I guess you might be wondering about the title.  Well, I haven’t gone to a festival in a long time to the tune of  4 years.  I’d rather see a band in a small arena, and quite frankly, I’d rather it be seated.  I know that sounds pussy but whatever.  What originally put me off was the sheer number of people.  It’s a pain to dodge groups of 15 zombified people walking side by side in a stupor.  It’s a veritable obstacle course of humans.  I knew this would be no different. 

First and foremost, let me tell you about headbands.  I hate headbands!  I saw 10’s of thousands of people wearing headbands and only maybe 10 could pull it off. 

Another common sight was bad tattoos but that’s nothing new just in greater number.  If you have a friend who is thinking about getting a tribal tattoo, tell them not to please.  Unless of course they’re a Maori and thinking about getting their face done up in the traditional way.  I’m all for that. 

Why I don’t like festivals has evolved.  The people aspect has not changed one iota and has actually increased.  The biggest thing is that I could only see an ant-size spec of most of the bands.  Shit!  For MGMT, I couldn’t even see the plasma screen.  When I’m shelling out 80 bucks a day for a ticket, I’d like to see the band.  This is the biggest change in my mind.  If I can’t see the band, why am I there?   Most of the time, the sound is far from optimal.  I just don’t see the point of going to a show and watching it on a TV.  Kind of defeats the purpose right?

There’s my vent.  Now to the festival itself and I mostly saw who I wanted to see and that’s it.  When I walked in, Vampire Weekend was playing and they were actually pretty good in a small dose.  The lyrics and the music were damn good but somehow I couldn’t help thinking that there was something missing.  I’m always waiting for a climax that never comes.  And we all know how that feels.  Luckily, Louis XIV pulled me right out that.  Holy shit they kick ass.  It’s blazing down at 95 degrees, they’re wearing all black and they have so much energy I thought I was going to pass out just watching.  They’ve been around for awhile and there’s a reason.  They are good.  Enough said. 

The next show of importance was the main reason I wanted to go in the first place.  Hot Chip.  The lead singer, Alexis Taylor, looks like he came straight of 1983.  He’s wearing an all white suit and I couldn’t help but be impressed.  Geek fashion has been making a comeback and he’s on the forefront.  I think he might be able to put Devo to shame.  The sound is so driving and his voice just takes the cake.  Hot Chip is the best of the entire 80’s mashed into one sound and then pulling in good pieces of the last few years of music.  For me, basically you just discard most of the 90’s and chalk it up to supporting today’s music with a few select exemptions.  Side note: Beck is one of those. Fuck, I love it.  A girl I hung out with later commented that he was just too “Geeky looking” so she couldn’t get into it.  That’s just wrong. 

Welcome to Texas.  Del played a good set and he started off the set with “Virus.”  Seeing Del is an experience.  You know the feeling when you look at them performing and you have a little window into their past.  You realize why they made it to where they are.  Del shows you that.  There’s no question of the influence has had on music and how his music really stands alone.  At least, it does to me and I’ve been listening to him since the first few months I got into hip hop.  That’s a long time.

In passing, I saw Mates of State and I’m so glad I did.  That could be my lucky find of the whole festival.  I’m a sucker for a female voice in any band.  I guess that might have started with Vice Squad.  They’re a married duo but that is nothing like what you might think.  They recently released their fifth album in May and I’m looking forward to digging through all of them. I saw David Byrne toward the end of the day and I really enjoyed it.  I knew I would, as I’m no stranger to his music.  If you don’t know who he is, there’s something wrong with you. “Psycho Killer” during the Talking Heads days has to ring out in your mind if you need an example before he went solo.  His voice…you can’t deny it.  I don’t care who you are or how cool you want to be.  The end of Friday was The Mars Volta.  They have always been touch and go with me.  Some of their songs I truly love and others I’m wondering what the fuck is going on and what happened the day they wrote it.  This performance was the latter.  I think every song….before I walked out….was written on one of those days.  I also feel like there was some fucked up Rage Against The Machine connection going.  I haven’t listened to them in a bit so maybe I’m missing something.  As a curious afterthought, there is an EP with frontman Zack de la Rocha of Rage and former drummer Jon Theodore who left last year.  What that means I don’t know.  Regardless, I stayed for six songs and I basically wanted to puke.  I think I did a little bit in my mouth. 

