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Solid Sound - 2015 - June 26-28


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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!

great photos, as always. really love the one posted above w/ the rain! 

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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!

Fantastic. Summed up the weekend in words and pictures perfectly.

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My entire Solid Sound experience (my first) was incredible. 

 

As for the talkers...  I did not have a problem with this at SS  I was fairly close up both nights.  There was talking and a lot of singing however it was no where near some of the nonsense I have put up with at regular gigs.  Even on the two night stand at the Ryman, I was blown away by the amount of drunks that showed up half way through just to talk to their friend about what they were going to do afterwards.  Maybe I was just too enthralled and medicated just right to not notice some of the babel, but I have also been working on my "blinders" to ignore these people though it still proves difficult at times.

 

Being my first SS I thought the food lines were long and that there could have maybe been more vendors to supplement the lines.  However I was always able to find a decent line that went rather quick.   Also once I figured out a decent bit of the grounds I was able to navigate to what felt like hidden areas like the bar by Euclid that no one was ever at.  My girlfriend also did the scavenger hunt which was actually incorporated into the grounds quite well and took us to areas where there was absolutely no one at.  There was even a single bathroom we ended up using because it was like it hadn't been used all weekend. I found it odd but pretty cool to be able to just walk up to this basically private bathroom with a festival filled with thousands of people.  My gf definitely enjoyed it!   As for eating more local.  I wanted to spend more time around the town but I felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff to do.  It was like by the time we were ready to eat we had to get ready for something else exciting we wanted to do so we would end up just doing something quick.  We went into town after the Tweedy and Co.  set however lots of spots were closed or shutting down.  Maybe we just checked the wrong places but I found it odd small business wouldn't take advantage of the flood of people leaving the fest.

 

We will definitely be back at the next one.  We already discussed arriving in town earlier to take advantage of the beauty of the surrounding areas, spending a weekday to check out the art and space in MASSMOCA, spend time at the local shops, and driving through the Berkshires.  We took Rt 2 home today to Logan International and it was such a gorgeous drive.  So awesome!!  

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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!

Great shots and write-up Tim - I felt like I was there. 

And nice to see recognition for William Tyler.  I've only seen him once and he was tremendous. 

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Excellent weekend all around. Two amazing Wilco sets (I know some people had issues hearing on Friday night because of talkers and the acoustic set, I was lucky to be rather close - saw a bunch of y'all with the nametags in the first row, but I was just a tad behind - so that wasn't a huge issue.

The chairs/towels are sort of out of control, I personally think that it should just sort of be first come, first serve, so rather than plopping a chair down at 9 AM, you'd have to stand there from 9 AM. Ideally, nobody would actually do this - people would wait until noon! - but either way I would never move someone's chair or blanket etc, that's a dick move. Didn't witness any confrontations over that either, but plenty of you have noted there were some.

 

My favorite non-Wilco and non-Wilco side project act was Mac DeMarco - I started listening to him in anticipation of the festival, since lots of my friends are into him and he's pretty popular now, I really enjoyed his set, and his music in general. Also the Autumn Defense pop-up show was really cool and I got to meet both Pat ad John. I'm a big John fan, so that was cool. He was really nice.

All in all, an amazing weekend. Though I did spend way too much money at the Euclid Records store.

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No talkers near us at any time. But maybe my hearing is going, and I just don't hear them. A benefit to aging, I suppose. The sloping rise just to the left of the stage on Joe's Field has fantastic sight lines and is pretty relaxed. My neighbor, who was attending his first SS, was stunned at the kindness of the attendees around us on the hill.

 

The food lines were long. We did not have trouble with them, though. If we ate at a high traffic food truck (pizza, noodle/dumpling truck), we ate at an odd time when the line was short; otherwise, we ate at the Rotary tent or one of the other places with shorter lines. I can see the frustration, though. And a wait in a line is pretty similar to a walk into town to get food that takes time to get there, order, wait for the food, and walk back. I don't see much of a benefit to going into town (time-wise, anyway), other that you are not standing in a line, annoyed.

 

Only minor disappointment was the art. I was not wowed by any one thing like I have been at past SS's. There was no tiger skin made of cigarettes or phoenixes made of construction waste that just blew me away, like the last SS. The Bibliothecaphilia exhibit was may favorite from this year, but the rest (Encampment, Clifford Ross, Jim Shaw) was just ok. The sock art up in Kidspace was pretty cool, though.

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Great weekend all around.  Cibo Matto really stood out for me, along with Nels' guitar Saturday night.  The book signing was really fun, and run very well, efficient.  So generous of the band to do that.

 

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.  

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My favorite non-Wilco and non-Wilco side project act was Mac DeMarco - I started listening to him in anticipation of the festival, since lots of my friends are into him and he's pretty popular now, I really enjoyed his set, and his music in general.

I liked Mac DeMarco a lot, too. I got a big kick out of the silliness of his band mates. It helps that they can flat out play, too. He is coming to Portland in August; at $25, I think I'll grab a ticket.

 

I was impressed with Real Estate, too. Parquet Courts was fun - big on energy, and Cibo Matto was better than I anticipated. I missed Charles Lloyd, which was a bummer. Overall, I was really pleased with the other acts.

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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.  

 

that's ridiculous.  

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I liked Mac DeMarco a lot, too. I got a big kick out of the silliness of his band mates. It helps that they can flat out play, too. He is coming to Portland in August; at $25, I think I'll grab a ticket.

 

I was impressed with Real Estate, too. Parquet Courts was fun - big on energy, and Cibo Matto was better than I anticipated. I missed Charles Lloyd, which was a bummer. Overall, I was really pleased with the other acts.

 

Yeah I thought they were hilarious too. Definitely want to see him again, I better check his tour listings! Thanks for reminding me.

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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.

 

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you.

My group got there at 8am or before EVERY single day to secure our rail spots for the Wilco/Tweedy shows. We took turns manning camp and it was only left unattended one time because my husband needed a bathroom break while the rest of us were drumming with Glenn or watching the performance. In the 10 minutes he was gone, teenagers actually moved our stuff to try to watch (edit: Feliece Bros, not Mac Demarco) He came back and explained we'd been there for the entire day (in our case 9am because we got authorization to go in before doors to make sure we were where we needed to be). The kids teenagers were kinda mean about it, but ultimately backed down. We would fold our chair up for the wilco gigs, btw.

 

 

If a person is willing to invest time to get the spot they want they should get that spot. Early bird gets the rail.

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If a person is willing to invest time to get the spot they want they should get that spot. Early bird gets the rail.

The key word is "person." I guess I'm ok with it if someone wants to blow off the whole day for a spot in the first row, but not if it's just one person trying to reserve a spot for several others who aren't around.

 

It's fun to be up front, but watching people spread their arms out to "save" space just makes me shake my head.

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