Austin City Limits ROCKS (and Interpol Ain't so Bad, Either)

I admit it, I like to FEST. Music festivals in general, and ACL in particular, are one of humankind's greatest creations. Where else can you hang out with your 65,000 closest friends while wallowing in the dust, sweating bullets in 95 degrees, looking like something that got the crap kicked out of it in the desert and come out LOVING IT? This was my second ACL, having attended the (in)famous fest of 2005 that was plagued by fears of Hurricane Rita, 105 degrees with some serious humidity yet with a lineup that was second to none? Bottom line: you go down to Austin, connect with some friends, hear a wide variety of amazing tunes, learn about some new bands, swim in a spring for self-preservation, drink gallons of water (to augment the Makers Mark, Patron and whatever else you might have on hand) and make your reservations for next year before even leaving town. And this is without all the other stuff that Austin has to offer like 6th Street, Stubbs, SoCo and everything else. In short, a sublime experience that transports you from your work-a-day existence into another dimension. A dimension of happiness. Of grooviness. Of peace. Of fun. Run, don't walk, to ACL 2008. I'll be there.

Now I happened to take the first day off because one of my favorite bands, Interpol, was making their Madison Square Garden debut. My wife Carin and I got great tickets and decided to defer our trip, and to fly down crack of dawn Saturday to take in the last two days of the fest. They were in fine, fine form. Paul's voice has never been better, Daniel played the shit out of his axe, Sam played his pulsating and energetic drums and Carlos was, well, Carlos. They played a set evenly distributed among Bright Lights, Antics and Our Love to Admire. It was a great show and more than compensated for our being bummed at missing Day 1 of ACL.

Down at ACL on Saturday we took in Augustana, Cold War Kids, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, the Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire. In the words of Larry David, "Pretty good. Pretty, pretty good." No, Larry was wrong. They ROCKED. I wasn't familiar with Augustana, had heard of but never seen Cold War Kids, and have long loved CYHASY, Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire. They all stepped up and played to appreciative and knowledgeable ACL audiences. The only crappy part was that part of the sound system blew during Arcade Fire's set, so the fidelity was not so high. But anyway, it didn't materially detract from the experience. It was enjoyment, pure and simple.

And now for some pics:

Hanging in the Grove: my friends Mary-Gail, David, Patti and yours truly swilling a cool one. Notice the cowboy hats - truly self-preservation. Tried a baseball hat and it really didn't do the job given searing heat and intense sun. I don't look too much like Billy Crystal, do I?

Cooling off in Barton Springs: a short walk from the fest, this was the late afternoon way of dropping your body temperature by 5 degrees and getting prepped for an evening of music and coolness.

   
Me and my fest-babe. Loving the cute pig-tails.

My friend Dave spent some time during undergrad and grad school at Vanderbilt, where he honed his taste for Makers Mark. And what better place to enjoy than at ACL?

Me with my friends Ed and Dave. It just so happens that two of my music friends also happen to be my counsel, Ed (Intellectual Property) and Dave (Corporate and Securities Law). How lucky am I that I actually like my lawyers - and want to spend time with them off the clock?!

Sunday at ACL didn't disappoint, either, as we took in Ben Kweller, Midlake, Bloc Party, Wilco, Ziggy Marley and the Decemberists. Ben was sweet, Midlake cool, Bloc Party rocked, Wilco rolled, Ziggy bopped and the Decemberists grooved. It was a fitting end to a spectacular few days. I could get all critical of the artists but that's not what this post is about. It is about the experience of being at ACL. An experience I highly recommend you take in one of these years.

Comments

[Yohan]

If you like Austin and the ACL, then you should definitely check out South by Southwest festival in Austin in March. SXSW is known as the biggest festival for indie rock anywhere in the globe. Its over a span of 4-5 days and its something of heaven for fans of this genre of music.

I didn't go to ACL this year even though I went past three years, b/c the festival just gets more and more crowded each year. Plus the heat is quite unbearable. I remember last year alot of times I couldn't even see the stage and was forced to watch the tv screen next to the stage.

My friends told me Bob Dylan wasn't too impressive, and they were fuming over the White Stripes pulling out. I don't care much for either artist though.

Over the past 5 days, I've seen The Rosebuds, Bloc Party, The Killers, The Rosebuds, Midlake, Dan Deacon in surrounding cities in Texas.

Tomorrow I get to see Interpol! Haven't seen them since 2004 at Curiosa Festival, so pretty excited about this.

There were some pretty good after party's hosted by some music blogs on the same weekend of ACL, with acts like Art Brut, The Rosebuds and Grizzly Bear.

I was able experience ACL this year through the ATT Blueroom website.

The only band/artists I was sad to miss was Andrew Bird and Sound Team. Sound Team announced they were breaking up shortly before their final show at ACL.

Good to see another indie rock fan.

[2L]

well the only downside (but *big* downside) to SXSW is the large influx of hipsters. I think any google search of 'sxsw and hipster' will do. OTOH, I did get to see (five members of) Wu-Tang Clan for free during SXSW last year.

[Seth]

ACL was great. Friday is my favorite day as it seems to be slightly less crowded. I never been to the springs but that appears to be a great way to cool off. I will have to check that out next year. Cowboy hat is definitely the way to go under the Texas sun. Ben Kweller, Bloc Party and Bela Fleck rocked out. Hope to see you there next year.