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 Post subject: Austin City Limits
PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 6:10 pm 
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The Great American Songbook

Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:24 pm
Posts: 4584
Location: dystopia parkway
They printed this one in the Vanderbilt Hustler. Written mostly in a short burst after getting back from the 14 hour drive.

Quote:
Music, Intense Heat Help Keep Austin Weird
by Chase Jaycox

On a journey to Texas, don?t forget the basic tenets: there are pickup trucks everywhere, you must eat at Whataburger and/or Taco Cabana, and go to Austin. Especially on, say, the second or third weekend in September every year, as doing so will result in your ending up at one of the (simultaneously) coolest and hottest parties on the planet.
Beginning on Friday September 17 at 11:30am and ending on Sunday September 19 at 10:00, the capital of Texas was home to nearly seventy-two hours of continuous music, with the variance of acts ranging from Tea Leaf Green and Clarence ?Gatemouth? Brown to The Pixies and Trey Anastasio. This giant celebration calls itself Austin City Limits Festival, or for those in the now just ?ACL.?
The main problem experienced in Zilker Park (the lovely hub of all the action) was just the sheer size of things. The festival sold out for the first time ever on Saturday- that means 75,000 fans vying for space, water, and shade. Seeing a band like Wilco in a field of 40,000 people just doesn?t carry the same weight as a smaller venue like Ryman Auditorium. The performance is underwhelming by default, just because of the sheer size. The power of the songs doesn't carry as well over long distances, especially softer passages in songs like "Muzzle of Bees" or "Hummingbird." Especially when you are unable to hear the softer passages because of the simultaneous conversation of 35,000 people. Similar great bands followed pretty much the same design flaws into a pit of despair. Modest Mouse is a perfect example, only getting crowd reception for their big single and not any of the lesser known songs that peppered their setlist.
Franz Ferdinand, Trey Anastasio, The Pixies, and many other bands suffered similar fates on stages that just outgrew the spectrum of their appeal. As is the case anywhere, the smaller the crowd, the cooler the show and ACL wasn?t able to provide the intimacy that so many of these bands gain so much from.
Then again, they didn?t claim to be able to, but when they were the results were astounding. Broken Social Scene, a Canadian indie-rock band was able to benefit from their small exposure by maintaining an intimate feel at their stage. Spoon?s Britt Daniel gave a little shout-out to all those who made it over to ?the little corner? they were occupying. If you managed to catch an act in a more controlled environment, you probably saw a better show. See: Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Walter ?Wolfman? Washington & The Roadmasters. While Franz Ferdinand suffered from outgrowing their britches, bands like My Morning Jacket flourished.
The city of Austin is a great place, sort of an underdog among U.S. cities (thereby making sense that smaller acts would do better there). ACL was certainly a well run festival with a great variety of acts that appealed to almost too many people (due to dilution of fans for a certain band/genre) and maintains a total air of hipness.
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Walking from any point anywhere on the grounds at Zilker Park for 50 yards resulted in one seeing at least a frisbee toss and two hackysack scythes, and the best times were had perhaps by those who got to enjoy some music and physical activity enjoying activities for which there is not always an abundance.
The other greatest success of ACL Fest (if you want to look at it in a cynical kind of way) is that instead of making the bands that were already big look better, it made relatively obscure fans gain some fans and respect. While Trey Anastasio's set may have been a complete bomb, people had already seen at least one or two smaller acts that blew them away. Watching one of the greatest stars (supposedly) there fail? Not really a big deal.
If they keep bringing in these big name artists (and selling out like they did on Saturday for the first time) this will be around for a long time and for good reason- great surroundings, great music, great town. Basic breakdown of the weekend? Cool (nearly astounding) variety of bands, few inspiring performances, mainly due to intense heat and insane attendance.

_________________
Once she loved a boy. But he did not love her.
His name was Jun. Disillusioned she tried to forget.
She left everything and traveled to the other world.
But life was like a dream.
A series of meaningless movement.


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