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2023 ACL Festival

nolongerU2horn

By nolongerU2horn
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texasdago

texasdago 7572

Posted
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2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yeah, I always shudder at the financial outlay, but if the tix are free, $9 beers and $17 cheeseburgers don't seem so bad.

I try to tell myself that even when I pay I get to enjoy three days of music... I will completely wear myself out but I will enjoy it and see a bunch of bands in one place.  I'm north of 50 but try to keep myself healthy and in shape and I think that makes a difference but this year, given the weather forecast, should easy.  Sometimes you also find bands on the fly that you had not even considered... last year was Genesis Owusu... exceedingly talented, polarizing, great performer... was absolutely worth being on the railing for his set.  He's coming back October 31st, BTW, at Empire.   

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45900

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I think my fondest "discovery" over the years (as if I uncovered some hidden secret) is Royal Blood.  Seeing Beck for the first time was pretty revelatory, too.  Of course I had known and liked his music for many years by that point but I didn't realize that little fucker was so dynamic.

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19450

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Yep, easy part is highlighting the cubes of the bands I cannot miss no matter what.  Then it's fun for a month to look up other bands to fill in my schedule.  Get to spend a half hour on each one.  And invariably, I usually enjoy 80%+ of the sets that I gleaned off of iTunes in real life.  I've had a few Gob Bluth, "I've made a terrible mistake", but most of the time, the newly discovered gems take me back to a time when I played in bands and toured with the Dead and hosted a rock radio show outside Chicago.  Wife even tells me to this day that aside from your girls, I'm never as happy as I am seeing live music or at the ocean.  Getting old, gotta stay hydrated and even sit now and again, but there are still multiple times that weekend where the newly discovered band or old comfortable rock group I've loved since childhood just clicks.  The weather is nice, the underbutt is plentiful, and the sounds...it just gleans.  And then you smile and nod to yourself and realize, you can just turn around and see the next show right behind you.  People go for the shopping, and selfies, and corporate activations, and booze, and all that.  And that's fine.  We were all young and insane once.  But I get to listen to all this great music just three miles from my house as a middle-age lame-ass.  And it's just wonderful.  Starting next year, I think we can start taking the kids for a day or two.  For now, I get to be at the center of the musical universe all by my lonesome except for when I invariably steal a C3 golf cart to get around faster.  

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45900

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I've always tried to hit up rap and hip hop artists, because I don't listen to those genres very much.  Nas was transcendent, Kendrick was damn good, and Kanye was the worst fucking performer I've ever seen in my life, and I used to hang out at The Beach (now Crown & Anchor).

Might as well learn something as opposed to wasting time on yet another lame-ass Red Hot Chili Peppers show.

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stc

stc 1461

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1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Dude... just go.  WTF else is there to do?  What kind of music do you like?  Maybe I can make some terrible suggestions but I always take the lineup and start plugging bands into Spotify.  I eventually end up being just as excited about bands that I don't know than the big headliners.  

not deal with 75,000 people mainly. the logistics of getting down there and into the festival is the biggest hurdle for me. i'm into rock, all kinds of rock and blues.  

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19450

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The crowds can be annoying when you're waiting to piss or just get to the next stage.  But even though it's larger in attendance, it's never been easier to get around the park.  Provided you're content not being way up front.  Used to be the sound-bleed between stages fucking sucked and the delay towers were never timed right.  But between moring the Rock Island stage across the street to free up air and the delay towers being state of the art technlogy-wise...I am totally fine hanging way back and can hear crystal clear.  BMI stage suffers a bit still but otherwise, 75k or 750 people total...I hear everything I want to hear from a rear vantage point just fine.  Every once in awhile I'll go listen from a sidestage platform, but even that's not fun anymore because once you're up there you feel like you gotta stay there the whole set and it can get hot and crowded.  

If y'all are having logistics problems, PM me.  I can get you a day pass for Rollingwood Plaza or direct you into my 'hood near Zilker.  Throw your bikes in the back of a truck or SUV and you can literally be down there in 10mts.  Or I'll drive you down there early and then bike down myself and you can buy me lunch as a thank-you.  The pass I get is weird.  There's open bar, free non-alcoholic drinks (my jam now), and places to sit and cool down.  But for some reason, you have to pay for the food.  And it's nowhere near as good as the shit out in the main food court areas.  

