Music festivals are just like snowflakes; no two are alike. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and fall across all continents. New Orleans has Jazz Fest. California’s got Coachella. England is home to the Glastonbury Festival, among others. Up until the last few years, Texas didn’t share in the limelight of homegrown music festival pride. That is, until 2002 when the first annual Austin City Limits Festival joined in on the fun. Though it was only a 2-day event that first year and many of the performers were Texas natives, organizers still managed to book incredible acts like Wilco, Rebirth Brass Band, String Cheese Incident, and G. Love and Special Sauce. Over the years, ACL Fest has grown tremendously making it one of the most sought after events of the year. Garnering acts from Jack Johnson to Muse to Modest Mouse to The Flaming Lips, ACL Fest has matured into a nice blend of indie rock, Americana, and mainstream favorites.
This year’s event was no different. Although there were plenty of big name acts like Bob Dylan, Bjork, Spoon and Muse, the real highlights of the 2007 Austin City Limits Festival came from the lesser known musicians and bands that really helped prove how dynamic and diverse music can be. Three days and 130 bands worth of music spread across 8 stages is a lot to take in under crippling heat and overlapping band schedules. Check out some of the highlights from this year’s event and start lining up for next year’s festivities!
LCD Soundsystem
One of the few bittersweet bites to the ACL Festival experience is the difficult and unfair task of having to choose between two unbelievable bands. One of the first difficult choices of the weekend was LCD Soundsystem versus M.I.A. LCD’s set was energetic and convulsive with bursts of humor thrown in for good measure. James Murphy’s erratic movement and sarcastic wit convinced many of the fans in the audience that they had made the right choice. At one point in the show, Murphy made an amusing joke about how back when he was in a punk rock band in 1983 he always knew that one day he’d be playing on the AT&T stage complete with its 5 bars of reception. LCD’s mix of dance, rock, and subtle punk undertones complements Murphy’s vocal prowess. All in all, LCD Soundsystem stood up to their end of the bargain and put on a show that was noteworthy enough to merit missing M.I.A. (Side note: M.I.A. was still onstage as people made their way to the other side of the park to catch Spoon’s set. It has to be said that from that little trip across Zilker, it was pretty apparent that her vigor and talent was clearly one of the best shows ACL has ever seen.)
Reverend Horton Heat
Texas native Reverend Horton Heat brought his old school rockabilly style and dynamic prowess to the Austin Ventures stage on the evening of the first night of ACL Fest. Playing from his anthology of songs produced over the years, the Reverend and his equally talented sidekicks were charming and playful from start to finish. As an added bonus, the guys covered some popular favorites with their take on the history of music across the ages. They started off with a surfer-inspired tune and progressed on through with covers of Bill Haley & His Comets, Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison”, Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”, and Black Sabbath. Their history of rock tribute was a flawless example of the range of talent these guys have, as well as their ability to keep music fun and relatable.
Bjork
Icelandic princess Bjork has been touring recently to promote her newest release, Volta. She made a much-anticipated appearance at ACL this year, bringing with her a performance that was mesmerizing, confusing, but overall kind of listless. Bjork’s music ranges from intensely convulsive to painfully slow. It was genuinely interesting to watch songs like “Pagan Poetry” unravel live. And while it will always be an experience to see Bjork bring her surreptitious thoughts to fruition, her live set really is more of an acquired taste.
Kevin Devine
It’s always a pleasure seeing someone passionate and skillful handle his/her way around an acoustic guitar and a big empty stage. Kevin Devine, a Brooklyn native, played an early Saturday morning set on the AT&T Blue Room stage. His audience grew by leaps and bounds as his infectious and powerful words traveled through the park. He dedicated one song to lyrical badass M.I.A. and spoke with heartfelt conviction about the state of the world today. While Devine played the first half of his set alone, his demeanor and dexterity filled the hollowed spaces with rich acoustic goodness. He was even more animated and confident when the Atlanta, GA guys of Manchester Orchestra joined him for the second half of his show to play a few songs. The highlight of the entire performance was, hands down, their cover of the Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Holland, 1945.” Their performance is how music should always be - fun, collaborative, and from the heart.
Andrea Echeverri - Austin Kiddie Limits
Various bands playing the festival took time out to stop by the Austin Kiddie Limits stage to play a short set for the kids and their parents. Ben Kweller was supposed to make a brief appearance at AKL, but wasn’t able to make it. Thankfully, Aterciopelados’ front woman, Andrea Echeverri, took the stage and put on a fun and lively performance. Aterciopelados came all the way from Columbia to play in Austin and their presence is really a testimony to the fact that music, no matter what language it is sung in, can speak to everyone - young and old.
Cold War Kids
Don’t let the name fool you - Cold War Kids’ sound is anything but undeveloped and silly. The moment they stepped on stage their unrelenting energy was evident. The cohesive creativeness amongst this California quartet was a sight to see. Nathan Willett’s enigmatic voice was comforting and familiar and Jonnie Russell’s ability to play off his band mates with his fiery force felt like fuel for their musical fire. “Passing the Hat” was a somber and dark ballad that really showcased their lyrical and musical depth. The song was also a stunning example of Jeff Buckley’s influence on their work. Willett’s powerful vocals shone through with “St John” and “Hospital Beds” as well. Their set vacillated between mellow, intense, and bluesy and was enjoyable all the way through.
