Wilco's Solid Sound Fest Tickets Now On Sale

Updated 4:30 p.m. The "early worm" tickets are sold out. But the "early bird" tickets for $124 are still available.

"Early Worm" tickets are sold out. "Early Bird" tickets now available for $124: solidsoundfestival.com

— Solid Sound Festival (@solidsoundfest) November 30, 2012

Updated 2:00 p.m.: Tickets are going fast. There are less than 100 "early worm" tickets left.

Fewer than 100 @solidsoundfest "Early Worm" tix left ($99). Grab while you can. solidsoundfestival.com

— Solid Sound Festival (@solidsoundfest) November 30, 2012

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tickets for the 2013 Solid Sound Festival went on sale Friday with an "early worm special."

Tickets for the three-day festival organized by Wilco are $99 in limited quantity now and when they sell out, another batch of limit quantity tickets will be $124 and eventually $149. They are available here.

The festival featuring musicians, artists and comedians begins on Friday, June 21, and will conclude on Sunday, June 23, at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

A full lineup has not yet been announced. Campsites at Noel Field, dubbed "Solid Ground," will also return with sites for $90 per tent — with a maximum of four people per tent — and $120 for an RV.

The band canceled last year's festival which draws thousands to the downtown in favor of touring to promote their new album. However, they did return to MoCA for a benefit concert.

Check out some of our photos from the 2011 event here.

Solid Ground Filling Up

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Solid Ground expects to be filled to the brim.

According to Police Sgt. David Sacco, a founder of the local ROPES program, 250 tent slots and all 10 recreational vehicle spots have been sold and the campers have been trickling in all morning. Each tent can have up to four people.

"Check in started at 11 a.m. and they've been filtering in consistently since then," Sacco said Friday afternoon. The ROPES organization, lead by local emergency responders, is coordinating the camping area at the municipal park.

The site at Noel Field is expected to be full by 8 p.m. and the ROPES volunteers of more than 200 will be helping concertgoers and keeping order. The team has been shuttling people to the site by using golf carts; the threat of stormy weather does not seem to be a deterrent.

"In case of severe weather we're suggesting they head to their cars," Sacco said. "The Eagles Club also called and said that if we needed to have a mass exodus, they'll open up for us."

Some 5,000 concertgoers are coming to the area from all over the country and beyond. Sacco said there are two reservations from Canada and one from South Africa. ROPES Program coordinator John LeClair said he has seen people from across the country including Ohio, Wisconsin and California.

Well-prepared camper Javier Higuera was all set up by 1 p.m. after driving from Arizona to attend the festival. Higuera left his home on Saturday and has been stopping at major cities along the way.

"I've never been east of Denver before," Higuera said. "This is a trip of a lifetime."

Higuera is meeting up with a friend on Sunday and will be driving back – hitting even more cities along the way. Higuera said he does not have to be back to work until July 5, so he is enjoying the vacation.

The campers are flowing in with cases of beer and wine, grills, Frisbees and Wiffle ball bats.

Police are not expecting any problems. LeClair said that last year police had "zero" incidents and he expects the same this year. Medical staff and security will be on site throughout the festival, he said.

"This isn't a mosh pit," LeClair said. "They are all very nice."

Solid Sound Discount for 01247

If you live in North Adams and love music, you're in luck! 

The Solid Sound Festival is offering a one-day ticket special of $30 for Sunday, June 26, just for city residents. That's a 55 percent discount over the regular $65 one-day admission.

"In addition to loving the music, many of last year's festivalgoers commented on the town, how helpful and gracious the businesses, officials, and residents were. We are grateful to the city for being so welcoming to the band and visitors and wanted to extend this special offer as a way of saying thanks," said Tony Margherita, Wilco's manager.

