Nobody is going to forget the day ticket auction for the return of Wilco will begin, Friday the 13th. It’s an easy to remember date, though potential ticket buyers might wonder if their luck (and wallet) is strong enough to beat the odds. This summer, Wilco is busy promoting their new album with a world tour, so there won’t be a repeat of the Solid Sound Festival until 2013, but the Chicago based rock group found time to make their way to North Adams and their favorite venue, Mass MoCA.

Performance in the Hunter Center, Only 1,000 Tickets Available

So here is the deal. The band will perform this summer in North Adams on July 31, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the museum, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization. This special evening will take place in Mass MoCA’s Hunter Center, an indoor venue which will have a capacity capped at 1000, in a general admission, standing room only configuration. “On a different and more intimate scale than Wilco’s other New England appearances, this will be a rare opportunity to feel Wilco’s ‘whole love’ up close,” said MASS MoCA Director Joseph Thompson. “The museum galleries will be open until 30 minutes before the performance that evening for those who want to take in some art as part of their visit.”

Name Your Own Price Ticket Lottery Planned This Week

In a break with the sometimes inconvenient — and frequently frustrating — tradition of awarding scarce concert tickets to the person who happens to be the first to break through a long telephone queue, tickets for the concert are being sold through a unique “Name your Own Price” auction/lottery. “It’s an experiment, which we hope proves to be more civilized, more fair, and more fun than the standard mode of ticket sales,” said MASS MoCA Director Joseph Thompson, “And we hope it brings MASS MoCA the strong charitable support which is at the heart of this special evening.”

CLICK HERE to place your bid between 10 AM on Friday, April 13 and 10 AM on Monday, April 16.

The first 500 tickets will be sold to bidders who make the highest offers online at www.massmoca.org/wilco_benefit.php over a two and a half day period which begins at 10AM on Friday, April 13, and runs through 10 AM on Monday, April 16. To maximize the chance of getting tickets – and also support Mass MoCA – bidders should make the highest offer they can. Those whose bids are not among the top 500 will still have a chance to score tickets to this performance when their bid is placed into a random lottery. Bidders drawn from a hat will be offered the opportunity to purchase a pair of tickets at the price named on their bid form.

The benefit is courtesy of Wilco, with additional support from Higher Ground Presents.

Wilco – the Group and its Albums

Wilco’s latest album, The Grammy-nominated The Whole Love is out now on the band’s own dBpm Records. “Quite simply, this is the work of a great band at the peak of their powers, and The Whole Love is a joy to hear…confirming once again that Wilco is as good a band as America can claim in the 21st century.” gushes All Music

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco in the mid-1990s. The Whole Love is the third album by the band’s current lineup, which solidified in 2004 when guitarist Nels Cline and guitarist/keyboardist Patrick Sansone joined Tweedy, founding bassist John Stirratt, drummer Glenn Kotche and keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen. Together, they released Sky Blue Sky in 2007 and the Grammy-nominated Wilco (The Album) in 2009. Wilco have won Grammy Awards for their 2004 release A Ghost is Born in the Best Alternative Album and Best Recording Package categories. Wilcoʼs Jeff Tweedy won a Grammy award as producer for Mavis Staples 2010 album You Are Not Alone.

Wilco have released 10 studio albums to date, including Mermaid Avenue Volumes 1 & 2, which, in collaboration with British folk singer Billy Bragg, set original music to song lyrics by the truest of American icons, songwriter Woody Guthrie.

Wilco’s dBpm Records is a full-service label releasing all future Wilco recordings and more. ANTI- Records provides distribution and additional label services for all dBpm releases.

Wilco and Mass MoCA

In 2010 Wilco, in collaboration with MASS MoCA created the Solid Sound Festival, a three-day event of music, art, comedy and culture. The festival returns to MASS MoCA June 21st, 2013. For more information visit wilcoworld.net or facebook.com/wilcohq

The Wilco Benefit Concert will take place at MASS MoCA on Tuesday, July 31 at 8 P.M. Tickets for the event are available through the online auction at www.massmoca.org/wilco_benefit.php.

About Mass MoCA

Mass MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA is an independent 501c(3) whose operations and programming are funded through admissions and commercial lease revenue, corporate and foundation grants, and individual philanthropy. Except for an initial construction grant from the Commonwealth, and competitive program and operations grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, MASS MoCA is privately funded: 90% of annual operating revenues are from earned revenues, membership support, and private gifts and grants.