10/09/15 - 10/11/15
Austin City Limits Music Festival
Zilker Park - Austin, TX
This year we did ACL a little different. We decided we wouldn't force ourselves to stay out at the festival grounds all day if we didn't want too... because it's hot and we're adults dangit.
Day One
We drove out to Jonathan's favorite brewery, Real Ale Brewing Company, and had a couple beers. It was a beautiful drive into Blanco!
At the fest:
Brand New - We obviously had to make it out in time for me to see Brand New. I had fun but it was clearly a "festival" set.
Gary Clark, Jr. - This guy is the real deal. Next time, we will try to catch more of his set.
George Ezra - We happened to walk by during their/(his?) current hit, "Budapest." So that was neat.
Foo Fighters - If The Foo are playing at a concert and you are attending, you are supposed to go right? Well, we tried! We found a spot (in the back) to watch, and I swear, we COULD NOT HEAR them! I felt bad, but it just wasn't very enjoyable. We moseyed on over to Disclosure and watched them instead. I later saw lots of comments complaining about The Foo Fighters sound, so it wasn't just us being old.
Disclosure - Pretty fun, we did not stick around too long though.
Band of Horses - As we made our way back from 6th street, we passed Stubb's and a band was playing... The song sounded familiar, so we stuck around outside and got to hear Band of Horses play "The Funeral." It was an unexpected great way to end the night!
Day Two
Before the fest:
We went to a bar and watched the Longhorns beat OU, then stopped at Jonathan's favorite burger place in Austin to eat lunch, Hut's.
At the fest:
Modest Mouse - This is literally the only band we saw on Saturday, but who cares! Modest Mouse was amazing! They are one of the few bands that Jonathan and I legitimately both really love, so I knew it would be good! They played as the sun was setting and we got to hear some really great music and see some great facial expressions by Isaac Brock. Still no Bukowski though, so I guess I'll have to keep going to shows until I hear it live! ;) Here's their setlist:
1. Missed the Boat
2. Ocean Breathes Salty - Always a favorite.
3. Lampshades on Fire - Really fun to hear live.
4. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
5. Pups to Dust
6. The Devil's Workday
7. King Rat - Yes! This is my currently my most-played song by them. So sexy(?) and good!
8. Dashboard
9. The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box
10. Dramamine - Another favorite, so chill.
11. Float On - Of course the crowd went crazy for this one.
12. The Tortoise and the Tourist
Day Three
Before the fest:
I booked us a beer tour through ATXcursions. It was really great, I recommend you check them out! They took us to Hops and Grain, Jester King, and Twisted X breweries where we sampled beer and explored the grounds. Our overall consensus was that Hops and Grain had our favorite beer and Jester King was beautiful and had a great location on their ranch. Also, it's fun to get out there and try new (local!) beer.
At the fest:
alt-J - They also played at *magic hour* as the sun was setting, so that was nice. I think they put on a pretty good set. Maybe I was just jaded because Modest Mouse was the day before, and to me, they just don't compare. Fitzpleasure and Breeze Blocks are still pretty awesome to hear live though.
The Weeknd - OH MY GOD. We (I?) had a BLAST at The Weeknd. This guy can SING. He sang him and Ariana Grande's "Love Me Harder" and Beyonce's "Drunk in Love." His hits, "Earned It" and "I Can't Feel My Face" were great. But obviously, the place went crazy with "The Hills." It was amazing. Also, it was quite amusing looking around at some of the *dads* in the crowd horrified as they listen to some of the very dirty lyrics as their kids sing along.
Florence and the Machine - We saw the end of her set and she's just something else. One day, I'd like to go to one of her proper concerts so that I can get the full experience. We got to hear "Dog Days are Over" and "What Kind of Man."
