austin city limits 2010: coachella's little brother

ACL was the perfect excuse to visit my friends in Austin-- besides, I'm kind of into music festivals. Even though I already saw Muse, LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend live this year, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see them again. At $185, the 3-day pass is a bargain when you consider all the bands to see. The weather was a perfect 80 degrees all weekend.

On Friday, we rolled up Downtown and took the free shuttle to Zilker Park.The park was more crowded than I thought it would be. I guess I pictured more people coming in and out because the park was in a city, but you can't really walk anywhere Downtown too easily from Zilker. Miike Snow had a huge crowd, so we listened to him and headed over to hear Pat Green. I was surprised that Pat was the only country music at ACL, considering it's Texas and all. I kinda wish there would have been more. It was great, with the sun shining and people dancing. Good times. Beach House and Spoon were next, along with my first taste of the amazing Mighty Cone. The food at ACL is pretty rad because it's mostly all local vendors. The Mighty Cone is a warm tortilla, with chicken tenders inside, and this ridiculous chipotle sauce and coleslaw on top. It was awesome. We saw Vampire Weekend and the Strokes, who were great but couldn't get the crowd going. The first night of ACL was dunzo.

Saturday, the MSU vs U of M game was on, so of course we had to watch that before heading to ACL. We were all in a great mood heading to the festival, but the shuttle lines were out of controllll. We finally got in, and LCD was PLAYING already and I was spazzing out trying to get all the way to their stage. Too bad it was a mob inside Zilker on Saturday night. It was by far the most busy night, and I told my friends I'd just see them later and left. I ran as fast as I could through the crowds, stepping over couples and blankets and people, making my way inside as James Murphy held up his signature capacitor mic, playing "I Can Change." He played a couple songs off the new album, but the crowd really got going during "Us V Them." It was a great show. I had to walk off during "Yeah" because it was getting dark, and I'd never find my people again. I finally found them in the disturbing crowd for deadmau5 at another stage. I got there just as he began, and it.was.INTENSE. Deadmau5 spun with an LED mousehead on, inside a crazy lit up Rubix cube. When he finished his set, we got to Muse as fast as we could.

Muse began, of course, with "Uprising." They had the same set as Coachella, with red lights and words on the huge screen behind them. Muse was extra awesome. "Undisclosed Desires" is SUCH a good song.

Sunday, we didn't mean to sleep in but, it happened. Yeasayer, Edward Sharpe, Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, and The Eagles made it a chill day. Norah Jones didn't play "Don't Know Why" and I was pretty outraged. But The Eagles KILLED it. All the old people seemed to come JUST for them, and they played a 90 minute set with all the classic, plus a "Boys of Summer" cover to top it off. I was surprised how awesome they were, and it was a good end to ACL.

I couldn't help it-- all weekend, I was silently comparing Coachella with ACL in my head. And even though some of the lineup overlapped in both festivals, there were some differences that couldn't go unnoticed.

ACL loves chairs, blankets, and giant flags. People were legit camping out in one spot all day instead of moving around. To mark their group, people would carry 20 foot tall flags with giant stuff hanging off of them, blocking views of the stage.

ACL sells single-day tickets. This was especially apparent during The Eagles. The result? Three days of crowds with varying enthusiasm. The more excited the crowd, the better the festival.

ACL loves kids. I was half-napping in the grass waiting for a band, when all of a sudden I felt a little kick from the blanket next to me. I look down, and oh yeah, it was an INFANT. Between the babies, young children and tweens, it was a bit aggravating when you're at a music festival generally targeted towards adults.

ACL has a lack of electronic and hip hop acts. Personally, I'd just like to see more diversity in the lineup.

ACL ends sharply at 10pm. Late into the night is when Coachella gets the most beautiful and awesome.

ACL has a transportation problem. Getting TO the fest is not an issue. Leaving the fest is a MESS. The lines for taxis and shuttles are out of hand, and by them time you get Downtown, you're just ready for bed. At midnight.

ACL is 99.9% white. I dunno, it's just kinda boring.

The bottom line is that ACL is an event, while Coachella is an experience. The heat. Camping. Making friends with neighbors. The mist tent. The light sculptures. And while the skyline of Austin is wonderful at night, nothing is the same as being in a sea of people under the clear, starlit desert sky. So yeah ACL, I'll probably see you next year. But make sure you know your place as the official "little brother" of Coachella.