2007 ACL Music Festival

Confined in an open field, little water, exposed to the elements, low grade indigenous handcrafts. .. it’s a musical refugee camp. .. and «musical» is questionable.

we enjoy the event a lot. the heat is a b*tch, but this is Texas. Wish they would release more tickets at the more ‘reasonable’ price of $ 120 — $ 140. Not going this year because all they have left is $ 175. bring down the price of wine would be nice too.

Free Tickets? Check
Wilco? Check
Plastic Cup? Check
ACL 2007 rocked…

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?
We are so fortunate to have and host ACL. If you want a cooler temp, go to Bumbershoot in Portland and get the hell out of here. Look, I’ll even give you the link so you can tell all your friends and leave Austin:
They can’t control the temps and silly UT football fans control the time of year they host this festival. So start talkin’ to the Longhorn foundation and maybe ACL and UT can come up with a later fall time that there is an away game anyway. i’ve tried to give ACL this suggestion every year but this is my guess why they haven’t or can’t move this kick ass festival.

It’s three straight days of music. Unless the music itself is horrible, its hard to screw that up.
Day One:
Shows Attended: Peter, Bjorn, & John. MIA. Gotan Project. Rev. Horton Heat.
Food consumed: Several beers. Bestwurst (yum).
Highlights: Dancing on stage during MIA. Gotan Project in general.
Day Two:
Shows Attended: Steve Earle, Stephen Marley, Andrew Bird, Clap Your Hands. Attempted to see Arcade Fire/​Muse but both were too crowded.
Food consumed: Deep fried avocado cone. Gross? Several water bottles full of white wine.
Highlights: Getting crunk with my mom and boyfriend during Steve Earle/​Stephen Marley.
Day Three:
Shows Attended: Yo La Tengo, Robert Earl Keen, DeVotchKa, Patterson Hood, Wilco
Food Consumed: More BestWurst. Ice Cream. Beer. White wine.
Highlights: Wilco. Wilco is always a highlight.
Some suggestions: Be more like Bumbershoot (nice Seattle weather, film and comedy festival at the same time, indoor art shows to escape the sun, etc).

Awesome Awesome Awesome.
I went to a music festival somewhere else and it was nowhere close to as good.
Allow me to explain how ACL got it right.
First, having buses to shuttle people from downtown was genius. It was more difficult to get back at night after the show, but the fact that they had it available was great.
The food… was delicious! The Saba fish tacos were fantastic, the pork sandwiches were tender and perfectly cooked. You don’t expect those sorts of foods from a festival. And considering… it was not that expensive. The beer was a fair bit pricey… and to be honest, it was so hot that I just opted for water.
The bands were great. It was a shame that Rodrigo y Gabrielle backed out. The White Stripes… I probably wasn’t going to see anyways… but I might have snuck over after I realized that Arcade Fire were playing the identical set they played at the Greek Theater in Berkeley.
The outstanding performance… Muse. They were on fire, and amazing to watch. I am glad that they got to close the Saturday show because of Meg White’s «acute anxiety».
All in all, I really recommend this festival. They are great at getting top bands there, and they run it really well. I will definitely be going back next year.

This is my favorite music festival. I’ve been to a couple others (Coachella, Jazz Fest, Street Scene) and none compare. Here’s why…
1) Affordability — $ 145 for a 3 day pass w/​no ticket fee. It cost $ 117 (with ticketmaster fee) for one day at the Virgin Mobile festival in Baltimore. Granted, the 3-​day passes sold quickly and it was $ 80/​day after that, but snooze you lose. Food was reasonably priced — didn’t see one thing there more than $ 8. Water was only $ 2. Other festivals are much more gouging.
2) Lineup — While they’ve yet to reach the heights of the 2004 lineup in my eyes (Wilco, Pixies, Elvis Costello, Old 97s, My Morning Jacket, Drive By Truckers…), the lineups here are usually great.
3) Execution — All the logistical stuff that leads to frustrations at other festivals are done right here. From the free shuttles from and to downtown that run incredibly efficient to the manageable lines for food, beverage, and bathroom, to the various respites from the heat (air conditioned pavilions, tents, trees, misting fans). Although I wasn’t crazy about having to wear the ACL bracelet for 3 days straight, it did make it a breeze to get in the last 2 days…
4) Food — Great food selection. I’ve reviewed a few of them separately but shout outs include Salt Lick’s Pulled Pork Sandwich, The Best Wurst sausage sandwich, Amy’s Ice Cream, Sweet Leaf’s Half Lemonade/​Half Iced Tea, the shaved ice, and the Children of the Kettle Corn.
5) People — Always found all the attendees and fans to be friendly and fun to hang out with. A lot of cute girls too…
6) Location — Right near downtown Austin which sure beats Bumblefuck, Tennessee (Bonaroo) or Deathly Hot, CA (Coachella). Makes for great post-​festival partying and/​or aftershows.
Great job to everyone involved with ACL Fest and look forward to coming back next year (as long as the lineup is good…)

