Wilco Goes Acoustic On Solid Sound Day 1 (FESTIVAL REVIEW)

Photo by Twitter user @BE_EDamon.

Lest it be mistaken for something else, Solid Sound is first and foremost a fan festival. While fabulous music, art and comedy take place all weekend, the main event each day proves to be Wilco and their seemingly endless sets at the end of each night (save for Sunday, when side project Tweedy will take over). Night one was no exception, with thousands flocking to Joe’s Field (the largest and most open of the stage areas) to bear witness to their favorite group of guys for a very special unplugged set, following an explosive set from Speedy Ortiz and a dreamy, chilled out one from Real Estate.

Late @realestateband #solidsound2015 set. Or early 70s Floyd? Great way to end night 1. #massmoca @SolidSoundFest pic.twitter.com/V1YmPCMM2T

— Neil Marks (@filmcraver) June 27, 2015

Amongst the many guitars of all kinds on stage, not a one was plugged in and no amps could be found. And with John Stirratt kicking in sweet harmonies alongside Tweedy and Pat Sansone on banjo, their sound was twangy, stripped down and intimate, even amidst the grandeur of looming shadowy mountains and factories. They opened with “Misunderstood” and the crowd went nuts when they sang that beloved lyric, “still love rock and roll”, singing along to every word and continuing to do so when they followed with “War on War”. And just as the second song ended, like clockwork, a freight train rattled by at stage left, adding an unusual beauty to the already breathtaking atmosphere. It wasn’t until the band finished “I’m Always in Love” that Tweedy jokingly pronounced, “Feel free to sing along”, knowing full well we were all way ahead of him.

The ONE photo I got before my camera died. Amateur move, not charging it before I left. #northadams #solidsound2015 pic.twitter.com/73zoeo1ntZ

— Jorma Kansanen (@JKansanen) June 27, 2015

As they continued on and night fell, the sky was dotted with countless stars, and it was possible to forget, even if just for a moment, that you weren’t sitting in a cozy barroom watching Wilco jam. Songs like “Company in My Back”, “She’s a Jar”, “Dawned on Me”, “Passenger Side”, “Whole Love” and “I Got You (At the End of The Century)” continued to capture the hearts of the devoted fans, even as they began adding layers to combat the late evening chill. Tweedy even dug deep into his Uncle Tupelo roots with the amazing surprise “New Madrid”, before playing the night’s definitive favorite, “Jesus, Etc.”

Acoustic! #solidsound2015 pic.twitter.com/22vehtI0Xh

— K (@keltones) June 27, 2015

Perhaps the most profound moment of the night came on the heels of the old Billy Bragg and Wilco tune (adapted from Woody Guthrie lyrics) “Hesitating Beauty”, an old fashioned tale of marriage to a lovely lady called Nora Lee. “Well I know that you are itching to get married, Nora Lee/And I know I am twitching for the same thing, Nora Lee/By the star and clouds above/We can spend our lives in love”, Tweedy and Stirratt sang, before poignantly adding, “It’s so much nicer singing this song now that everyone can get married.” The receptive crowd deeply appreciated the sentiment and nod to the day’s historic Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage, and it seemed to register even more that this was an epic and unforgettable day. And what a way to spend it, with Wilco in the mountains on a heavenly night.