austin city limits day three
so, i got a late start again...unintentionally. by this point, i am absolutely exhausted and there isn't anyone else going with me this morning to make me accountable. i did not miss anyone i wanted to see, which was a first. woke up by myself, packed up my things and left the key under the mat. stopped by the oltorf starbucks and enjoyed some water, my favorite java chip frappucino, and a slice of banana nut loaf.
have i ever mentioned how much i despise the fact that they call all their breads loafs? not pumpkin bread, pumpkin loaf. banana nut loaf, not banana nut bread. something about the word loaf...particularly when it is not a whole loaf of bread is somewhat disturbing to me. starbucks, get your shit together.
grabbed an ethos water for the show, and walked across the street to the gas station. bought a vitamin water and some cash from the atm.
got in my car, turned up some jack's and drove down west street until i found parking. it ended up being all the way down on 9th...but something about going to the festival alone and feeling in my element downtown was very zen. walked to the shuttle, no cigarettes and really felt...whole. no cigarettes all day...be proud.
the shuttle line was not nearly as long...i never had to stop and wait, just simply walk at a reasonable pace all the way through the queue. the guy in front of me had some sweet political toms, i kind of want some. i never really got into the toms thing, but i would love to wear my ballot on my feet.
no dslr, so no hassle going through security. walked over to at&t and settled down for the flyleaf set. the singer, despite my misgivings with this band, is such a badass...i want to be her. she ranted on about jesus, god, and christianity for a bit. i was under the impression that they had gone secular, but i guess i was wrong. it is not really my cup of tea for bands to flaunt their religious affiliations or lack thereof, but it was still a good set. and they are from temple, so word up.
i met up with kevin and austin next to the bar stage left and then walked over to at&t blue room for stars. we found zoe and colin over under the tent closest to the stage in the zilker beach area, but we decided to get up and walk to the crowd once some random band started playing on the kiddie limits stage nearby. it was impossible to hear them, so we braved the mid-afternoon heat. there were also some obnoxious girls...you know, the kid of girls who all wear the same two color nike running shorts and all with the scene girl headband. they also said that their acl weekend had been epic...maybe it's time that i came up with a new favorite adjective.
stars' set was actually kind of disappointing. somehow the album doesn't translate to the stage, at least not in the festival setting....the mix was not great at all. we were about to leave, then they played going, going, gone so we stuck around until it was over. going, going, gone makes me miss millsaps...i used to study to stars, so it makes me only a bit nostalgic. then we headed back over to the at&t stage to catch the silversun pickups.
kyle was already in the crowd trying to get close for foo fighters - he was even missing some other bands he wanted to see so that he would be right up front for their set at the end of the day. we tried to get up to him, but by the time the silversun pickups set rolled around it was already completely packed. we pushed our way up and got pretty close, maybe five people between us, and we absolutely couldn't get any closer. i ended up behind five really tall, really obnoxious guys. about three or four songs in, some people left in front of me, so i stepped through...and kevin and austin didn't follow. apparently they weren't really comfortable pushing through the crowd, but hell - i wanted to actually see the set. i actually ended up standing in front of andy garza, and didn't even realize it. he pointed it out to me later on facebook, but i was completely oblivious to the fact at the time.
smoked, texted cody for a bit, and texted kevin. kevin and i ended up exchanging heated words, but whatever. i wasn't going to let it ruin my day. silversun pickups reminds me of cody for some reason...i really wish he could have been there. i guess he kind of falls into the same category as mitch - they are the kind of people i would love to spend a day like today with. instead, i spent the first half of it with a tempermental guy whose attitude still hasn't shifted from high school. how...fortunate? not really.
i could actually receive calls and texts for most of the day, which was nice. i called my little sister during flyleaf and it was pretty easy to keep in touch with people....finding them was still a task.
i hate fighting over stupid, inane, hypocritical things. everyone should hold themselves to the same standards they are holding other people to, and you can't hold grudges without expecting others to as well. it is hard to be the better person when you are surrounded by ignorant fools.
ended up going to okkervil river by myself, grabbed some salt lick and sweet tea on the way, and had a very chill set. i felt kind of like i was under constant scrutiny by the people around me, but i was just being paranoid. then i walked over to watch the raconteurs set, right as the sun was going down. sunset is so beautiful...especially on a day like today.
their set was nice, but not really my thing. after about thirty minutes, it was about to put me to sleep, so i went to watch a bit of gnarls barkley. i love walking through the crowds...i feel so in my element, anonymous among the masses. after about 30 minutes i went back over to the raconteurs to meet up with zoe at rock island. finally found her, but then we lost colin, who had gone to watch white denim. we finally met up with him near the dell computer rocks tent and the giant light ballon, and headed over to find a nice place on the lawn between at&t and dell. sat for a few minutes, then got up to watch band of horses.
band of horses, at times, reminded me so much of manchester orchestra. for some reason, in my mind, i had imagined that band of horses would have sounded much different. i had never spent the time to actually listen, and i was pleasantly surprised. colin and zoe needed their alone time, so i went back to grab my things from their blanket and walked up towards the stage for foo fighters.
