ACL Festival 2008: Day 2
Note: I wrote almost all of this post yesterday, but my computer kept screwing up. So here it is, a little late.
My brain's a little fuzzy from dust, smoke and sleepiness, but I'll try to sum up today. I found my camera, so I have a few photos as well.
Day 2: Saturday
Like I predicted, today at the festival was a little slow. I arrived just a few minutes before Fleet Foxes played at 12:30. I had only heard "White Winter Hymnal" before this, which I didn't exactly go wild over, but I've only heard great things about these guys. I liked their sound OK - sort of a cross between Will Oldham and The Shins - but only one of their songs really pulled me in. I'm trying to figure out which song it was through lyrics and clips on last.fm. Unless someone can convince me to spend more time checking out the rest of their stuff, though, I think I'm going to put them to the side for now. They did have they best on-stage banter by far, though, joking about the WaMu tent, bank failures and Robert Plant/Alison Krauss.
As I mentioned in the last post, I've been a little less enthusiastic about this year's lineup compared to last year. Take the current British indie scene: last year, I got to see Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. This year, it was The Fratellis. To be fair, they were a little more enjoyable than I expected. Songs like "The Gutterati?" and "Doginabag" in particular were given a lot more personality live than on Costello Music, played harder, faster and bluesier. Still, I'm not going to run out and get their new album any time soon. (Jon Fratelli repeatedly apologized for how bad he sounded, asking "Who the fuck plays at half past one in the fucking morning?" I leave the answer as an exercise for the reader.)
After The Fratellis' set ended at 2:30, I got some lunch (a sandwich from Salt Lick BBQ and a $5 cup of lemonade) and tried to cool down. Last year, when Ben and Kristi were here for the festival, we spent most of our downtime chilling in "Austin Kiddie Limits," the kids' tent. It had fans and shade, and we could sit and listen to some non-terrible children's music. This year, though, there were signs in place forbidding adults not accompanied by kids. I tried to find relief in the "Zilker Beach" chill-out tent, but there wasn't much room. After collecting myself by standing in front of a mister for five minutes, I set out in search for the promised free water fountains. I eventually located one, only to be put off by the length of the line. I bought a bottle of water and downed it in two minutes. I had to relent and stand in the line, only to find that it moved surprisingly quickly. I ended up with a stomach ache from too much water. By 3:40, though, I was watching Man Man. I had heard great things about this group's live performance: they have costumes, props and music that sounds like a mix of Tom Waits, free jazz and freak folk. In fact, the live performance was so entertaining that the idea of Man Man albums seems irrelevant.
I then headed across the park to see Robert Earl Warren. Because I had no chance of getting close, I found a spot where I could put down my blanket, prop up my umbrella across my lap and lean against a low fence. I was close enough to hear his music (which was good but not something I'd seek out on my own), but more importantly, this gave me a chance to rest, beat the heat and rehydrate. This prepared me for the best show of the whole day, Spiritualized. I haven't kept up with the group since Let It Come Down came out (in 2001!). I've never listened to Spaceman 3 much (Jason Pierce's previous band), but I've always loved the sound of Spiritualized: part shoegaze, part gospel, part orchestral pop. The music was absolutely beautiful, especially the guitars and the backup singers. Now I'm inspired to pick up Songs in A&E ("Soul on Fire" is amazing) and revisit the back catalogue.
Ears ringing, I headed across the field to find a spot for The Black Keys at 7:30 and listen to John Fogerty before that. The amount of people who turned out for The Black Keys was astonishing. Even coming that early, I was still super far away. I couldn't hear John Fogerty as well as I expected, but I could still pick out "Midnight Special," "Down on the Corner," "The Old Man Down the Road" and "Fortunate Son." The Black Keys rocked pretty hard, but I've still never been able to get into them for some reason. The guy behind me clearly did, though, as he kept chanting "You've got pains! Like an addict! It's 10 a.m. automatic!" offkey. I didn't even know it was possible to chant offkey, but he managed to do it. (I also thought the lyrics were "You've got veins like an addict." I like my version better.) The Black Keys were also the first set I saw this year with ASL interpreters for the hearing impaired. They seemed to be ubiquitous last year. I wonder if the interpreters are assigned to certain sets or if they just volunteer for the bands they're fans of.
Last of the night was Beck. I didn't even bother getting close, especially since I thought I might just watch for half an hour or so and head out. Good thing there were video monitors. I don't own any Beck albums, although I feel like I do. "Loser" was one of the first "alternative" songs I ever liked, and his music's just sort of been around ever since. It's easy to forget how good he is. I ended up staying to the end of the set and had a great time. What wasn't so great was leaving. Picture tens of thousands of people all pushing out at once. Finding the shuttle bus line was nearly impossible. I walked about half a mile just to get to the end of it, and stood in line for an hour before finally boarding. Once the shuttle dropped me off downtown, I just managed to catch the last (sardine-packed) 5 bus home.
