WILCO : SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL 2024 FIRST NIGHT

 

Disc One (62:04)

  1. One Sunday Morning
  2. Message From Mid-Bar
  3. The Good Part
  4. Cold Slope
  5. King Of You
  6. Feed Of Man
  7. Deeper Down
  8. A Magazine Called Sunset
  9. Blue Eyed Soul
  10. Sonny Feeling
  11. Sunloathe
  12. Panthers
  13. Kamera

Disc Two (61:39)

  1. Dark Neon
  2. More Like The Moon
  3. Secret Of The Sea
  4. ELT
  5. Venus Stopped The Train
  6. Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard
  7. Just Say Goodbye
  8. Quiet Amplifier
  9. Wilco (The Song)
  10. Let’s Not Get Carried Away
  11. Kicking Television
  12. Just A Kid
  13. Tell Your Friends

Label : no label

Venue : Solid Sound Festival 2024, MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts, USA

Recording Date : June 28, 2024

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A+)

Concert Review (The Arts Fuse) : Swag in a pop-up store proclaimed, “It always rains at Wilco’s Solid Sound.” And on Friday’s clear opening night of the band’s Berkshires festival at MASS MoCA, when Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy piped “This is the best weather we’ve ever had,” his words seemed ironic, given the weekend’s pending forecast. However, faith and optimism can yield magic for faithful fans of the Chicago group who flock every two years to the factory-framed modern art museum amid the green hills of North Adams. They get two nights of Wilco plus rock, folk, avant-jazz and African music that reflected the band’s diverse curation. And despite Saturday showers and a Sunday thunderstorm that negated a set by alt-rockers Wednesday (singer Karly Hartzman joined Tweedy’s closing set for the dirge “How Hard It Is for a Desert to Die”), the weather proved better than expected — and the same went for the headliner’s infinite surprises. Florence Shaw of Dry Cleaning at Solid Sound. Photo: Paul Robicheau. Despite several great sets including Jason Isbell and Iris DeMent, Wilco stole its own show at Solid Sound with conceptual aplomb. That’s to be expected on the first night, when past festivals have featured all covers, whole albums, acoustic versions, and fans as guest singers. Friday astounded with promised “Deep Cuts” for diehards who cast online votes for little-played favorites. Yet the band outdid itself on Saturday with both hits and rarities, centered by a complete 20th-anniversary performance of its classic album A Ghost Is Born, in an emotional, electrifying set that rang perfectly through the still, post-rain air. It all began Friday when Wilco unfurled the rustic, ruminative spell of an 11-minute “One Sunday Morning” and country-curled “Message from Mid-Bar,” which — like nearly half the “Deep Cuts” set — the band hadn’t played live for a decade. If largely mid-tempo and acoustic-leaning, the night included the live debuts of “Venus Stopped the Train” (sung by Tweedy with sole piano backing by Mikael Jorgensen to pin-drop silence from the packed field of 8,100), “Quiet Amplifier” (with a trio of family and friends’ thumping rattles on tom-toms) and “Tell Your Friends” — an unabashed, heartfelt love song for and to everyone. “This is the only place we could have ever tried something like this,” Tweedy said before Friday’s encore ignited a raucous “Let’s Not Get Carried Away,” capped with a fierce drum solo from Glenn Kotche (using his hands, sticks, and a gong), and the brash bash “Kicking Television.” Then came garage-rocker “Just a Kid,” a SpongeBob Squarepants soundtrack tune where Tweedy sang “I don’t want to go to school” and band children chanted the chorus.

