Wilco & Billy Bragg To Open Solid Sound With ‘Mermaid Avenue’ Performance

Wilco and Billy Bragg will headline the first day of the former’s Solid Sound festival, performing songs from their acclaimed Mermaid Avenue collaboration. It will be the first-ever concert-length performance of songs from that collection.

The festival is scheduled for June 26-28 at North Adams, Massachusetts’ MASS MoCA.

Released in 1998, Mermaid Avenue took Woody Guthrie’s unpublished lyrics and set them to music composed by Wilco and Bragg.

“The world needs all the Woody Guthrie it can get,” Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy said. “We’re thrilled that we get to bring these songs to life with Billy.”

“There’s an abiding love out there for the Mermaid Avenue albums, so I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with Wilco to bring Woody’s words to life once again,” Bragg said.

Friday nights at Solid Sound — which Wilco launched in 2010 — traditionally feature the band performing unique sets, such as performing only covers or acting as a backing band for Wilco karaoke.

Weekend passes for Solid Sound are available now.