unfortunately, foo fighters started about ten minutes early...completely interrupting the end of the band of horses set. it was kind of a douche bag thing to do, but they kind of apologized for it later. i felt so bad for band of horses...you couldn't hear a damn thing once both sets were going. it wasn't even their last song, so their set was cut short.
it was amazing to see the foo fighters, but it would have been so much more enjoyable if the acoustics had been better. the mix was awful, it was almost impossible to discern the vocals even with a fairly tame crowd. i tried to call my brother during a couple of songs, since he is a huge foo fighters fan and couldn't afford to come, but i could barely hear it - he did not stand a chance of hearing it through the phone.
i got closer and closer, but the sound did not really improve that dramatically. i had a pretty unobstructed view of the stage, but i really wish that it was not so dusty and i had been able to get some decent shots with my point and shoot. there was a little kid standing behind me at one point with his friends who wanted to crowd surf, which was cute. i remember crowd surfing at a starting line show at emos when i was like...13. lame, haha.
at times, it really felt like a true concert experience again, like i mentioned the other day with bloc party. dave grohl's banter on stage was also infinitely entertaining - between the triangle solo and his response to a fan jumping on stage "he's a student, go easy on him! shit happens, i've been there...you have seven coors light and you get all excited. he's just a kid, go easy on him!" i was cracking up. i really did not want to leave early, but the mix was awful and i did not want to stay up until the crack of dawn waiting for the shuttle when everyone left en masse at the end.
there was no stopping in the shuttle line, and about fifteen minutes after i walked out of the gate, i was on a shuttle bus. i couldn't have timed it better. i even heard the end of their set, wrapping up as i stepped on board. i still had my hero ringing in my ears as i walked out. . .and the chills really did not ebb with the passing time.
after i got off the shuttle, i started walking back towards my car, and then on a whim i decided to stop by katz's. what better way to end my first austin city limits than with a huge slice of cheesecake and an ice cold pepsi. i hadn't been to katz's since the last time i went to a show with lindsey coulter and her aunt...which must have been eighth grade. i loved going downtown with those two, and i really miss those carefree shows.
now, i can't think of katz's without thinking of dean katz, which made me chuckle. my waiter was really cool, so i stuck around for a while, just writing and watching people pass by down sixth. these last three days were the longest, yet the shortest days i have had in a while, and it feels like the whole weekend is over before i could even exhale. no, that's not the right way to describe it. it was over before i could really inhale and take it all in. i can't wait to do it all again.
ironically, despite not bringing along my DSLR, i got more pictures today than friday and saturday combined. i will probably spend hours on end weeding through all these shots and editing them. i can't wait. does that make me a nerd? maybe, but i love it. i don't work monday or tuesday, so the next two days should be full of absolutely nothing. it will be nice to balance out all of the density of the last three days.
stars' set was actually kind of disappointing. somehow the album doesn't translate to the stage, at least not in the festival setting....the mix was not great at all. we were about to leave, then they played going, going, gone so we stuck around until it was over. going, going, gone makes me miss millsaps...i used to study to stars, so it makes me only a bit nostalgic. then we headed back over to the at&t stage to catch the silversun pickups.
kyle was already in the crowd trying to get close for foo fighters - he was even missing some other bands he wanted to see so that he would be right up front for their set at the end of the day. we tried to get up to him, but by the time the silversun pickups set rolled around it was already completely packed. we pushed our way up and got pretty close, maybe five people between us, and we absolutely couldn't get any closer. i ended up behind five really tall, really obnoxious guys. about three or four songs in, some people left in front of me, so i stepped through...and kevin and austin didn't follow. apparently they weren't really comfortable pushing through the crowd, but hell - i wanted to actually see the set. i actually ended up standing in front of andy garza, and didn't even realize it. he pointed it out to me later on facebook, but i was completely oblivious to the fact at the time.
smoked, texted cody for a bit, and texted kevin. kevin and i ended up exchanging heated words, but whatever. i wasn't going to let it ruin my day. silversun pickups reminds me of cody for some reason...i really wish he could have been there. i guess he kind of falls into the same category as mitch - they are the kind of people i would love to spend a day like today with. instead, i spent the first half of it with a tempermental guy whose attitude still hasn't shifted from high school. how...fortunate? not really.
i could actually receive calls and texts for most of the day, which was nice. i called my little sister during flyleaf and it was pretty easy to keep in touch with people....finding them was still a task.
i hate fighting over stupid, inane, hypocritical things. everyone should hold themselves to the same standards they are holding other people to, and you can't hold grudges without expecting others to as well. it is hard to be the better person when you are surrounded by ignorant fools.
ended up going to okkervil river by myself, grabbed some salt lick and sweet tea on the way, and had a very chill set. i felt kind of like i was under constant scrutiny by the people around me, but i was just being paranoid. then i walked over to watch the raconteurs set, right as the sun was going down. sunset is so beautiful...especially on a day like today.