I have been to a lot of music festivals, big sporting events, and mass gatherings of people in my lifetime. Which is saying something since I’m slightly agoraphobic (and that was exacerbated by being on stage for 15 years and being able to avoid being part of «the rabble»). So when I say that this was amazingly well-​organized, I mean it.
–Buses ran constantly; we caught a bus at Republic Square (free) and were at ACL 10 minutes later.
–Never had to stand in line for anything for more than 5 – 6 minutes, the only exception being one time when we chose a small bank of port-​a-​potties. Lesson learned: go to one of the places where there are massive numbers.
–Drinks of all kinds available everywhere. You were never far from water. (Or something more adult.) And the prices for everything were extremely reasonable.
–I could see every band I wanted to because I could either get close to the stage, or I could see the video screens clearly. The only exception was Bob Dylan, but he was so awful that I would have left even if I were in the front row.
–Getting out took a little longer, but not that much. The sea of people moved, and there were plenty of buses to get everyone out.
For the most part, the people were all very pleasant and respectful of each other. Again, the only time that changed was before Dylan took the stage, and much of that was because the world is still full of 20-​somethings that can’t hold their liquor or their opinions. But that’s to be expected.
Yeah, it’s hot, which is the biggest negative. But next year, I’ll just wear a hat to shade my face, and bring both a blanket to sit on (instead of carting around or checking chairs) and stronger sunscreen.

Had a ton of fun, glad it is over and cant wait to do it again.
The weekend overall was an awesome experience. bc that is what the festival is all about right? not just music of course but everything that contributes to the whole event. YES the HEAT, the crazy people, the insane annoying people, the best seats in the house… on the grass. paying a very small price for all the talented the musicians. old and new. the good, fabulous, awful, ugly, funny, idiotic all make ACL something to look forward to. oh did i mention the 300 pics to always flood your memory with the fun?!
ok it does blow the white stripes canceled, but they sold out all of their fans, not just us, for the rest of the tour, OK so that makes me feel a little better. yes yes yes Amy wino should really be in AA rather than having fun with us, she needs rehab. Overall the lineup that showed up was awesome. The freakin’ kettle corn was worth standing in the longest line for and $ 4 beers is a hellaofalot better than the $ 8 you pay for them at coachella.
This could have been a 5 star review If and ONLY IF the stage screens were bigger and both main stages had 2 of them. My only complaint.
What topped the night off was as we were leaving a volunteer asked if we would be interested in a free ACL shirt if we could fill one trash bag with recyclables… why the hell not? so we did our «green» part and walked out happier than ever.
Thanks to everyone who made my ACL weekend one of the best ever.

