Curve Away

This weekend is ACL Fest and I’m lucky enough to be going again. This year, I’m volunteering each day of the fest, so I actually get to attend free! I’m working 4 hour shifts each day, at the Tag-A-Kid stand (bracelets for parents attending with children). Though I am missing a couple of bands I would love to see due to my shifts (no Metric for me, sadly), I think my schedule worked out pretty well, and I’ll get to see many of the bands I do want to see.

My schedule’s looking like this so far:

Friday: Volunteer 11-3 followed by:

• lunch
• Ben Howard
• Trampled by Turtles
• Alabama Shakes
• Florence + the Machine (!)
• maybe The Black Keys (yes, I know how amazing they are, but I’ve already seen them, and in a much better setting, so I might skip out early)

Saturday:

• Quiet Company
• Civil Twilight (iffy on this one… does anyone recommend them?)
• Bombay Bicycle Club
• Dry the River (just few a few minutes before I have to check-in)
• Volunteer 3-7pm
• Missing Metric, Michael Kiwanuka, Andrew Bird and The Shins :(
• Leaving early, ‘cause, sorry Jack White, but I’m just not that into you

Sunday:

• Volunteer 11-3
• Tennis
• Two Door Cinema Club
• The Lumineers
• The Avett Brothers
• Maybe a few minutes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers set. I know that sounds blasphemous, but eh.
• home early :)

I know it’s kinda sad, but I’m excited about the prospect of being home by 9 every night. Anyway, very much looking forward to it. Especially curious to see what hottie celebrity walks in front of me this year. Last year, it was Christian Bale, the year before that, James Marsden. :) Wish me luck!

Sunday

Managed to make it to the park even earlier than on Saturday and had a really nice time doing so.  Was arriving early to see Foals and Blind Pilot who both had sets at 1:15.  Would’ve liked to have seen White Rabbits (they of Percussion Gun fame), but got there just as they were finishing up.  So, started with Foals.  Right now, the only song I really know by them is This Orient, which I really like.  I was quite impressed with them.  They’ve got a good, rock-edge to them, but still manage to incorporate some good melodies into their songs.  They had a good-sized crowd who seemed very into the set, so that was cool. 

Left mid-way thru Foals’ set to catch the second half of Blind Pilot.  Blind Pilot are a band my friend introduced me to.  They have an instantly listenable sound.  Lovely melodies and vocals surrounded by mostly mid-tempo acoustic instruments.  They’re also a fairly large band… 6 members, I think.  There was not one particular highlight in their set that stood out for me, it was solid all the way around, and very enjoyable.  I had the pleasure of meeting the band at the Waterloo tent later in the afternoon, and was very pleased to find them all really nice and approachable.  They also had a much larger crowd for their set than I would have imagined they would have.  good for them.

While I waited in line at Waterloo, I got to listen to quite a bit of Devendra Banhart and the Grogs’ set.  I know nothing of them, other than the fact that I’ve heard (and seen once or twice), that Devendra is quite eccentric.  I must admit, I quite liked what I heard from them.  I’ll have to check out more. :)

Next on the agenda was Dawes, a band from California who have a folksy/rock-ish/harmony thing going (Are you detecting a pattern in my musical preferences?).  I managed to squeeze my way to the barricade for this one, and was almost surprised by the energy of the performance and how much the lead singer got into it.  He was rocking out.  They ended with an awesome sing-along of their song that gets some local radio play, When My Time Comes.  Very nice. 

By this time, my cousins were finally arriving at the park, so I took some time to meet up with them and have lunch.  We sat and relaxed while we waited for Yeasayer.  Again, limited knowledge here… just Madder Red.  Though they weren’t compelling enough to entice me to stay for the entire set, I did like their energy and the melodies.  The music itself is a little more experimental than I’m used to… I probably just need to give it a real listen sometime.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were the next act I wanted to catch, so I headed toward their stage.  There was a HUGE crowd amassed for them, which kind of surprised me, as the only song that’s gotten local radio play by them is Home.  The band itself is huge and they look like they stepped right out of the 60s.  Very hippy with a free-flowing vibe.  Good, but it started to feel a little too much like a gimmick for me after a while.  I stayed for a few songs then headed toward the main stage where I would see Band of Horses next.  On route, Edward and the gang started Home as their closer.  Sounded great and the crowd was really into it.

