Young and Old Gather for Day 1 of Wilco Festival
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On the same day the Solid Sound Festival kicked off at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Thomas turned 72 years old. And on the same property that once was home to the Sprague Electric Company, which Thomas worked for, the museum was hosting the largest event in its 11-year history.
Thomas has seen the Steeple City endure difficult times, specifically after Sprague was shut down in 1985. But since the emergence of Mass MoCA, she has witnessed a transformation.
"When Sprague went out, there wasn't much here. Main Street wasn't too busy anymore," said Thomas, who works as an usher at MoCA but had the day off Friday. "Then MoCA came to be, and things started getting a lot better."
Thomas recalled the days when North Adams was a bustling hub of activity during the Sprague era, when city workers would get paid on Thursday and residents would flock to the local restaurants and shops. She was reminded of those better times on Friday as the downtown area welcomed an influx of foot traffic.
As a MoCA employee, Thomas has attended concerts and parties hosted by the museum over the last decade. Only a few hours into the Solid Sound Festival, which is expected to attract more masses on Saturday, she was already in awe.
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Rose Marie Thomas
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Shane Mongar, 31, from Chattanooga, Tenn., is in the midst of his first trip to North Adams since 2004. During the summer seasons between 2001 and 2004, Mongar worked at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He occasionally made trips to North Adams to check out MoCA. In the six years since his last visit, he's noticed a change in the city.
"It has really blown up," he said. "It seems to have become a real destination. It's cool to see that this place — and all of the Berkshires — has become an arts Mecca."
The festival's launch event commenced at 8 p.m., boasting three bands as well as a DJ set by The Numero Group. Pronto and Deep Blue Organ Trio opened the night, while local band The Books garnered the largest audience for its 10 p.m. set in the Hunter Center. The "folktronica" trio performed on stage while a screen in the background provided audio and visual ambience.
Nick Zammuto (guitarist, vocalist), who graduated from Williams College in 1999, sported an Elf Parlor T-shirt to rep the local coffee house, and before the first song he said: "Welcome to our hometown."
Earlier in the day during a press conference, Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy praised The Books and said they were a top choice to play the festival, especially because of their local ties.
Music was hardly the only attraction on Day 1 of Solid Sound. The Story Pirates, a theatre troupe which acts out stories written by children, were in full costume and drew plenty of laughs in the MoCA lobby. The Pirates will be back at it Saturday, performing from 12 to 6 p.m. in the museum's Rehearsal Studio. Comedian Kristen Schaal, who is best known for her role on the HBO show "Flight of the Conchords" and has made appearances on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," is one of the founding members of The Story Pirates.
 Droves of people were turned away from the Hunter Center on Friday night because the crowd for local band The Books was already at capacity. |
There was no shortage of beer on opening night. Peter Cowlin, a sales representative for Girardi Distributors out of Pittsfield, said that "quite of few kegs" were kicked. He expects an even bigger day of sales on Saturday.
Although the alcohol was flowing, there appeared to be no major problems as the night drew to a close. Stacey Steinmetz, who works for the Magic Hat Brewing Co. in Burlington, Vt., described the crowd as "lovely."
"Everyone has been totally patient and happy to be here," she said. "Look around. This is probably one of the coolest venues for a festival."
There was no key demographic that dominated the crowd — young children laughed along with The Story Pirates while 72-year-old Rose Marie Thomas enjoyed another birthday — and a city revived.