I am a bit confused. Really. If you think:
1. That there are too many frat boys.
2. That it’s «too hot» to be outside.
3. That there are «too many» drunk people.
4. That it’s «too sunny.»
5. That there are too many «damn dirty hippies»
6. That it’s «too expensive.»
WHY WOULD YOU BOTHER GOING TO ACL FEST?!?
Was there ever really any confusion over the temperatures in Austin Texas in September? Is is shocking and surprising to you that it’s in the mid-​90s this past weekend. Truthfully, it’s a bit shocking and surprising to me because I prepare myself for 103. How is it unbearable that in a college town with 50,000 students that frat boys might not show up? Really. You think they might not be there? *Lauren shakes her head in disbelief at your blatant stupidity.*
Please don’t waste your reviews of ACL fest on drunk frat boys and the heat. We know it’s hot. We came prepared to party and sweat. You, obviously, don’t have the stuff that is needed to hack it at the festival. Keep your reviews to yourself and don’t tarnish the image. Because it’s the best.
My top five this year:
1. LCD Soundsystem. James Murphy, you are even cooler than I imagined.
2. Ghostland Observatory. My first time to both see and hear this Austin favorite. I feel hip now. I’m going to carry them back to South Lake Tahoe with me.
3. Wilco
4. Muse
5. STS9
Honorable Mention: Zap Mama, for doing the worm.
Complaints: No wall of sound this year mid stage at the AMD stage. This was remedied on Saturday night when they finally realized the sound sucked. Also, the wristbands this year were insanely annoying. Small little serrated edges pricking my wrists all day, for three days. No me gusta.
P. S. Why would you buy a one day festival pass to see Amy Winehouse and admit it? She sucks. Fact.

Day 1:
I was coming from work so I parked at a shopping center about a mile from the park on Bee Caves. I rode my bike the rest of the way. Little did I realize there is no bicycle lane or sidewalk on most of Bee Caves. There is the little white line on the edge of the road and then that drops off into the ditch. That made for some pretty scary riding and I do not recommend it to anyone. I think taking a bike is an excellent idea though because you can whiz by all the slow walkers, but watch out because people walking are pretty retarded and they’ll jump in your way.
I got into the park about 1:00 and went to see Heartless Bastards at 1:30. The place wasn’t very crowded and I could have stood where ever I wanted. I lathered myself with sunscreen but I think I sweated it off. It was pretty freaking hot. If you are obese you probably shouldn’t show up until after 6 because I’m pretty sure you’ll have a heart attack. Heartless Bastards were hands-​down the best show on Friday.
Next I went to see Pete Yorn. About this time is when the RV exploded and a huge plume of smoke loomed over the crowd. Everyone was turned around watching the smoke as Yorn sang «Life on Chain.»
Next was Peter, Bjorn and John. By this time the festival was freaking crowded with over 6 million people and making my way towards anything was a disaster.
I picked up two fish tacos at Saba Blue Water Café. I guess I didn’t search enough because I didn’t see Wahoo’s Fish tacos for a buck cheaper. The tacos were good but I needed a lot more to survive.
After this I caught glimpses of LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., and Kaiser Chiefs. I was tired so I sat on the ground for most of these shows and watch people as they walked by. ACL is prime people watching. I think I would pay $ 120 just to watch people all weekend.
After this I went to see Louis XIV. They were at the small BMI stage and my friends and I got there early so we got to stand up front. We were then surrounded by teenage girls in bikinis. One of them stood in between my friend and I and danced like a weirdo awfully close to my friend. I shot some video of this on my cell phone to show to him later. She had me cracking up the whole show.
Next, I caught the end of the Gotan Project and then went to Bjork. I probably should have seen the Killers instead but I was so tired at this point it didn’t really matter.
Here is my list of pros and cons.
pros:
RV fires
fake breasts
inappropriately dressed people
couples arguing
little kid doing the robot
reasonably priced festival food
anorexic girl carrying heavy bag and fanning douche bag.
cons:
applying sunscreen to sweat
inappropriately dressed people
muffin tops
butt cracks
heat
standing
trash
people getting injured in the fire
Day 2:
Andrew Bird — St. Vincent — Arcade Fire — Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Damien Rice — Cold War Kids
Got a chicken wrap from the Iron Cactus booth. It was pretty tasty.
Pros:
Andrew Bird
A guy holding a green water weenie with a sign on top that said «Mormons and Muslims Only.»
An albino
Cons:
breast feeding a baby. Seriously it’s 110 degrees. Don’t bring a baby to ACL.
A guy was running and made this old man spill his beer.
Girls I can’t legally call hot for another five years.
People wearing pants? WTF?
Day 3:
2:30 — 3:30 Ben Kweller played a bunch of songs I’d never heard before. It was OK though cause I got to hang out with my friend Grady and his super-​hot roommate.
3:30 — 4:00 Hit up the Waterloo store to see about getting Regina Spektor’s autograph. The line was all over the place, so I decided to just stand around in the store and wait until she showed up and maybe snap a picture with my cell phone. I had a pretty good view but since there is a small delay on my camera this fat dude kept stepping in the way as soon as the picture would take.
4:00−4:45 Watched Midlake perform. They were awesome as usual.
4:45 — 5:30 Ate a chopped beef sandwich from Stubb’s booth.
5:30 — 6:30 Withstood massive crowd movement as I sat and waited for the Regina Spektor show. I quit moving forward because I saw that it was impossible. Many other people didn’t. My future wife, Regina Spektor was the best show of the whole festival. The coolest part was when she used a chair as a drum at the same time playing the piano, singing and stomping her foot for bass.
6:30 — 7:30 Wilco was OK. I should have gone to Billy Joe Shaver.
7:30 — 8:30 — Decemberist were OK, Should have gone to see Ghostland Observatory.
8:30 Bob Dylan. He’s still alive.
Pros: Sat in a deserted chair and when the owner showed up he was cool about it.
Guy proposed to his girlfriend on stage during Midlake.
Guy using polaroid.
Guy with knot tied in the front of his shirt. a la 1989.
Cons: The girl said «Yes.»
Now I’m just waiting to be someone’s ACL missed connection. I was the guy in the Foster’s bucket hat.

