Wilco, Billy Bragg and Natalie Merchant are performing Mermaid Avenue live for the very first time

It was a historic moment for fans of Americana and folk: at Solid Sound, Wilco's own festival, the album Mermaid Avenue was performed in its entirety live for the very first time. Wilco and Billy Bragg shared the stage together, joined by Natalie Merchant, who had also appeared on the original record.

Mermaid Avenue came out in 1998 and grew out of an initiative by Nora Guthrie, daughter of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie. She made previously unpublished lyrics by her father available, and Wilco and Billy Bragg then set them to music. The project eventually resulted in multiple volumes: a second installment followed a few years later, and in 2012 a third volume was released as part of the Complete Sessions box set.

Although Wilco and Bragg had performed individual songs from the project together in the past, they never toured behind the albums at the time. A full live performance of the first volume had therefore remained out of reach for years. The performance at Solid Sound has now definitively ended that wait, and for many people in attendance it will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable concert moments in the festival's history.

Sources: Stereogum