Here it is – the conclusion of my time at Austin City Limits Fest 2008. While it was an excellent three days of outstanding performances, it was also three days spent out standing in a nearly treeless field as the warm September Texas sun beat down upon one’s head. Would I do this again? Absolutely, but I do plan to seek out sponsorship from a magazine (or three) in order to cover registration and associated costs for subsequent years. I need to have some goals as a writer! All of that aside, it’s on to the music!
Gillian Welch (2:30pm – 3:30pm):
After seeing Alison Krauss croon with Robert Plant while being backed by a full band the prior evening, it was a pleasant shift to watch Gillian Welch sing, accompanied only by guitarist David Rollins. Gillian herself, clad in a long black-and-red flower-print sundress, alternated between guitar and banjo as she immersed the crowd in her brand of bluegrass/Americana, adding the occasional harmonica, as Gillian put it, “to up the hillbilly quotient.” The two of them both held the audience’s attention and filled the large stage rather admirably, complete with excellent solo work from Rollins and generally impassioned playing. The two worked in tandem quite well, only to surprise the audience with a guest appearance from the aforementioned Ms. Krauss to sing “Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby” from O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Overall, it was an entertaining set.
Stars (3:30pm – 4:30pm):
There was nothing truly flashy going on with Stars’ performance on this afternoon, just an hour-long collection of smart, hooky, catchy power-pop. This is the kind of music that should be on the radio: it’s easy to sing along to, the music is superb, and people would generally like it. Why radio stations don’t play music of this nature is beyond me.
Neko Case (4:30pm – 5:30pm):
Crush Alert! In the spirit of full disclosure, I could have shown up just to see Neko on this day and left afterwards, fully content that my day was complete. With that aside, Neko and Friends wowed the crowd for their entire time on stage, singing songs primarily from Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, and also introduced four new songs destined for inclusion on her new album. The first new ditty was a Blacklisted-type torch song, the second was reminiscent of both Springsteen and The New Pornographers, the third was a quirky country-pop ditty about a killer whale going on a hunting trip, while the fourth was a Harry Nilsson song turned into a country ballad. Also, the between-song banter from Neko & her backup singer was a hilarious surprise, with the highlight being this comment from Neko as she concluded the third new song.
Neko: “And then they ate them. Killer whales don’t think twice about that shit.”
Her booming voice and her melancholy songs were absolutely huge, bigger than I expected them to be, and the band pulled no punches in delivering the music with superior musical skill. The set ended with “John Saw That Number” and I was a happy man.
Band Of Horses (7:30pm – 8:30pm):
The lawn was jam-packed for the band’s show and Ben Bridwell made several comments about the size of the crowd over the course of the night. It was evident that he was taken aback (humbled maybe?) by how many people were there to see his band. But once the guys started playing, it was easy to hear why: their songs are driving, straightforward Southern rock ballads, and the fact that they are easy to sing along to will always make them a popular, crowd-pleasing act at a festival of this nature. The bass and drums were thick and heavy, but never masked the big, resonating guitars, as the group stayed mostly loud and up-tempo the entire set. They came across as simply six Southern boys who like to jam together and have lots of fun playing music, and it’s hard not to at least respect them for that. The crowd sang, drank, and smoked along lustily to each and every song, creating a truly communal concert experience.
All photos by Jennifer Barnhardt