Itʼs the tenth anniversary of the Austin City Limits and my fifth time covering the event.
One thing has remained the same in all that time and that is that I am always late as hell getting here on day one of the fest. We hit traffic, we got lost, and we made it to press check in two minutes before they closed it down for the day. I was pissed because I missed out on some of the early interviews and performances that I wanted.
But really, why bitch? ACL is one of the coolest festivals of the year and as an added bonus, they take really good care of the media. Finally, someone cares (ha!).
Friday night was not a total wash because I did manage to catch a DJ set by Pretty Lights that was better than I thought that it would be. Electronic music is obviously huge and Iʼm doing my best to keep track but it ainʼt easy. Regardless of whether I get it or not, the crowd was huge for his set and the music was full on high energy.
At ACL, you either commit to a stage and “hunker down” to watch the entire set or you treat it like a buffet and just sample a little bit of everything and move on. Iʼm a fan of the latter. From there I caught a little bit of Sara Bareilles and I am so happy that I did because she closed out her set with an amazing version of “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons.
Last stop of the night was Coldplay. I donʼt really like the band, but most of the crowd that I was with really wanted to see them. Boring. You can threaten to kill me or pat me on the back for saying that, but it is what it is. They are just flat live.
Saturday was a much better day for me as far as the bands that I wanted to see. I headed over to catch City and Colour and for a band that I knew nothing about, they ended up being surprisingly good. The band reminded me at times of ʻ70s era Neil Young, but I just couldnʼt pin down Dallas Greenʼs vocals. His voice is so reminiscent of someone and itʼs driving me crazy!
Later in the day, one of the real buzz bands of the festival, Cut Copy, took the stage and the crowd went nuts. This band has been so hot that every hipster indie rag on the planet has showered them with praise. Great energy and the songs are catchy as hell.
I donʼt think this is the strongest lineup that ACL has ever had but I was out of my mind excited to see TV on the Radio. If you are not familiar with this band, think aggressive Radiohead with an urban attitude. But thatʼs still kind of selling these guys short. They are so good at creating a mood and taking you to a place that doesnʼt feel like everywhere else you been. See them, love them or I will kill you.
The big decision at the end of the night at every ACL is which band you want to see close out the evening. On Saturday, it was the legendary Stevie Wonder vs. My Morning Jacket. For me it was an easy choice because although there is no denying the genius and immeasurable stamp that Stevie has put on music and our lives, my gut was telling me to go see My Morning Jacket. They took the stage as night covered the festival grounds and from the first chord it was incredible. I am so happy that I saw these guys because they were completely on their game. The music was perfect, the bandʼs posture on stage oozed passion and a kind of “we are so freaking happy to be hear attitude” that it made all 30-thousand people watching them want to rush the stage and be part of the party.
After that, it was so long and goodbye for me. I never stay for Sunday because I would be a basket case on Monday and my wife would shoot me if I did. And hereʼs a tip from a guy that has been coming to this annual festival for the past half decade — donʼt stay for the headliner unless you are OK with standing in line for the shuttle or a taxi for two hours. Listen to me good: get the hell out of ACL early or you will be sorry!
