Mermaid Parade ➡️ Mermaid Avenue

You know how summers sometimes get dubbed with a name, “hot girl summer” or “brat summer?” Well, as far as I’m concerned, Summer 2026 is Mermaid Summer.

And I’m here for it.

Last weekend’s adventures were Brooklyn-centric but, for my second Mermaid event in a week, the destination was northeast – North Adams, MA and the Solid Sound Festival. This was my first time attending this annual event, although I’ve heard tell of it for many years from friends who make it a June tradition.

I was compelled to take the night off work and pony up $157 for a ticket for the Friday lineup because something very special was on the bill – Wilco and Billy Bragg would be, for the first time ever in a concert setting, playing music from their excellent album, Mermaid Parade. It’s a very special record – original Woody Guthrie found lyrics paired with music written and performed by Wilco and Billy Bragg.

I needed to see it.

After illicitly parking in the Big Y lot (thank you, Big Y!), we arrived in time to meet up with friends, get oriented and catch the last two performances of the day – Gang of Four, followed by Wilco & Bragg. As the stage was being set up for Gang of Four’s set, I wandered around the grounds of MASS MOCA taking in the crowd and reveling in the sense of being in a sea of music lovers who seemed to be in my own age bracket.

That doesn’t happen all that often.

I devoured the fashions on display – fantastic outfits, hair, makeup and accessories were everywhere. There was so much style present! The t-shirts worn each came with a message either about some place the wearer had been (a concert, festival or event) or their political stance. Antifascism and democratic socialism were both well represented.

I was in good company.

Gang of Four was a band new to me, which was more a function of my own limited musical explorations during their initial heyday in the 70s and 80s than their level of success. I was listening to Zeppelin and New Wave then, not political borderline punk. My expectations for their set were truly nonexistent.

They were fantastic and the crowd ate them up with great enthusiasm. Their beats were relentless and it was impossible to remain still. The area in front of the stage undulated and positively thrummed – the audience seemed to be filled with OG fans of this group and it was easy to see how they became so devoted to this band. Wow.

After what I felt like a long time setting up and sound checking, Wilco and Billy Bragg finally came on at about 9:25. The extended and meticulous preparation was well worth the investment of time because the sound quality was supreme. Taking the stage, Tweedy and Bragg dove in and provided a set that launched the performance into the stratosphere. It was incredible.

As I stood on the gently sloping hill, I couldn’t stop smiling. The ache in my cheeks was reminiscent of the effect of a $3 hit of 1980’s purple microdot – joyfully painful. Natalie Merchant* danced on and off the stage like a wild, grey haired sprite, stepping up to the microphone numerous times to add her voice to the harmonies being created.

By the time the encore wrapped, after a heart lifting run through California Stars and a full stage of family members, including Woody Guthrie’s daughter and grandchildren, covering This Land is Your Land, I was in tears. As I looked around me at a crowd which only raised their voices in jubilation, I was buoyed by their presence. All I could think was: this is the America that I’ve been missing – one that felt welcoming and accepting and prepared to share the beauty of the country in which we are all immigrants.

This single night of Solid Sound fed my soul and exceeded my lofty hopes and expectations. It was amazing and I feel very fortunate to have been there to witness what may have been the best display of true patriotism I’ve ever seen.

Bravo, Wilco. You done good.

*FYI – she’s right, ain’t nobody who can sing like her. ❤️