I’ve spent the last three days sitting in a folding chair so I only find it appropriate to write this blog doing the same. I’ve survived my first ACL. Did I know the full extent of the event that I was planning on attending? Nope. Do I wish I could do it all over again? You bet!
The ACL experience was wicked. It’s the only word I found myself saying over and over again. Maybe it’s because I’m from the Northeast. I guess I would be saying “epic” if I was from the west coast. The only thing that I wish I did was carry less, get there earlier and be the last person to leave. Sure I took a ton of pictures but they will be nothing like the memories I have. Being surrounded by thousands of other fans, all there for the music and just trying to relish, soak and absorb every single micro-second, you really can’t have it any other way.
Day 1: Big breakfast at Juan in a Million, check. Parking spot, check. Get the wristband that I’ll have on my wrist for the next three days, check. Take a bus down to the park, check. See the most damn bicycles I’ve ever seen in my life, well I guess I can check that off my list now too, check.
We swing on through security, check ourselves in and head in. ACL is massive. Eight stages, including one for the little tikes that people are brave enough to bring (I salute all of you parents that dare to bring them and introduce them to this beautiful thing). Art booths, food – damn delicious food), non-profit organizations, merch booths, and a whole lotta porta potties (THANK YOU!). Did I mention the bars? Yes, a few bars and water refilling stations.
It’s important to note that Austin is a lot like Burlington, VT. Keep the earth good and clean, recycle (if you fill a trash bag of cans you get a free t-shirt), bring your camelbaks, etc. I walk in and I don’t even know where to start. I just want to run around in circles like a kid who just walked into a candy store. It’s like I want to go to every stage at once, put every type of candy in my mouth at the same time, can’t do it. I gotta pick one. Who’s it gonna be?
I decide to head to the first stage for the first show the of day, first show of my first day at my first ACL. I was slightly pumped. Each artist is set to play about an hour set (except for headlines – two hours). Who is the lucky winner?
Brandi Carlile. Her voice, when she speaks kind of reminds me of Demi Moore. She comes on stage, ready to speak to the crowd and tell her story, sing her tunes and give us a couple treats. She is relaxed, unique, spiritful, soulful, energetic, belting out notes from the very bottom of her gut. She sang a new song, “Keep Your Heart Young”, “The Story” the song I’m sure everyone knows from Grey’s Anatomy. Her special gifts to all of us were a couple tunes, maybe you’re familiar with “Jackson” and “Folsom Prison” – Johnny Cash. Her fiddler blew my mind.
In between sets, I start strolling. I fall upon Bobby Long. I only heard the last two songs of his set but this is the great thing about festivals. Maybe you’ve never heard of them but an artist can capture you in one song. I’m gonna be looking up this British invasion. So should you, if you haven’t already.
Ray LaMontagne – Now I feel like I’m two for two. He was amazing, even joined on stage by the Secret Sisters to sing Merle Haggards “Mama Tried (Clip of the video here.)”. Here comes this tall, bearded man wearing a white shirt with a black vest, black pants and straw hat, calm, cool and collected. Everyone who you wouldn’t be pictured as a fan was there, loving him, singing word for word in the front row. Natural, homey, with his scratchy voice belting out “Oh lord” in his lyrics. Melting. I’m gonna sit back in my chair and just pretend I’m there again. How damn relaxing.
Ray LaMontagne – Trouble
Flags, flags and more flags. One even said “Freak”. Then I found these cows! Maybe I’m not so far from those dairy farms in Vermont after all.
One set ends, I find myself wandering. Park of Zilker Park is on a hill. In my eyes, Zilker Park to Austin is the same as Central Park to New York. I walk over the crest of the hill to head on to another stage… holy $hit! I’ve found the holy land!
Foster The People. They’ve really hit it big the last couple months with their hit “Pumped Up Kicks”. Live, they rocked the set and the crowd. Energetic as ever.
What I do dislike about such festivals is when there are multiple artists playing at once that you want to check out. Case in point. Sara Bareilles vs Santigold.
Sara Bareilles – I love her. What’s not to love?! She is honest, fun loving and playful yet she will come out on stage and sing “Fuck You” by Cee Lo. (See a clip of it
here or you can see a clip from ‘Many The Miles’,
here.) (Please note, my video taping skills leave something to be desired so listen with your ears.)
Santigold. Honestly, I’ve never heard of Santigold until Day 1 of ACL. Friends wanted to check her out. Lordy, Lordy. She is out of control. Anyone who can go see one of her shows and not move to one beat of her entire set does not have a soul. Period. Their outfits on stage reminded me of “Coming to America” – yea the movie. Her music is a mix of reggae, r&b, rap. It’s a collaboration, I’m not even sure where to start to describe. It’s pretty awesome. Find a clip of her on YouTube, buy a ticket and go see her live. Well worth it.
The end of the night ended with headliners Coldplay and Kanye West, at the same time. Really? Yes. So first half of the end of the night –
Coldplay. Huge crowd. Awesome set list (for the few songs we heard).
If you can stand the shakiness and just want to take a listen, here is Coldplay’s “Yellow”.
Kanye West. Honestly, I think there is a line between confident and cocky and I draw it when you start preaching, Mr. West. But you know what you are doing when you put on a show and the little 11 year old boy next to us who was dancing to every.single.beat. and doing some kart wheels loved you, so I’m going to suck it up and say well done.
Day 1: Complete.
