adams worked well last year as we never really had any festival traffic. We were able to find a spot to park all three days without too much hassle as well.

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