ACL Preview: Exit Music For A Festival
Shockingly enough, it’s already October, the weather is changing, and it’s time again for another round of Austin City Limits. Imagine that, I’m offering a post with advice for the old folks and I mention the weather! Time to settle in to Overture. Hey, I hear the food is great! But seriously folks, ACL is kicking off on Friday and the lineup yet again has a great deal to offer for fans of all styles of music. For the ever aging ATH crew, we typically look towards middle tier acts like Fidlar, Cherry Glazerr, The Comet is Coming, Otis the Destroyer, and Idles so we can get in early and leave before the crowds grow. For us, headliners usually kick off the end of the night as we head for the exits and home to our warm beds. Many memories have been made dodging water moccasins near the lake as Bob Dylan plays a nearly unrecognizable rendition of “Highway 61 Revisited”. Hit the jump for more!
Friday:
“Welcome to the Paranoid Elephant”
What sounds like a B-side to Dark Side of the Moon is actually my sincere hope that Thom Yorke closes with “Paranoid Android” as Tame Impala and GnR kick off simultaneously with “Elephant” and “Welcome to the Jungle”. The reality is Thom probably won’t play any Radiohead songs, Tame Impala kicks off with one of his new tracks, and GnR plays something obscure for the older fans in the crowd who still remember skinny Axl. I cannot imagine a more fun time than hoping my phone doesn’t die as I look for my Lyft driver with Axl screaming “Don’t You Cry Tonight” in my ear drums.
Saturday:
“Help, I’m in Love America”
Let’s be straight here for a second. The entire ATH crew has, and always will love the incomparable Emily Haines and her music in Metric. That said, maybe I can get a quick blip of “This is America” mixed with one of The Cure’s hits as I dodge human feces and snakes under the Congress bridge. If I’m Robert Smith, can I just refuse to play “Friday I’m in Love” for the 10,000th time? I won’t be awake to find out.
Sunday:
Me: “Hey this has a coolish beat, must be Lizzo or Cardi B”.
Also me: “Sounds like an acoustic… must be Mumford & Sons”
Once again showing my age here because I do not know a single song by Lizzo and only “Money Moves” by Cardi B. Maybe not just my age, but ATH has never been much of a hip-hop/rap website so no slight to anyone. Mumford and Sons, well, couldn’t tell you a single song. So as I try to figure out the Lime scooter app on my phone, I’ll be jamming some white dude folk music mixed in with bass beats. Kids these days, am I right!? I’d probably check out pre-headliner Kasey Musgraves as she seems to be a shining star in a dwindling country music universe right now. 3EB is a hard, hard pass.
Expect a “Bands playing before the 5:30 Luby’s dinner buffet” coming soon. ACL still has some tickets on sale here with 1 days pretty cheap for around $100.