ACLfest 09 Day One

Even disembodied legs enjoy good music.

Today I decided that I'm not getting older, the average festival-goer is instead getting younger (I swear I saw infants playing hackey-sack), that complaining on public transportation has become an art form, that Spiffie is overly ambitious (hi Spiffie!), and that coffee is the enemy of a good time (well, when you haven't slept in over 24 hours, anyway). Also that it's no fair when your big dog decides to go on a licking rampage when you haven't the energy to fend him off. They can sense it. They must. And so starts another Austin City Limits Music Festival (haven't missed one yet)!

I hadn't noticed if any NVer had gotten a press pass, and since I've been sitting on my tickets (I gave one away to someone at the front gate, perplexed that I didn't want payment for it...such is the price you pay when having to decide over a year in advance how many will be in your party)... And where was I? Yes. Long day you see. No NVer press pass, so figured I'd try to jot a few notes down, myself. And really, all there is to say is: so far so good.

It was a slow day, with a late start (vegetarian restaurant + the bus), but it was decidedly cool. Maybe low 80s? Neither the coolest ever, yet, but there's time to fix that over the weekend - we're warned of possibly heavy downpours - but thankfully nowhere near the warmest either (that'd be a couple years back, when it hit 108). But Texas (UT, that is) is having it's bye week, which is when ACL happens, and for once it's in October. Praise the cloudy, rainy gods. And the green grass, too - no Great Dust Bowl this time! I hacked up parkland for weeks, that year.

Bands? Well... honestly the best things I saw today were t-shirts. Hopefully things will pick up later, especially Sunday which looks pretty nice. Friday though saw, of note (because we either bothered to see them, or because I was slumped tiredly in proximity): Coheed and Cambria, Phoenix, Bassnectar, and a touch of The Walkmen. Best of the lot probably Phoenix, for pulling off sounding like American indie rockers, nevermind they're from Paris, and Coheed and Cambia, for sounding like it's an alternate timeline 70s (Spock in a goatee!), despite, well, no Spock, no goatee.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs were sadly missed, as my eyes were covered in a film of sunscreen like cataracts, and Spiffie thankfully complied with the MUST GO NOW imperative slash begging slash fine, I was whining pitifully. It stung! But that's alright, their most recent album was awful anyway (well, that's what I'm telling myself in order to feel better about the whole 'not seeing them' thang).

And did I mention the grass was green? As in Ireland green! And Ireland has some grass so green I was compelled to take photos of it, although that might have something to do with my desert roots. But I digress...

Really, the best part of the whole day was the cab ride at the end of it, with the cabbie and his wife, in a van strung up with skeleton lights (true story), and a sign that warned it was $300 to clean up. If you throw up, that is. I had to ask...

And for those others who may have been felled by coffee and spray-on Neutrogena 70 SPF, the city is chockablock (I swear I've never used that word before) full of aftershows, ACL tapings, and other events like WOXY parties (of Rainman fame - they've moved to Austin, you see). Me, though, I'm passing out, and hope I don't get mummified by dog saliva-shellac. You think I jest, but I do not.

It took me hours with an icepick and hammer to free Spiffie from its horrible embrace, once. No joke.

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