The band I had been waiting all day to see was up next.  Band of Horses took the stage staring directly into the setting sun, which prompted Ben Bridwell to leave his sunglasses on.  Theirs was the only set where I saw active camera movement- specifically, a videocamera on a rig moving all around the stage.  Not sure if that was just for streaming purposes or for a DVD or something, but it obstructed my otherwise very good view from time to time.  The band was stunning live.  Sounded every bit as good as they do on cd.  My personal favorites were No One’s Gonna Love You and Laredo.  The audience was loving it and I fell deeper in love with Band of Horses.

My last full act of the day was The National, another band I have only just recently started listening to.  Their set was an excellent introduction to them.  They sounded so tight musically and they had great stage presence.  I really, really like their sound.  I couldn’t even name a specific song I particularly enjoyed (I don’t know the song titles yet!), but they kept me moving the entire time.  Picked up High Violet at the Waterloo tent when their set was over. 

The Eagles were the big closer for the night, but as I had stayed til the bitter end for The National, and then hit the Waterloo tent, I didn’t attempt to get any closer to the main stage then the top of the hill overlooking it.  I heard about 5 songs as I milled around, including one of my favorites, Peaceful Easy Feeling.  They still sound great, and from what I heard from others, they put on a great show.  It just wasn’t something I felt the need to stick around for.  I said good-bye to Zilker Park and headed for the shuttle line; I was walking through my front door around the time The Eagles would have been finishing their set.  

Sunday Highlights

• Hearing/Meeting Blind Pilot
• Finally feeling like I had a method to my movements around the park
• Band of Horses/The National back-to-back

Sunday Lowlights

• Getting to the Merch tent after The National only to find out ALL the officially ACL tees had sold out. :(
• The sketchy chicken wrap I ate right before leaving the park.  ugh.

Saturday

Did everything I could to get out of the house earlier on Saturday.  Got down to the park around 1:30 and quickly discovered that my first long day in the sun was going to be a very warm one.  BUT, as warm as it was, it was still tolerable.  Met my cousin at the Austin Ventures stage for Two Door Cinema Club.  I had heard of them, but had never heard any of their music.  We found a spot at the back of a pretty sizeable crowd.  Mid-way thru the set, the singer (I assume it was the singer, I really couldn’t see) said, “We like to make music that makes you want to dance…”  And it seemed they accomplished that, as everyone was dancing around.  Catchy melodies and very danceable, fun beats.  Loved it.  What endeared the Northern Irish trio to me even more was the fact that they seemed so surprised at the crowd reaction.  “This is our last show in the States for a while… we NEVER expected to be playing for this many people!  Thank you!”, the lead singer said, before launching into their last song.  Will definitely be picking up their album, Tourist History.  A little while later, I got a chance to meet the band and get pics and autographs at the Waterloo tent.  If the line to meet them was any indication, these guys are going to be enjoying some great success here!

Oh, and before Two Door Cinema Club came on, I caught a bit of NINJASONIK’s set, which was also a lot of fun and had people dancing. 

After the meet-and-greet, I went to stake out a place for Broken Bells.  I really like their album and was excited to see them, but I knew I’d probably only be staying for half of the set, since another band I also really wanted to see, Local Natives, had an overlapping set time with them.  So, I got a space very close up for Broken Bells, which was pretty cool.  I got to hear a couple of the songs I really like, The Ghost Inside, and October, and the band sounded really tight live.  Sadly, I didn’t get to hear The High Road, until I was standing at the Local Natives’ stage.  Bleed through was a bit of a problem at some times. 

Local Natives were also really good live.  I was wondering whether or not they’d be able to pull off their harmonies in that kind of atmosphere, but they did, no problem.  The harmonies actually soared in songs like Sun Hands and Airplanes.  All in all, a really great set, though I wish I had tried to get a little closer.

Then it was time for the great decision- Temper Trap or The xx.  I decided on Temper Trap, based on recommendations, and also because I felt The xx show might be a little too mellow.  I have to be honest, I was ever-so-slightly disappointed in The Temper Trap’s set.  They sounded good, but it started to sound a little too much the same for me.  The songs just kind of faded into each other.  That being said, I had a really crappy spot, so maybe that affected my enjoyment of the show.  BUT, I will say, their closer, Sweet Disposition (of course), was awesome.  I literally got goosebumps.  

As a side note, I heard several people say The xx set was pretty disappointing.  

