After a three year absence, I went back to ACL Fest this year. Primarily wanted to see White Stripes, but unfortunately they backed out a couple days before the concert.
Friday:
Got to ACL in time to catch Blonde Redhead. They were ok, the lead singer girl was very spastic to the point that it was distracting. Actually, prior to that I grabbed a chopped beef sandwich from Stubbs. Then headed over to catch Joss Stone. I had wanted to see Crowded House too, but they were on opposite stages and well, I can only really remember two songs from them. Glad I made the choice -- Joss Stone is an amazing stage presence. Many girls voices wilt on such a large stage, but white girl got soul and put on a great show. One of the highlights of the festival. Decided to get some food then instead of heading to LCD Soundsystem as originally planned. Heard they put on a great show too...oh well needed food. Got a beef pie from Boomerang. It was pretty good. Got to listen to a little bit of Andy Palacio while eating on the bleachers, and also some of MIA since they were so loud. Made my way to Queens of the Stone Age instead of Spoon (who I have not seen yet even though they play in Austin so frequently). Disappointing, should've gone to Spoon. Got up close after that for Killers since they were on the same stage. Given the great show that the Kaiser Chiefs apparently put on, that may not have been the best move. Also missed Gotan Project. Got a free beer while waiting for Killers, but thats another story. Killers put on a pretty good show too, actually a little better than I expected since I saw them on SNL. After they finished, made way to Bjork and caught her encore. Hmm. Thats really all I have to say for her. Oh, and sweat is salty.
Saturday:
Got to ACL in time for Augustana. Left early to make our way to Cold War Kids. Not sure what all the hype was for them, the performance was ok at best. My allergies started to kick in around this time, I guess when I left Austin I lost all my immunities. It was really bad to the point where I really didn't feel like doing anything so ended up just sitting around most of the afternoon. Caught Blue October, wasn't really close enough or paying attention long enough to make a judgement either way. Also left to get some food, got an italian sausage with saurkraut from Best Wurst. Caught Andrew Bird, was very impressed. Kinda reminded me of Howie Day. Anyone who can incorporate a violin or piano as a primary instrument gets major props from me. Caught Artic Monkeys, who literally sounded like a bunch of monkeys banging on drums. Left to get up close for Muse, skipping Arcade Fire entirely. Got pretty close, within 20 people of the stage. Muse put on a great show, not quite as good as the one I saw in SF, but still a great one.
Sunday:
Got to ACL really late today, courtesy of dim sum. Yeah I know, coming from SF but going to dim sum in Austin? The place we went to (Shanghai), I think compares favorably with some of the ones in the Bay Area. It just remains to be seen if it will stay that way. Got back and checked out some of National streamed live. The parts that I caught were pretty good. Then actually went to ACL in time to catch Bloc Party. Not really my thing, went to get some food. Got a chicken cone from Hudson's Bend. Caught Regina Spektor (skipping Amos Lee), she reminds me of Tori Amos. It was cute, she was so overwhelmed by the crowd and would talk to everybody. A good show. Caught a little bit of Wilco (skipping My Morning Jacket), then went to get some more food. This time got another chicken cone, and a venison sausage wrap from Hudson's Bend. Caught a little bit of Ziggy Marley, then came back for Ghostland Observatory (skipping Decemberists). New rule of thumb for large festivals like this -- see the bands that are high energy. Wow what an awesome show. They got the crowd hopping. Then headed over to Bob Dylan and couldn't understand a word that he was saying. If you remember the movie Waterboy, the character that was a farmer that talked gibberish that no one could understand, well thats what Dylan sounded like.
Oh forgot to mention, tons of Sweet Leaf tea throughout all three days :)
Unfortunately, did not get any pics of the land yacht that I happened to rent. When I showed up to Avis there was a Lincoln Town Car sitting in my spot. They were sold out for the night, so it was mine for the weekend.
Labels: Food, Music
