North Adams Prepped For Wilco's Solid Sound
 Wilco FAQs: ► All tickets so far have been sold online, so MoCA has been keeping ticketholders up to date on parking, lodging, schedules and maps over the Web. ► 5,000 to 6,000 people are expected to arrive, along with regular, if fewer, museum goers. ► The fest starts at 8 p.m. on Friday; 12:30 to to 11:30 on Saturday; and 11 to 7 on Sunday. ► Blue and Purple bus lines will be shuttling concertgoers between the multiple parking lots and the museum. ► The concert venues are all outside within the MoCA complex. The show goes on, rain or shine. ► Get all the FAQs here. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's marshaling its forces in preparation for the estimated 5,000 to 6,000 music fans expected to descend on North Adams beginning this Friday for the Solid Sound Festival.
The three-day performance presented by alternative-rock band Wilco is the first large-scale event the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has hosted since its opening a decade ago. City and museum officials have been working closely to ensure that the weekend runs smoothly for concertgoers and residents alike.
The first wave of 1,000 to 2,000 people is expected to begin arriving on Friday for the Solid Sound Launch Party and a performance by The Books, made up of Paul de Jong of New Lebanon, N.Y., and Nick Zammuto of Readsboro, Vt. The rest will trickle in over the next two days, with the bulk expected for Wilco's headliner performance on Saturday night.
Nearly 5,000 tickets are expected to be sold. The numerous performances of music, comedy and puppetry, and interactive exhibits, combined with the low cost for the entire weekend ($91) may encourage day-trippers and MoCA is expecting to sell another thousand or so tickets at the door.
"They're not all coming at once," said museum Executive Director Joseph Thompson at a briefing Wednesday morning in the mayor's office. "I truly think that the inflow will be modest in impact, and people will hardly notice it."
What they will notice is the piling up of vehicles in designated parking lots around the city. In addition to the MoCA lots on Marshall, and on Holden Street (the court and behind the Big Y), concertgoers will take over the St. Anthony's Municipal Parking Lot, the Joe Wolfe Field lot, the North Adams Plaza, the airport and Greylock Bowl, and space behind the Cumberland Farms in Williamstown.
Thompson said the visitors are being strongly encouraged to use the available lots and park streetside or in commercial lots, like the old Kmart parking lot. There's also a plus for those who arrive at the museum by bike — either manually or motor operated — because they get to park within 50 feet of the door. Thompson said an area is being set aside for those who park at their hotels and bike in.
Area hotels are booked and the campground at Windsor Lake is full, with a waiting list of hundreds, said Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco, who added the Public Safety Department has been collaborating with MoCA from the very conception of the event.
Morocco said North Adams Police will be working with local police departments, the state police and other law enforcement to ensure safety and traffic control and with North Adams Ambulance Service and North Adams Regional Hospital. There will be three first-aid stations and a doctor at the concert in case of emergency.
The outflow, especially on Saturday night, will be more significant. Thompson said buses will be lined up to scoot the concertgoers away, but the music will also continue at a lower level to get people to linger. They'll also be encouraged to take a walk down Main Street, which is staying open until 2 a.m., to stroll in the galleries or stop for a drink or a coffee or a sandwich.
 There's a downloadable map here. |
Police will begin a reverse-911 announcement beginning tomorrow to make sure residents understand that the population's about to jump by more than a third over the weekend.
"We're telling people to prepare for a winter storm," joked the commissioner. "If you are not going to the concert and you don't need to go out, buy your food and water now."
The major corridors are expected to have an increase in traffic and buses will be shuttling between the various parking lots (the blue line toward Adams; the purple line toward Williamstown). Mayor Richard Alcombright said residents may want to stay of the main routes of 7 (State Street), 8 (Curran Highway) and 2 (Union Street) and use the side streets. Marshall Street will be closed from River Street to St. Anthony Drive to through traffic on Saturday.
Alcombright said the Department of Public Works has been busy cutting grass and plucking weeds. The street sweeper will be out and the DPW will be making sure public trashcans are emptied during the weekend.
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"They've really groomed the corriders around the city," he said. "They want the city to look good."
The city's getting buffed but the ongoing construction can't be missed. Intersection corners awaiting new lights and other work have been partially paved and had finer-paced gravel laid down; work in front of the main entrance to MoCA will be completed and the rest cleaned up as much as possible.
Both city and museum are hoping this goes off without a hitch and heralds future festivals. A lot of effort is going into making the city as welcoming as possible.
It's going to be learning experience," said Morocco. "Will there be glitches, along the way that may be ... I hope that it will new thing [for the city] and it will work out well."
Alcombright plans to keep an eye on things from the corner office.
"This holds significant potential for the people of North Adams, since future festivals can bring growth and revenue to the city," he said. "This is good for growing our community."
Downtown merchants and galleries are also planning some events, including "Late Night North Adams" on Saturday night. Some stores, bars and restaurants will be open until 2 a.m.; there'll be some music and sales and a liight installation. The Farmers' Market will move to Eagle Street on Saturday morning and St. Elisabeth's is hosting a breakfast both Saturday and Sunday. Develop North Adams (and iBerkshires) was still gathering information on Wednesday so we'll have something to post Thursday — because residents are welcome, too!
 MoCA says it's almost ready! |