Concert Review (Following Boston Backstage) : Wilco fans are a lucky bunch. For thirty years, their favorite band has developed a camaraderie with their fanbase through musical conversation, engaging live performance and positive social media presence. One of rock’s most genuinely eclectic discographies, countless side projects and three acclaimed books by songwriter Jeff Tweedy have led fans to the same conclusion, the members of Wilco are music fans. The band relates deeply to the thousands of listeners who fill concert venues and eagerly await each new release. This unique kinship has allowed Wilco to deliver their greatest gift to their loving fan base, their own Solid Sound Festival. Held at Mass MOCA in scenic North Adams, thisbiannual, three- day gathering showcases the breadth of Wilco’s artistic vision and their open-minded approach to their craft. The band curates each festival, inviting a diverse array of fellow musicians and artists whose differences emphasize the shared experience of the creative process. Last weekend, Wilco hosted the eighth version of their famous festival and once again, echoed the enthusiasm and passion of their most ardent fans. The magic of Solid Sound is born from the short distance between performer and listener. Artists regularly hold surprise performances in the Mass MOCA galleries, meet fans for autograph signings and sit in on each other’s sets. Wilco members, musical guests, and fans mingle like a group of friends meeting in a record shop on a Friday evening. On the first day, Jeff Tweedy joined singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews at her own pop-up performance for a duet of “You and I”. Later, bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone sat in with Nick Lowe on “(What’s so Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. On Sunday, guitarist Nels Cline and drummer Glenn Kotche signed autographs for fans with the rest of their jazz ensemble, Staccata Quartet. The cross pollination between artists and connection with listeners facilitated a culture of mutual admiration that is a rare commodity at rock festivals. ?At each Solid Sound, fans are treated to a themed set by Wilco on Friday night. This year’s theme was Wilco Deep Cuts, a highly anticipated set of rarities from the band’s extensive discography. During the days leading up to the festival, online forums were abuzz with speculation about which album tracks, B-sides and outtakes would get an airing at the festival. When Wilco took the stage at 9:15, anything seemed possible. The opening notes of “One Sunday Morning” from 2011’s The Whole Love echoed through the night and attendees knew a special evening was underway. A poignant song of reconciliation and mutual understanding, the thirteen minute opus exemplified Wilco’s ability to connect with their audience on an emotional level, acknowledging hardships but working towards hopeful outcomes. The set continued with “Message from Mid-Bar” from the same album. The two opening songs of the set had not been performed live by the band in a decade. ?After a rare performance of “Blue Eyed Soul” from Wilco’s debut album AM, Tweedy noted that “Wilco fans sure know a deep cut”. The band was visibly enjoying revisiting lesser-known gems in from their catalog and the fans matched their enthusiasm. Each era of the band was well represented on the setlist. Selections from the Mermaid Avenue project included “Feed of Man” and “Secret of the Sea”. These tracks were recorded with folk singer Billy Bragg and were built around Woody Guthrie penned lyrics. “The Good Part”, “A Magazine Called Sunset”, “More Like the Moon” and “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” represented the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions along with a punk version of “Camera” radically different from the acoustic arrangement heard on the original album. The Beatle-esque “Sunloathe” from The Whole Love was performed for the second time ever and the psychedelic medley fit perfectly within the flow of the setlist. ?The biggest surprise of the night was the debut performance of “Venus Stopped the Train” another Yankee outtake written by Tweedy and late multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett. According to his Substack page, Starship Casual, Tweedy composed the lyrics to this tune as a moving reflection on a girl he knew in adolescence. After the initial applause, the audience did not make a sound during Tweedy and keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen’s rendition of the song. Somehow, the fact that eight thousand people could be so quiet was not surprising given the setting and the circumstances. “Quiet Amplifier “from 2019’s Ode to Joy was also given its first live outing, with Spencer Tweedy, Jeff’s eldest son lending a hand on percussion. ?Appropriately, the band wrapped up the main set with a lively version of “Wilco (the song)” from their self-titled LP. “A sonic shoulder for you to cry on. Wilco will love you baby!” Tweedy encapsulated the band’s relationship to their fans, and the general mission of Solid Sound on his ode to the power of musical connection. The encore set brought even more surprises including a rare Glenn Kotche drum solo on the rocker “Let’s Not Get Carried Away”, a blistering “Kicking Television” and a fun version of “Just a Kid” (composed for the SpongebobSquarepants move soundtrack). The show ended with the first live performance of “Tell Your Friends”, released at the height of the pandemic and introduced by Tweedy as “a song from a different time, a sad time”. Friends and family of the band joined in for the song, once again demonstrating Wilco’s ability to find the hope hidden in dark moments.” Our love is now, our love is real” the ensemble sang with characteristic sincerity. A fitting conclusion to an emotionally rich two hours.