Report: Solid Sound Festival – Day 3
The final day of Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival wound things down in a more low-key manner, but still offered sets from The Autumn Defense, Nels Cline & Julian Lage and Os Mutantes that were well worth sticking around for.
If there’s one criticism that could be leveled against this year’s iteration of Solid Sound, it’s that Sunday’s lineup felt a bit unbalanced. Friday was anchored by Wilco’s attention-grabbing covers set, and Saturday featured plenty of notables, but Sunday seemed largely focused on side-projects and lesser known bands. That’s not a knock against any of Sunday’s performances, but with the big names stacked on Saturday, Sunday’s crowds were noticeable thinner. Still, Sunday did offer some rare opportunities to see what various Wilco members are up to on their off days.
Mikael Jorgenson, Oliver Chapoy and Greg O’Keeffe were working up some electronic grooves when I arrived on Sunday. Jorgenson, Wilco’s primary keyboardist, joined with Chapoy on synthesizer and O’Keeffe on drums for one of the weekend’s more experimental sets. Passages of white noise ambience evolved into electro-krautrock jams and then collapsed again, winding hypnotic circles around the audience in the midday heat.
Over in the Hunter Center, Nels Cline and jazz guitarist Julian Lage performed an entirely guitar-based set that mixed improvisation with original pieces by both musicians. Cline and Lage are both outrageously talented, and hearing them perform together is nothing short of mesmerizing. Cline’s work as Wilco’s lead guitarist is always impressive, but the true depth of his technical prowess really shines through with a performance like this. Lage’s style was more noticeably rooted in jazz, but his skills were no less impressive. If you ever need convincing of the power of the guitar as a solo instrument, look no further than these two.
Back outside, the heat was starting to get oppressive. The Autumn Defense, a project headed by Wilco’s John Stirratt and also featuring Pat Sansone, was performing on the Courtyard D stage. Stirratt capably assumed the frontman role, wielding a warm voice and an acoustic guitar at the center of the band’s breezy songs. The gentlemanly Lage and Cline were greeting fans and signing records at the opposite end of the courtyard, demonstrating one of many reasons that Solid Sound is unlike your typical festival. Where else can you meet one member of your headlining band while two others perform with their own project within earshot?
Os Mutantes, arguably Sunday’s most notable performers, were on next at Joe’s Field. Lasting from 1966-1978 in their original run, Os Mutantes were an influential psychedelic pop band from Brazil. Their lineup has undergone numerous changes even since their reunion in 2006, but here at Solid Sound they performed like a band that really had been together for many, many years. Guitarist/de-facto frontman Sérgio Dias was all smiles, leading the group through an enthusiastic set that gelled with the ever-intensifying heat.
The weather and looming threat of a four-hour drive home got the best of me at the close of Os Mutantes’ set, and I opted out of closing sets by Border Music and Medeski Martin & Wood. Even with an abbreviated Sunday, however, Solid Sound was still an excellent weekend of music. Wilco chose a beautiful location, curated a great lineup and put on a truly fantastic weekend. This was my first Solid Sound, but it certainly won’t be my last.
