Three Days of ACL

Friday: Nickel Creek, Gnarls Barkley, Thievery Corporation, Van Morrison
Saturday: The Shins, Calexico, String Cheese Incident, Willie Nelson
Sunday: KT Tunstall, Jack Ingram, Matisyahu, Matt Costa (while standing in line for Kettle Corn), Flaming Lips, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Unfortunately, we missed Guster on Friday and had to finally make some choices between certain performers during the three days, but all in all Austin City Limits Festival made for an amazing weekend. It was hot and steamy but the music and food made up for it. Taking a dip into Barton Springs proved to be an adventure thanks to these little guys, but at least we got to cool off. Really, no worries though, they were small and easily removable. Someone tried to tell us that they were the "vegetarian kind".... right, so why were they attached to my foot? We later confirmed that, yes, all kinds are carnivorous.

I was worried that I had been building up Hudson's Hot & Crunchy Chicken Cone over the last two years, but it was just as yummy as I remembered it. And they added the Hot & Crunchy Avocado Cone to their menu, which was just as tasty. The next cookbooks on our wishlist: Cooking Fearlessly and Fired Up, because I don't think I can go another year or two without a Hot & Crunchy something.

Thievery Corp made me want to take belly-dancing lessons, Matisyahu gave a shout out to the fans on top of the port-o-potties, and how often will you get to see Van Morrison perform "Brown-Eyed Girl" (or how I sing it, Green-Eyed Girl, thanks to Amy) live? Flaming Lips definitely put on the most interesting show, complete with the lead singer rolling out like a hampster in a ball into the crowd, while confetti and oversized balloons filled the air and dancers in Santa Suits and Purple Space Age Dresses boogied on stage. All three days were great, but we agreed that Sunday's lineup was by far the best.

After Flaming Lips finished their set, we rushed to the middle to grab a spot for Tom Petty and once we were there, there was no moving till the end of the show. Those of us who realized we were without beer or had to use the facilities would just have to wait, because if you left, and even made it back to the group, you most likely would not have a place to stand. When Tom Petty finally took the stage, he brought with him the cool wind and thunderstorms that we had been expecting all day. After about 3 songs, there was a pause in the set while drums and guitars were covered with tarps and the rain poured down. The seasoned festival goers, Ben & Lauren, pulled out their rain gear as we all huddled under a couple of umbrellas and finished off our smuggled flask of bourbon to keep warm. He promised that once the rain had passed, he would give us a long set, and that he did. Even his encore consisted of 4 or 5 songs.

My feet are tired, my shoulders are a little pink (even with multiple applications of sunscreen), and neither of us got much sleep last night before having to wake up for work today. But we got to spend three days listening to some great music, eating great food, and hanging out with great friends.

Pictures to come soon...