So, next, I decided to grab a quick “dinner” before heading over for LCD Soundsystem.  This was the one and only time I feared for my life that weekend.  I got caught in an absolute crush of people between the Monsters of Folk set and the food court.  I have no idea how many people there were, but it was an obscene amount.  We were literally pressed up against each other on all sides and had to move as a collective.  It could have gotten really ugly, but luckily, most people behaved well and we all made it out alive.  Not a pretty scene if you’re claustrophobic, though.  

Finally made it across the park for LCD Soundsystem.  I know very, very little of their music, but I liked what I heard.  The crowd was very into it and they put on a good show.  Deadmau5 was playing immediately after LCD on the next stage over, so a lot of people cleared out after their set to catch that.  This allowed me to find a good spot for Muse!  My cousins and I had been separated pretty much all day and they texted me that they had secured a spot near the middle for Muse.  After the crushing I endured during The Strokes, I decided I didn’t need to do that again, and just stayed a bit to the end to the left (Matt’s side) of the stage.  

So, finally, one of the moments I was most excited for… Muse!  From the opening notes of Uprising, the crowd was in a frenzy.  For the second time that day, I had goosebumps.  The atmosphere was electric and the guys sounded awesome.  I have seen Muse 2 times before (3 if you count their opening slot for U2), so I knew what to expect, but I was still caught up in the energy of the performance.  Had so, so much fun dancing, jumping, shouting, singing and clapping along.  There seemed to be quite a few people in the audience who were also very familiar with Muse, so that was really cool, too.  An excellent way to close ACL Saturday.  

Saturday Highlights

• Discovering/Meeting Two Door Cinema Club
• Getting to see so many of the bands I’m currently listening to in a few short hours
• MUSE!

Lowlights

• Getting crushed in a throng of people
• Missing Matt and Kim to secure a spot for Muse.  I was sooo disappointed to miss their set, but there was no way I could have gotten a good spot for Muse if I had been across the park to see them. :(

So here’s where I attempt to condense 3 days worth of experiences into a concise, readable, and hopefully, mildly entertaining collection of words.  I’ll try to bullet point the highlights and lowlights for each day, for those of you who find too many words distressing. ;)

Friday

Got to the fest a little before 4:00 with my cousin in tow, and was greeted by a mass of people.  The lines to get in were long and it was hot and everyone, it seemed, was anxious to get in and see the Black Keys.  Went straight to the AMD stage where they were just about to start their set, and found a decent spot to the left of the stage.  Though their set was relatively early, there was a huge crowd assembled to watch them.  I just recently started listening to these guys and really love their sound.  They did not disappoint live.  They started the set with some older songs- just the two of them on stage, they then brought out a few other guys for songs for the Brothers album.  They were great.  The highlight here for me was, of course, Tighten Up.

After that, it was time to eat.  ACL has a pretty good selection of stuff, going way beyond just the traditional festival fair (truffled mac & cheese, anyone?).  While lots of stuff sounded great, I played it safe with a couple of tacos.  While eating, I managed to catch a couple of songs from the lovely Amos Lee. 

Ran back up to the AMD stage to catch the second half of the Spoon set.  Again, I’m pretty new to Spoon, but I was excited to hear Don’t You Evah, which has that great bass groove and got everyone moving.  They closed their strong set with The Underdog, which was fun with everyone dancing and singing along. 

The last show for me on Friday was The Strokes.  My cousin really wanted to try to get up close, so we staked out a spot right after Spoon.  As 8 pm drew nearer, the crush got real and we were shoulder to shoulder with anxious Strokes fans.  The guys came out about 8:15 and ran through their set in only about 45 minutes, but what a 45 minutes it was.  I am the first to admit that my knowledge of the Strokes is limited to Is This It and Last Nite.  That did not matter; I danced and clapped along with everyone else… could not help it.  I became a Strokes fan Friday night.  And god, do I love Julian’s voice… it oozes cool and who-gives-a-fuck-attitude.

Friday Highlights

• Tighten Up with The Black Keys
• Stalking the yummy James Marsden at the Merch tent
• The whole freaking (but too-short) Strokes set

Lowlights

• Missing Vampire Weekend to secure a spot for The Strokes- I caught a tiny little bit of Cousins and it looked like a blast. :(
• Bad shoe choice made walking quite painful by the end of the night.
• Realizing too late that I hadn’t taken any pictures of the Strokes set, though I did get a little bit of video.