Day 3: Sunday
THE RACONTEURS!
My brain's a little fuzzy from dust, smoke and sleepiness, but I'll try to sum up today. I found my camera, so I have a few photos as well.
Day 2: Saturday
Like I predicted, today at the festival was a little slow. I arrived just a few minutes before Fleet Foxes played at 12:30. I had only heard "White Winter Hymnal" before this, which I didn't exactly go wild over, but I've only heard great things about these guys. I liked their sound OK - sort of a cross between Will Oldham and The Shins - but only one of their songs really pulled me in. I'm trying to figure out which song it was through lyrics and clips on last.fm. Unless someone can convince me to spend more time checking out the rest of their stuff, though, I think I'm going to put them to the side for now. They did have they best on-stage banter by far, though, joking about the WaMu tent, bank failures and Robert Plant/Alison Krauss.
As I mentioned in the last post, I've been a little less enthusiastic about this year's lineup compared to last year. Take the current British indie scene: last year, I got to see Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. This year, it was The Fratellis. To be fair, they were a little more enjoyable than I expected. Songs like "The Gutterati?" and "Doginabag" in particular were given a lot more personality live than on Costello Music, played harder, faster and bluesier. Still, I'm not going to run out and get their new album any time soon. (Jon Fratelli repeatedly apologized for how bad he sounded, asking "Who the fuck plays at half past one in the fucking morning?" I leave the answer as an exercise for the reader.)
After The Fratellis' set ended at 2:30, I got some lunch (a sandwich from Salt Lick BBQ and a $5 cup of lemonade) and tried to cool down. Last year, when Ben and Kristi were here for the festival, we spent most of our downtime chilling in "Austin Kiddie Limits," the kids' tent. It had fans and shade, and we could sit and listen to some non-terrible children's music. This year, though, there were signs in place forbidding adults not accompanied by kids. I tried to find relief in the "Zilker Beach" chill-out tent, but there wasn't much room. After collecting myself by standing in front of a mister for five minutes, I set out in search for the promised free water fountains. I eventually located one, only to be put off by the length of the line. I bought a bottle of water and downed it in two minutes. I had to relent and stand in the line, only to find that it moved surprisingly quickly. I ended up with a stomach ache from too much water. By 3:40, though, I was watching Man Man. I had heard great things about this group's live performance: they have costumes, props and music that sounds like a mix of Tom Waits, free jazz and freak folk. In fact, the live performance was so entertaining that the idea of Man Man albums seems irrelevant.
I then headed across the park to see Robert Earl Warren. Because I had no chance of getting close, I found a spot where I could put down my blanket, prop up my umbrella across my lap and lean against a low fence. I was close enough to hear his music (which was good but not something I'd seek out on my own), but more importantly, this gave me a chance to rest, beat the heat and rehydrate. This prepared me for the best show of the whole day, Spiritualized. I haven't kept up with the group since Let It Come Down came out (in 2001!). I've never listened to Spaceman 3 much (Jason Pierce's previous band), but I've always loved the sound of Spiritualized: part shoegaze, part gospel, part orchestral pop. The music was absolutely beautiful, especially the guitars and the backup singers. Now I'm inspired to pick up Songs in A&E ("Soul on Fire" is amazing) and revisit the back catalogue.
Ears ringing, I headed across the field to find a spot for The Black Keys at 7:30 and listen to John Fogerty before that. The amount of people who turned out for The Black Keys was astonishing. Even coming that early, I was still super far away. I couldn't hear John Fogerty as well as I expected, but I could still pick out "Midnight Special," "Down on the Corner," "The Old Man Down the Road" and "Fortunate Son." The Black Keys rocked pretty hard, but I've still never been able to get into them for some reason. The guy behind me clearly did, though, as he kept chanting "You've got pains! Like an addict! It's 10 a.m. automatic!" offkey. I didn't even know it was possible to chant offkey, but he managed to do it. (I also thought the lyrics were "You've got veins like an addict." I like my version better.) The Black Keys were also the first set I saw this year with ASL interpreters for the hearing impaired. They seemed to be ubiquitous last year. I wonder if the interpreters are assigned to certain sets or if they just volunteer for the bands they're fans of.
Last of the night was Beck. I didn't even bother getting close, especially since I thought I might just watch for half an hour or so and head out. Good thing there were video monitors. I don't own any Beck albums, although I feel like I do. "Loser" was one of the first "alternative" songs I ever liked, and his music's just sort of been around ever since. It's easy to forget how good he is. I ended up staying to the end of the set and had a great time. What wasn't so great was leaving. Picture tens of thousands of people all pushing out at once. Finding the shuttle bus line was nearly impossible. I walked about half a mile just to get to the end of it, and stood in line for an hour before finally boarding. Once the shuttle dropped me off downtown, I just managed to catch the last (sardine-packed) 5 bus home.
Day 3: Sunday
THE RACONTEURS!