their set was nice, but not really my thing. after about thirty minutes, it was about to put me to sleep, so i went to watch a bit of gnarls barkley. i love walking through the crowds...i feel so in my element, anonymous among the masses. after about 30 minutes i went back over to the raconteurs to meet up with zoe at rock island. finally found her, but then we lost colin, who had gone to watch white denim. we finally met up with him near the dell computer rocks tent and the giant light ballon, and headed over to find a nice place on the lawn between at&t and dell. sat for a few minutes, then got up to watch band of horses.
band of horses, at times, reminded me so much of manchester orchestra. for some reason, in my mind, i had imagined that band of horses would have sounded much different. i had never spent the time to actually listen, and i was pleasantly surprised. colin and zoe needed their alone time, so i went back to grab my things from their blanket and walked up towards the stage for foo fighters.
unfortunately, foo fighters started about ten minutes early...completely interrupting the end of the band of horses set. it was kind of a douche bag thing to do, but they kind of apologized for it later. i felt so bad for band of horses...you couldn't hear a damn thing once both sets were going. it wasn't even their last song, so their set was cut short.
it was amazing to see the foo fighters, but it would have been so much more enjoyable if the acoustics had been better. the mix was awful, it was almost impossible to discern the vocals even with a fairly tame crowd. i tried to call my brother during a couple of songs, since he is a huge foo fighters fan and couldn't afford to come, but i could barely hear it - he did not stand a chance of hearing it through the phone.
all my life i've been searching for something
something never comes, never leads to nothing. . .
all night long i dream of the day
it leaves me with the feeling that i feel the most
the feeling comes to life when i see your ghost
hey, don't let it go to waste
i love it but i hate the taste
weight bringing me down
hook me up a new revolution,
'cause this one is a lie
. . .i'm looking to the sky to save me
looking for a sign of life
looking for something to help me burn out bright
i'm looking for a complication
looking 'cause i'm tired of lying
. . .i'd give it all away
if you'd give me one last try
a stubborn heart remains unchanged
no home, no life, no love
no stranger singing in your name. . .
load road to ruin
there in your eyes. . .
forever gone without a trace
your horizon takes its shape
too alarming now to talk about. . .
truth or consequence, say it aloud
something never comes, never leads to nothing. . .
all night long i dream of the day
it leaves me with the feeling that i feel the most
the feeling comes to life when i see your ghost
hey, don't let it go to waste
i love it but i hate the taste
weight bringing me down
hook me up a new revolution,
'cause this one is a lie
. . .i'm looking to the sky to save me
looking for a sign of life
looking for something to help me burn out bright
i'm looking for a complication
looking 'cause i'm tired of lying
. . .i'd give it all away
if you'd give me one last try
a stubborn heart remains unchanged
no home, no life, no love
no stranger singing in your name. . .
load road to ruin
there in your eyes. . .
forever gone without a trace
your horizon takes its shape
too alarming now to talk about. . .
truth or consequence, say it aloud
i got closer and closer, but the sound did not really improve that dramatically. i had a pretty unobstructed view of the stage, but i really wish that it was not so dusty and i had been able to get some decent shots with my point and shoot. there was a little kid standing behind me at one point with his friends who wanted to crowd surf, which was cute. i remember crowd surfing at a starting line show at emos when i was like...13. lame, haha.
at times, it really felt like a true concert experience again, like i mentioned the other day with bloc party. dave grohl's banter on stage was also infinitely entertaining - between the triangle solo and his response to a fan jumping on stage "he's a student, go easy on him! shit happens, i've been there...you have seven coors light and you get all excited. he's just a kid, go easy on him!" i was cracking up. i really did not want to leave early, but the mix was awful and i did not want to stay up until the crack of dawn waiting for the shuttle when everyone left en masse at the end.
there was no stopping in the shuttle line, and about fifteen minutes after i walked out of the gate, i was on a shuttle bus. i couldn't have timed it better. i even heard the end of their set, wrapping up as i stepped on board. i still had my hero ringing in my ears as i walked out. . .and the chills really did not ebb with the passing time.
after i got off the shuttle, i started walking back towards my car, and then on a whim i decided to stop by katz's. what better way to end my first austin city limits than with a huge slice of cheesecake and an ice cold pepsi. i hadn't been to katz's since the last time i went to a show with lindsey coulter and her aunt...which must have been eighth grade. i loved going downtown with those two, and i really miss those carefree shows.
now, i can't think of katz's without thinking of dean katz, which made me chuckle. my waiter was really cool, so i stuck around for a while, just writing and watching people pass by down sixth. these last three days were the longest, yet the shortest days i have had in a while, and it feels like the whole weekend is over before i could even exhale. no, that's not the right way to describe it. it was over before i could really inhale and take it all in. i can't wait to do it all again.
ironically, despite not bringing along my DSLR, i got more pictures today than friday and saturday combined. i will probably spend hours on end weeding through all these shots and editing them. i can't wait. does that make me a nerd? maybe, but i love it. i don't work monday or tuesday, so the next two days should be full of absolutely nothing. it will be nice to balance out all of the density of the last three days.
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