NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Those having a Wilco withdrawal because of the absence of Solid Sound Festival this year have a chance to catch them in a benefit performance on Tuesday, July 31.
The band returns to the Hunter Center at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the nonprofit museum. Tickets will be sold by a "name your price" auction and a lottery.
Capacity is capped at 1,000, with general admission and a standing-room only configuration. The benefit is courtesy of Wilco, with additional support from Higher Ground Presents.
"On a different and more intimate scale than Wilco's other New England appearances, this will be a rare opportunity to feel Wilco's 'whole love' up close," said Mass MoCA Director Joseph Thompson. "The museum galleries will be open until 30 minutes before the performance that evening for those who want to take in some art as part of their visit."
The first 500 tickets will be sold to bidders who make the highest offers at www.massmoca.org/wilco_benefit.php over a 2 1/2 day period that begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 13, and runs through 10 a.m. on Monday, April 16.
To maximize the chance of getting tickets — and also support Mass MoCA — bidders are being encourged to make the highest offer they can. Those whose bids are not among the top 500 will still have a chance to score tickets to this performance when their bid is placed into a random lottery. Bidders drawn from a hat will be offered the opportunity to purchase a pair of tickets at the price named on their bid form.
"It's an experiment, which we hope proves to be more civilized, more fair, and more fun than the standard mode of ticket sales," said Thompson, "And we hope it brings Mass MoCA the strong charitable support which is at the heart of this special evening."
Wilco has been curating the popular Solid Sound Festival at the museum, which includes music, comedy, art and culture. The two festivals so far have drawn upwards of 5,000 to the three-day events but the planned annual event was put off until next year because of scheduling.
The main draw has been Wilco, which has performanced at least twice at each festival and whose members have participated in workshops and demonstrations throughout the festival weekends. The festival returns to Mass MoCA on June 21, 2013.
Wilco's latest album, the Grammy-nominated "The Whole Love" is out now on the band's own dBpm Records.
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I applaud fundraising however I think admission to the museum is too expensive, especially given that a multi floor gallery is going to have the same stuff in it for many years to come. It doesn't seem very contemporary of them.
Hey Huh-
This is a charity event. The whole idea is to raise money, so yes, those with more expendable cash will probably get the tickets. Next year, when the festival returns, everyone will get a chance to go because that one (see if you can follow me here) WON'T BE A CHARITY EVENT!
Chill EricNA, was just making a joke on what the first commenter posted. Having said that, there are many ways to hold a charitable event where the size of your pocketbook doesn't move you to the front of the line.
Sorry Huh. The rampant negativity of most of the posters here has me always assuming the worst. I agree that there are ways to be more inclusive, but this event has a limited number of tickets, so the institution needs to maximize the income. It seems appropriate to me.
Joe-
With the exception of the Lewitt exhibit everything at the museum changes every 6 months to a year, so there is a lot of overhead in keeping new things coming. That being said, its still a cheap ticket compared to other museums of comparable size and quality.
Some of the commentators apparently didn't read the article or comprehend it. Someone who bids $1 for a ticket could end up buying it for that price. I quote: "Those whose bids are not among the top 500 will still have a chance to score tickets to this performance when their bid is placed into a random lottery. Bidders drawn from a hat will be offered the opportunity to purchase a pair of tickets at the price named on their bid form."
Membership has its benefits. A small annual membership contribution would have put you first in line to score a pair of tix at the very reasonable price of 113.00 per. Get with it folks. Members can visit the museum for FREE anytime. All concerts, dance, film etc. are discounted 10%. Members are also invited to opening receptions and other events. Mass Moca is the best deal around.
I'll be one of 1000 people standing a few feet from a band that sells out concerts all over the world. They play their asses off for two and a half to three hours. Wilco is one of the best bands IN THE WORLD! and they're here in little old N.A... and they love it! Imagine that!
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Solid Sound Festival curated by Wilco at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art runs Friday through Sunday, June 21-23.
We're keeping this blog to let you know who's here, where to go, what's happening, the best places to eat and other things of interest to both residents and concertgoers.