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texasdago

texasdago 7572

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37 minutes ago, stc said:

not deal with 75,000 people mainly. the logistics of getting down there and into the festival is the biggest hurdle for me. i'm into rock, all kinds of rock and blues.  

Go early, fewer people... use SpotHero to snag a spot and walk...

OK then W1 - here are some odds and ends for you (not including the obvious ones bigger names like Foo, YYY, etc)

Bass Drum of Death

Brother Thunder

Teskey Brothers

Michigander

Die Spitz (duh)

Shooks

Ben Kweller

Christone Kingfish Ingram

Dope Lemon (I like them not sure if you will)

The Walkmen

The Breeders

There's another band name that I'm not seeing on the w1 schedule.  I might be blind.  

 

Edited by texasdago
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Chad Fuck

Chad Fuck 17671

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4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I think my fondest "discovery" over the years (as if I uncovered some hidden secret) is Royal Blood.  Seeing Beck for the first time was pretty revelatory, too.  Of course I had known and liked his music for many years by that point but I didn't realize that little fucker was so dynamic.

He can move.  He basically runs through his whole show.  No wonder he's stayed so skinny for so long.

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Chad Fuck

Chad Fuck 17671

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3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I've always tried to hit up rap and hip hop artists, because I don't listen to those genres very much.  Nas was transcendent, Kendrick was damn good, and Kanye was the worst fucking performer I've ever seen in my life, and I used to hang out at The Beach (now Crown & Anchor).

Might as well learn something as opposed to wasting time on yet another lame-ass Red Hot Chili Peppers show.

This right here.  I try and do something that is outside my normal listening habits at least a couple times while I'm there.  And I'm always rewarded for it.

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19450

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1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Found the other band... Wunderhorse but they seem to have disappeared from the schedule 

Yeah, I don't have my W1 printout anymore because we'll be otherwise engaged.  But a few weeks back, there did to be some rather quiet changes to the lineup/schedule.  

I have two tickets to Devon Giliffian after-show at Antone's on Friday, 13 October.  Too late for me.  I think I have to show my ID in person to pick them up though.  But if somebody wants to pick my old ass up from Zilker and run over there after the Lumineers to pick them up at 10:00p, then run me home, and head back to his show---you can have the tickets.  

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45900

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W1 Saturday I'm going Die Spitz (yeah, I know), Shooks (Charlie's kid Marlon), Ben Kweller, Kingfish, Alanis, and Foo Fighters, with some randos mixed in.

Oh yeah, I'll probably miss a bunch of Shooks because of the OU game, unless Charlie shows up early and I have to gladhand.

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YGIFS

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Yeah, I have no idea who she is...but apparently a lotta people are pissed as fuck she just backed out all the sudden.  Heard UT students complaining about it.  Friends at C3 are playing damage control.  And I'm the asshole for saying in reference to her last show, "El Paso?  Whoah.  I spent a week there one night!"  /Kramer

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South Austin

South Austin 52463

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1 hour ago, nolongerU2horn said:

With the way the summer went I don't think there could have been a better weather scenario than it looks like we're gonna get for both weekends

And Thursday's rain was nice timing.  I haven't been to Zilker yet, but I'm guessing it was just enough to give the grounds a good soaking and prevent another dust bowl without creating a bunch of mud puddles.

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yoladu

yoladu 4093

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1 hour ago, nolongerU2horn said:

With the way the summer went I don't think there could have been a better weather scenario than it looks like we're gonna get for both weekends

Locals have earned this weekend big time after the last 4 months we had.

And for the So. Californians there,  its gonna feel like any other weekend they are already accustomed to. 

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South Austin

South Austin 52463

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Saw a group of girls this morning at Central Market who were already in their festival attire. Many of them had well more than a sliver of asscheek handing out of their shorts. I’m talking 40% exposed ass.

PSA:  Remember to bring your sunglasses to Zilker, and don’t wear sweatpants.

