Saturday, Oct. 10 was like any other fall day atop Mount David, a 381 ft. tall summit on the edge of the Bates College campus. The sky was bright and blue, the trees surrounding the mountain top were decked out in red and orange leaves, and the air was crisp. Around four in the afternoon, this scene started to shift. Students began to appear on the peak holding instruments and audio equipment. Carpets laid on the rocky ground served as a stage. The sounds of musicians tuning their guitars and testing microphones accompanied the quiet rustle of the leaves. 

Just as the sun began to fall behind the stage, Aidan Buck ’29 from Arlington, Mass., took a microphone and announced to the crowd, “Welcome to Bates Plays Wilco!” Attendees cheered from their seats on the ground, excited for the show to begin. 

For the past two years the Bates Musicians’ Union (BMU) has put on a collaborative tribute concert on top of Mount David. In 2024 and 2025, Bates musicians covered music from the beloved indie folk band Big Thief from Brooklyn, N.Y. This year, the BMU co-presidents Mazie Chamberlin ’27 of New York City and Eno Little ’27 of Santa Fe, N.M., decided to switch it up.

“We were trying to find something that had a similar accessibility and popularity with the college, but that was also a little different. Last year was such a big year for Big Thief, and we wanted to close the door on that and do something new,” Chamberlin said. 

The goal of this concert has always been to cultivate a space where Bates students, whether they identify as musicians or not, can get together and make music. On a spreadsheet sent out by the BMU, students got to sign up for any musical part in a song. There were plenty of songs to choose from. Wilco has recorded 13 studio albums, five EPs, and other notable collaborations and live albums over their 31 years as a band. Some songs were played by people who have been making music together for years, and some were played by strangers meeting — and performing together — for the first time. 

One of the songs Aidan Buck performed was a duet with his sister Carly Buck — a senior at Bates. They sang “You and I” from Wilco’s 2009 self-titled album, and Aidan played guitar. “We knew it would be wholesome,” Aidan joked. 

Beck Welling ’30 of New Gloucester, Maine, played fiddle on “No Sense in Lovin” by Uncle Tupelo, the band that became Wilco after Jay Farrar left to form Son Volt. Welling played with three other first-year students whom he met through the BMU. Welling noted that there is already a great community of first-year musicians and the event on Mt. David was a great kick off. “It’s nice to just play music sometimes and not have to put on a huge production,” Welling said.

In the crowd, there were a wide range of people: current students, alumni, parents, visiting friends, and Lewiston locals who were drawn to the top of the “mountain.” Chamberlin explained that this was one of her favorite parts of the event. She said, “I hope Bates Plays continue so happen and future generations of the BMU continue to think about how to make it bigger and more inclusive. I feel like there’s a lot of potential there.”

The event concluded with a big dance party to “Heavy Metal Drummer” from Wilco’s album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and a singalong to the beloved “California Stars” from the Billy Bragg and Wilco album Mermaid Avenue. “It was a blast,” Welling said about playing fiddle for the finale.

In the darkness, musicians and concert-goers helped bring the equipment down the mountain. After everybody left, Mt. David returned to its original state — quiet, empty, and serene.