I agree that ACL is too hot. And crowded. I hate it. But I bought a one-​day pass just to see Amy Winehouse. Now she’s in rehab… turns out she said «yes, yes, yes.»
She probably won’t show and I’ll be stuck with dust in my lungs and a sunburned scalp.
UPDATE– I just got back from ACL. It was horrible!!! It was so hot and overcrowded I couldn’t catch my breath. The misting tents were packed, so you couldn’t get cool or even find any shade. The White Stripes cancelled. Too many people with body odor. That’s it! I will never waste my money on this event again… unless they move it to January.

Funny thing about ACL: after a couple of years ago, when each of us in Austin learned something new and interesting about being on the dry side (as opposed to the rainy side) of a hurricane, each of us – and all of us, collectively — figure that it’s going to be roughly 108 every day that we hit the festival. And while it may be hot, damn hot as it turns out, and while memories persist of the hundreds of bandito bandanas and faux-​SARS masks that saved us that fateful weekend from breathing dirt, this much is clear. It won’t always be that hot… and, perhaps more importantly, ACL is a major American festival whose evolution seems to predict the notion that it’s here to say.
Does that mean it’s for you? Maybe not. I have an easy time reconciling the fact that people moan about the size of the crowds, the heat (expect lots of «me toos» on that one especially), the ocean of souls winding through one another on the way to the next act.
All of that’s true.
For a couple of years we found it really easy to camp between the two stages we felt had the best acts and flip camp around to accommodate facing whichever stage was live at the time. But last year the festival changed the stages it booked the biggest acts into, and we parked it in a different spot. Either way, all of the usual headaches abound when it comes to catching a live show in front of thousands, and to their credit, ACL did limit the number of tickets they made available after severe overcrowding a few years ago. By the same token, the way they go about sellng discount tickets (limited availability) is a thorough pain in the ass. I’m guessing that maybe a little of that comes wth the territory. Still, spending an afternoon drinking overpriced Heinekens and and staring bleary-​eyed from your lawn chair offers loads of memories. If I don’t see you at this one, and based on the overall crowd, assuming different might be a stretch, here’s hoping I bump into you on one of what is becoming Austin’s most interesting weekends.
And around here, that’s saying something.