Andrew Bird
After throwing his shoes off to get more comfortable, Illinois singer/songwriter Andrew Bird dove into a memorable collection of his work. Adorned with plastic, neon-green sunglasses and cradling his violin, Bird whistled and wailed through song after song with quiet concentration. Plucking at his violin strings and weaving his whistling through words, Bird created beautiful and poignant noise. His performance of “Fiery Crash” embodies Bird’s cryptic, poetic songwriting and thoughtful instrumentation.
Damien Rice
Perhaps the most surprising performance of this year’s festival came from Irish troubadour Damien Rice. From past performances, including his appearance in the Austin City Limits Studios, Rice has stayed true to the somber but intense vibe of O. His songwriting is so heartfelt and honest and his voice animates his words with an unparalleled passion. This time around though, Rice was making sure his audience heard his soul. His performance on the AT&T stage was intensely loud and fierce and experimental. It was an unexpected but impressive look at how multi-talented and layered he can be. His extended and exciting renditions of old favorites like “Amie” and “Cannonball” were worth the trip to Austin alone.
Ben Kweller
Lovable as always, Ben Kweller hit the AT&T stage prepared to redeem himself from last year’s unfortunate nose bleed incident that forced him to end his performance early. After a great beginning with “Commerce, TX” Kweller made a joke about being blood free and ripped into an impressive set of old and new songs. Mellow and fun, Kweller offered his tens of thousands of fans a show they’d never forget. Even more exciting was Kweller’s announcement that a new album was in the works and would be recorded in Austin over the next couple of weeks. He played two of his new songs - one called “Old Hat” that had a nice folk/country inspired twang to it. Kweller proved with this show that his music has matured and will only continue to get better with time.
DeVotchKa
By far one of the most unique musical experiences of our time, DeVotchKa is an indie rock band from Denver that combines music from around the world with a homegrown American folk sound. Each member of this quartet played a curious selection of instruments from the accordion to the sousaphone to the bouzouki. At one point, it appeared that Tom Hagerman, who plays violin and accordion, might have been playing a banana-shaped maraca. From time to time, front man Nick Urata took swigs from a wine bottle that also doubled as an unsuspecting instrument. Urata’s stunning and seductive voice created a haunting and melancholy auditory setting where songs like “Enemy Guns” could flourish and permeate through the crowd’s veins like wildfire. Every song they played left the audience goose bumped and craving more of DeVotchKa’s forbidden fruit.
Amos Lee
Graciously introduced to fans as a kind and gentle spirit, Amos Lee was greeted by the crowd with reverence and appreciation. Hailing from Philadelphia, Lee has a sound that meshes rather well with the vibe of ACL. Lee’s voice and vibe is reminiscent of another ACL favorite, Ben Harper. Genuinely surprised by the crowd of fans he had garnered, Lee bantered with the audience and spoke about his long journey from Philly to Texas. He played soulful, mellow sounds like his ode to Philly, “Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight,” and passionate, insightful songs like “Freedom.” It’s rare to find musicians these days as dedicated to kindness and connecting sincerely to the audience the way guys like Mason Jennings, Ben Harper and Amos Lee do.
Wilco
Wilco is one of the major bands that has played ACL Fest from its inception and has headlined more than any other band that has played the festival. This year, Wilco was scheduled to play at the same time that ACL superstars My Morning Jacket were playing. MMJ played at the festival a couple of years earlier and put on one of the best performances the town has ever seen. Although the two bands played on opposite sides of the park, Wilco’s performance seemed to be drowned out by the sweet sounds of MMJ and their ecstatic fans. Though Wilco gave a perfectly fine performance (after all it is Wilco!), there seemed to be something lacking. There was some chatter from fans watching the show that they were hard to hear - more as a result of the sound system than extraneous noise. Either way, having them there made the festival feel more complete.
Ghostland Observatory
There are no adequate words to describe how mind-boggling it is to see Ghostland Observatory live. Homegrown Austin locals, G.O. has sprouted into one of the most tremendous live experiences of our generation. In a very short time frame, Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner have turned their vision into a sound and dance explosion for the masses. Behrens, whose onstage persona is like the indie rock version of Freddie Mercury on supercharged batteries, has a resounding voice and dance moves that can’t be beat. Turner’s signature cape and electronic aptitude compliments Behrens’ over-the-top personality. Combine all that with a spectacular laser light show and one of the largest crowds of the entire festival, and you have a recipe for fun. “Sad, Sad City,” “Silver City,” and “Stranger Lover” created such a familiar and fantastic feeling that made it hard not to get up and dance your butt off. All around there were men and women unable to contain themselves. One of their fans summed up the show as succinctly and accurately as one could. He simply stated that their performance “stole my heart away.” And with each willing heart they steal, Ghostland beats bigger, stronger, and more vibrant.
--Brigitte B. Zabak