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Tonesky

Tonesky 934

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5 hours ago, South Austin said:

And Thursday's rain was nice timing.  I haven't been to Zilker yet, but I'm guessing it was just enough to give the grounds a good soaking and prevent another dust bowl without creating a bunch of mud puddles.

There are lots of areas that will become muddy.  The area up close to the GA barricades at Honda is going to be a mess.

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Tonesky

Tonesky 934

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8 hours ago, Tonesky said:

There are lots of areas that will become muddy.  The area up close to the GA barricades at Honda is going to be a mess.

The turf held up better than I expected. There are a few somewhat muddy areas that I expect they will cover and will be fine. 

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South Austin

South Austin 52463

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One of the more enjoyable Fridays of ACL Fest in recent memory. It got toasty midday, but nothing near as miserable as weekends past, and eventual cloud cover helped. 

Kicked off the day with Devon Gifillian. A soul/funk sound that at times was a bit like the 70s Isley Brothers. Devon has a great voice and is also a damn good guitarist. I got there just after his set started, which means I had to talk past the Honda stage and hear Asleep at the Wheel play Miles of Texas for the millionth time.

Indie folk bands can be a mixed bag, but I really enjoyed National Parks. The lead vocalist is forgettable, but they’re great musicians and song writers. And I kept watching the blonde girl on violin, who is quite the cutie.

Bailen was as the blogger referenced above advertised - definitely a big HAIM vibe. Two brothers and one sister with fantastic vocal harmonies and melodies. I’d go see them if they play in Austin again.

Abraham Alexander is similar to Leon Bridges, and found out they toured together a year or so ago. It was a good show, and I like to wander across Barton Springs to the smaller stage once in a while.

I never heard of The Teskey Brothers, but my friend who was with me highly recommended them, so we got pretty close to the Miller Lite stage and they did not disappoint. A band from Australia with a 60s R&B sound. The lead vocalist has shades of Otis Redding. Check them out.

Maggie Rogers is great on Spotify, average in a festival. I like her music, but the show was just meh. 

I didn’t care to see any of the headliners and fight the evening crowd that was pouring in, so I left in the middle of her set and went home to watch the first episode of Loki Season 2 with my son.

My only and big complaint is with the beer sales. The beer tent is almost all Karbach, which isn’t bad, but I really enjoyed the draft variety in the past. And the prices are higher (Thanks, Biden!). And on top of that, most of the checkout pads have a minimum $2 tip option with no ability for a custom tip. So an IPA in the beer tent with a tip is $20. I figured the tips go into one central bucket, so I started tipping every other time.

See you guys at Zilker today after we donkey kick OU. 🤘

Edited by South Austin
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KaiserSoze

KaiserSoze 998

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Good shows yesterday- love having nicer weather for a change. We went to Devon Gilfillian, The National Parks, Thee Sacred Souls, Brother Thunder, Portugal The Man... then listened to some of Bass Drum of Death before heading over to the Dave Grhol interview. After that we went to The Revivalists and Lumineers. 

All of them were good. 

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stc

stc 1461

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I also noticed the $2 tip thing at the beer stands with no option for "custom tip". Total bullshit.

National Parks- the epitome of boring neo folk. Not good.
Bailen- good harmonies, uninteresting music.
Abraham Alexander- decent soul in the vein of Leon Bridges but pretty forgettable.
Blond:ish- it's a rave
Portugal the Man- decent
Bass Drum of Death- easily the best band all day. Garage rock with grit.
Maggie Rogers- not bad I guess, not my thing.
Mars Volta- other than the 20 minutes of jazz noodling between songs they sounded good. Funny to see the lead singer old and fat. Guitarist is still a tiny man.
Lumineers- I can't stand this music
Kendrick Lamar- not into karaoke, get a live band. The drone show before the set was cool.

20231006_195830.jpg20231006_205718.jpg

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KaiserSoze

KaiserSoze 998

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10 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I'll post my broader thoughts later but I'm heading down to get there nice and early to catch some of the game and listen to @jimmyjazz's investment in drumming.  If @KaiserSoze is there, he should recognize me. I just have longer hair than I had in high school lol

I'll plan to hit the Tito's tent a bit before the show starts.

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