Headlining Sunday's show will be Levon Helm and his Rambling Band playing in Joe's Field on the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art campus at 4:30 p.m. Other performances on Sunday include Darin Gray, Glenn Kotche solo set, JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound, Pronto, the Autumn Defense and Pillow Wand (Nels Cline/Thurston Moore duo). For kids, The Story Pirates will perform from noon to one, there will be a live falconry demonstration with Chris Davis of New England Falconry throughout the day, and a community yoga class offered under the upside-down trees (or inside in case of rain) from 10 to 11 a.m.

The discounted tickets must be purchased in advance in person at the Mass MoCA box office from 11 to 5. Residents must present proof of residency with a valid driver's license or utility bill with the 01247 ZIP code (hmm, does that mean Clarksburg and Florida residents get in, too?). Discount resident tickets will only be available until Thursday, June 23, at 5 p.m. They will NOT be available at the door.

Solid Sound takes place June 24 to June 26 at Mass MoCA and features two headlining concerts by Wilco, plus 18 bands including Helm, Moore, Syl Johnston, Dave Douglas, Neil Finn, Liam Finn, Jamie Lidell, Wilco side projects, special pop-up performances and more. Full three-day festival passes are still available for $124.50. Complete daily schedules and additional information are available through solidsoundfestival.com.

'Solid Ground' Gets Greenlight

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A temporary downtown camping area for the Solid Sound Festival was given the greenlight by the Board of Health.

The "tent city" within walking distance of Main Street is being operated by the city through the emergency responders who volunteer with the ROPES program, a day camp for promoting teamwork and leadership in area youngsters.

The board did put some restrictions on the camp, reducing the proposed number of 300 down to 275 and eliminating farther-flung sites behind the ballfield as safety measures.

The ruling comes after several meetings, including a public hearing last week that focused on safety and sanitation.

The ROPES volunteers will provide security along with on-duty police. There will be portapotties, pay showers and a concession stand. Each tent site will be limited to four people and one tent.

Reservations for sites are being made through Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which is hosting the Wilco-curated festival.

As of last week, the number of tent sites reserved was about 140; nine of the 10 RV sites were taken. The cost is $80 for two nights. Check-in is 11 a.m. on Friday, June 24, and check-out is 3 p.m. on June 26. For more information, go to the Mass MoCA site here.

There are also a number of other campsites in the area, including the city's Historic Vally Park on Windsor Lake. The campground is currently full for the Solid Sound weekend but there is a waiting list. Call 413-662-3198 for more information. Other campgrounds can be found here, but be aware most are a half-hour or more from the city.

Wilco Tickets Selling Quicker Than Last Year

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tickets for Wilco's Solid Sound Festival are selling quicker than last year.

"We'll have at least as many as we had last year and probably more," said Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Director Joseph Thompson on Tuesday. "Ticket sales are tracking nicely above what they were at the t-minus 80 days, year-to-year count."

One of the big reasons tickets sales are up, Thompson told the Mass MoCA Cultural Development Commission, is because it is being held earlier in the summer and there are more available hotel rooms.

"It was the mayor's idea actually, to try and shift the program away from July, August into September, June or May when reservations were softer," Thompson said. "There were probably 1,000 or 1,500 more rooms available in a 30-mile radius."

The event could have been larger last year but lodging had been too difficult to find, Thompson said. Additionally, about half of the tent sites and 10 recreational vehicle sites at Noel Field Athletic Complex have been sold.

"Those are selling well. I think we are up to 165 tent slots," Thompson said. "People are excited that they can walk  from the tent site to the event."

Also regarding housing, Thompson said that last year there were a lot of rooms and houses that were rented for the weekend.

"It did happen last year. There were a lot of Craigslist listings," Thompson said. "People were selling even access to their showers on a per-use basis."

The success of the festival has even led MoCA officials to begin planning another concert event for August. The event, which will be much smaller than Solid Sound, is still in the planning stages and officials have yet to decide on the band.

"It will be some for 1,000 or 2,000 people," Thompson said. "We need to find the right band for the right price."