That day ended and drank some booze.  Next day started well with a stroll and some coffee and a bunch of smokes of course.  We went to a Mexican spot that has been around for decades and a must if you’re in Austin, which is Guero’s.  They also had a live band that was just mellow enough for a hangover day and frozen margaritas that made the day just about right considering how sore my calves were from the previous day.  Got to the festival late after a needed snow cone for the walk.  Missed some bands I wanted to see but after all I’m not really working.  CSS was the first band I saw.  It was hot and of course so it Lovefoxxx.  I have some underlying factors with this band and an ex-girlfriend though so I can’t be completely objective.  What I can say is that the sexually charged lyrics will affect you without a doubt. Plus, they are also unscrupulous and that is always appealing to me.  Next up, MGMT.  This was a highlight without a doubt.  This was also when I could not really see even a plasma screen.  As a live show, motivating this sized crowd in this heat was not easy.  They did not disappoint.  I was pissed off at a guy who was brushing sand on me and his four girls who were talking through the whole thing along with looking around at anything but the show.  The music was stronger than all the bullshit.  I think ever person from all 8 stages converged to watch MGMT.  There is so much music out there right now with an electronic influence that it’s difficult to differentiate how MGMT is so different but they are.  When there is a song that basically has one melody and one lyrical line that you can listen to all day long.  These guys have figured it out and I’m really glad they did because someone had to.  The build on some of their songs is pretty much perfect to me.  I hope you can feel them like I do. 

Man Man is notable to mention and they have a Mr Bungle, Mike Patton, type feel although a little less out of control.  Maybe more palatable.  One of those I guess.  Then I went to watch Conor Oberst.  Bright Eyes is what you know him by if you don’t know him any other way.  I was apprehensive because even though I’m pretty much an emo kid, he has a way of going too far.  It gets to be too much and everyone has a breaking point where they want to shoot themselves.  This act was in no way reflective of any point of being too much except that it was probably the highlight of the whole festival for me.  Watching him on a fucking plasma screen, it still came through.  I was pretty close to where I could have watched him in the flesh but didn’t.  His demeanor is so polite and then there is his underlying angered fuel and intelligence.  I’d never seen him live before.  It’s different from Bright Eyes in the way that maybe he takes his ideas a little further than he normally would.  Some songs border on country and the other side of epitome of Emo is still very much present.  It’s still the same person but with less restraint.  That’s how I saw it.  If you’ve heard Bright Eyes, you should know how that could make for a very dramatic performance.  It seems just plain stupid to say it was emotional but I just can’t help it.  Joy Division comes to mind in idea that he is pouring out everything for the show.  You look into his face and somehow everything you know and like about his music translates into a visual reference right there before you.  With a setting sun, this one will make a memory in my mind.  Iron and Wine played next, and while good, were difficult to translate into this setting. 

Beck was next.   Of course, this was a big anticipation of many of the people there.  I sat in the same spot as for Conor and this was the last act of the festival for me.  Robert Plant and Alison Krauss played at the same time on the other side of the venue.  Just didn’t seem as worthwhile to me although I’m no critic when it comes to him and also what they’ve done together.  Beck was a better bet and I think I made the right decision.  He basically played every one of my favorite songs. I have a Beck playlist of just my favorite songs and when I got home 2 hours ago I checked for comparison.  With such a large body of good work that is a rarity.  It’s not 30 albums but it might as well be when the majority of the songs on each album have some significance and memory to me.  This might be the last festival I attend for the next 5 years.  It’s not that it’s so horrible but it is a huge pain in the ass.  I really wanted to see Austin and I’d never been to Texas so that was a big motivation.  I’m happy I went but it’s going to be a bit before I venture on another one.