Way too hot. WAAAAAY too hot to be outside for ACL Fest. And that’s from a native Texan. I can’t imagine being from the north and coming to Austin for this mess and being outside that whole time in the heat. On top of that, it’s WAAAAAAAAAAAY too expensive. You gotta be a Dellionaire to afford tickets to this hot mess.
Can you tell I am jealous? I am. I am jealous of people that live in towns where they have inexpensive music festivals in the fall or spring when it’s not hotter than the surface of the gaddamn sun outside.
Unless you can snag yourself a artist pass, ACL is just not worth it, no matter who’s playing, because by the time your favorite band comes on you’ll be heat exhausted at best and dead at worst.

Can I say it out loud?
ACL isn’t worth it. Its too sunny, too hot, too not breezy, too many people, too difficult to get to, too hard to hear music, too easy to loose your friends, too expensive to eat (nevermind the wait) too hard to make a decision about who you want to see, to difficult to find a shady spot, you have to get up, sit down, get up, put more lotion on, sweat in your yarbles and your skivvies… and you can’t bring your dog.
Its overrated. that’s it. I like hitting the aftershows myself. Year two we missed the shows and hit Calexico and Wilco in an aftershow, and its my most memorable ACL weekend yet.
Thats my grumpy rant. But you know what? I say that every year, and every year I still go.
— — — — — — –
PS: On the bright side, I should mention that for those of us with private guest quarters close to town (ie, converted garages) ACL does offer a fantastic opportunity to make a nice wad of cash for the weekend. If you own a condo or house close to downtown, next year you might want to finance a nice weekend on the lake by renting out your house or condo. Just a thought.

I’m totally prepared to lose about 10 pounds in water weight from all the sweating. Zilker Park better be green as Ireland afterwards since its being watered for three days straight! Anyways onto the lineup. Judging from last years experience I’m not going to be too super ambitious and see every artist because 7 hours of direct searing heat from the non forgiving sun sucks for three days straight. So for now here is what I want to see.
Fri: Joss Stone, Spoon, The Killers, and the last 30 mins of Bjork.
Sat: Augustana (maybe too early in the morn), Paulo Nutini, Blue October, Amy Winehouse, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Muse, The White Stripes
Sun: Bloc Party, Regina Spektor, The Decemberists, Bob Dylan (maybe).

05.11.2007
Holy Shietes! Have you seen the line up for 2007? That alone is worthy of a 5+ star review!
Here’s my hit list: Bob Dylan & His Band, Bjork, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Muse, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Gotan Project, Joss Stone, Damien Rice, Blue October, Indigo Girls, The Decemberists, Paolo Nutini, Regina Spektor, Amy Winehouse, Crowded House, Augstana, Amos, M.I.A., Ben Kweller, Andrew Bird, Ghostland Observatory, Peter Bjorn and John, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Blond Redhead, The National, Sound Team, JJ Grey and MOFRO, Young Love, Manchester Orchestra, John Ralston, Sara Hickman, Loretta Williams Gurnell, and The JellyDots!
There are definitely awesome returns from last year like Muse (I HEART Matt) and Sara Hickman. But there are disappointments like rumored appearances by Feist and Lily Allen are a no-​go. Next time!
I can’t wait for the nifty calendar scheduler comes out; so we can customize our schedule and ensure no conflicts or rank our conflicts. Hopefully the latter won’t happen.
This time, no amount of heat or humidity is going to get the best of me ‘cuz I still have my AT&T fan spritzer from last year (OH YEAH, WHO IS WITH ME ON THAT ONE???), SPF 45, stacks of oil blotters, wet towel, and more in tow. Most importantly, I will wear cute short shorts. Learning from experience!
Oh and let’s not forget the delicious food! Roy’s! Awesome art to browse!
(Sorry I just couldn’t resist writing a pre (re)view.)
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06.19.2007 Update
YAY: The Scheduler is out
BOO: So many conflicts –
Day 1: Kaiser Chiefs v Gotan Project v The Killers v Bjork
Day 2: Sound Team v Augustana, Paola Nutini v Sara Hickman, Damien Rice v Blue October, Muse v Arctic Monkeys, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah v Indigo Girls, Arcade Fire v The White Stripes
Day 3: The Jellydots v The National, Ghostland Observatory v The Decemberists
Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma. I will not be able to sleep until I figure out what to do!