2013 ACL Music Festival: Dancing in the deepest oceans

Since living in Texas, I have long heard about Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival (beginning in 2002).  But no musician excited in me the desire to get a pet sitter, drive to Austin, battle 75,000 people to see someone sing in the hot October sun or the rain for 3 days, but this year was different.  In the morning that the tickets went on sale at 10 am, I heard that The Cure and Depeche Mode were headlining for both weekends.

First weekend sold out in a matter of hours.  No worry we wanted the second weekend as our anniversary present anyway.

"Please do not take me until after I get to see and hear both bands play."

I emailed JT at work and said, "Let's go for the 2nd weekend, and it can be our ninth wedding anniversary present too."  Now these bands play my eclectic music tastes from high school and college years.  If only I could have Stacy, Samantha, other friends join me, then I would be transferred back 21 years.

When Depeche Mode came out the first night, I cried.  Not a few tears of joy, but a lump in the back of your throat, face burning hot, kind of a cry (yes like a 12-year old girl) for a very short time, because I was bound and determined to get closer to the stage so that I could see their faces.  If I wanted to watch them on the big screen, then I would have stayed home.  With my little binoculars, I watched Dave spin around like a child holding his mike stand.  Was he not singing?  Now I understand that he did 2 other shows in NV and AZ this week, and his voice may be off.  But Depeche Mode did put on a great 1 and a half hour show, and I danced, sang, and loved it.  I can understand wanting to film a clip of the band, why must everyone film the concert?  It is blocking my view.  I hope that my hands got in the way of your camera.

The next evening the tears had passed, and we made it through the crowds of youngsters shouting profanities with Kendrick Lamar.  NICE.  These are not my people.  Finally in front for the sound stage, we found a good spot and met another couple (Kate and Bill or Phil (my earplugs muffled his name)) close to our age who had a babysitter watching their child, so they could see The Cure as well. (Below us though what were those kids smoking from a glass ball-not my people).  We both moved closer in to get away from that element.  The Cure came out and Robert Smith (54 years old) still has an amazing clear voice after 30+ years of singing.  He has stayed true to his character, wild dark hair, red smeared lipstick, and black eyeliner.  Some may say that he hasn't aged well, but he has stayed true to his character where most over-sanitized, fully injected with whatever filler, reinvented singers do.

The Cure were to play for 2 hours.  So at 9:39 pm, the skies opened up and began to pour warm water on us.  Having the faith and hope, stupidity, or really we didn't care mantra if we got wet.  Our new red Bucee's towel kept us dry for a few seconds until it soaked through.  There I remembered that I was wearing a little bikini, so off went the wet Latitude and Attitudes tank top.  I got a lot of smiles from the men under umbrellas around us.  

And the rain poured with only once slowing down at the end of the show.   Robert Smith and the band played on finishing up with Boys Don't Cry, that threw me back to my junior year of high school driving my car around the beautiful hills after school.

The Cure's song list

1. “Open”
2. “A Night Like This” Head on the Door
3. “The End of the World”
4. “Lovesong” Disintegration
5. “Just Like Heaven” Disintegration
6. “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” Wish
7. “Fascination Street” Disintegration
8. “Pictures of You” Disintegration
9. “Lullaby” Disintegration
10. “High”
11. “The Lovecats” Disintegration
12. “Close To Me”
13. “Hot Hot Hot”
14. “The Caterpillar”
15. “The Walk”
16. “Stop Dead”
17. “Push”
18. “In between Days”
19. “Friday I’m In Love”
20. “Doing the Unstuck”
21. “Want”
22. “The Hungry Ghost”
23. “Wrong Number”
24. “One Hundred Years”
25. “Give Me It”
26. “End”
27. “Boys Don’t Cry” Disintegration

Now there were 130 bands that were to play the 3 day weekend, which now was only 2 days because of the rain.  But the bands or songs that I loved were the following: Wild Belle, Delta Rae (Bottom of the River, which was very appropriate being stuck at Barton Springs Museum waiting for a taxi for 3 hours-and living in the boys bathroom by the hand warmer as the warm rain turned cold with the wind), Greensky Bluegrass Band (from Michigan, no fiddle in the band-not really bluegrass), Electric Six (excellent sound).

1. OKKERVIL RIVER, not memorable
2. JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION (was more punk than blues, and thank you man in the bleachers who handed me the earplugs after partner wanted to stay. you so SAVED me) 
3. We missed Shovels and Rope (too early, plus were set up against two other great female groups that I wanted to see (bad planning there ACL Festival)), Holly Williams (granddaughter of Hank Williams and daughter of Hank W Jr), Courtyard Hounds (the real musicians, sisters, from ol' Dixie Chicks), Whiskey Shivers (bluegrass, way to early on Saturday morning to hear, and only got 30 minutes)

I loved the "excellent" craft beer tent with the football games playing (do you know that I love football? like a big fast chest game to me, but your King needs to be able to throw and leave the pocket occasionally).

POOL

Cooled (dam cold) down at Barton Springs and enjoyed the tranquil surroundings by the spring fed pool.

FOOD

The variety and the tastes blew me away.  After seeing the price that ACL Festival was charging for food vendors, I wondered if nasty crappy large chain restaurants would be there.  Well they were delicious.  We ate a veggie taco and brisket taco from Torchy's Taco, and shared the Best Wurst (grilled bratwurst with sauteed onions and sauerkraut on a hot roll.  It was difficult to resist the Love Shack's nachos, since they looked so good, but I had many hours to be before I slept.

Friday night after the show we stopped at Chuy's and sat in the bar area to enjoy their nachos, chips, and salsa, and margaritas so we watched the thousands of people take their mass exodus from the concert.

Saturday morning we headed to Kerbey Lane on Lamar for thick and perfect pumpkin pancakes, home fries, and big egg-and fixin' breakfast.  The place was packed so we missed some of the early bands, but the food was worth it.

Sunday Morning we drove down to Barton Springs to use the pool again, but then decided to go to South Congress for some lunch.  Yelp top rated restaurant was a food truck, Hey, You wanna eat or what? delicious spicy (not that spicy) meatloaf special, fried onion ring, sandwich, chef committed on JT's USM cap since he was a cook at Beaux Rivage in Biloxi, MS before Katrina.

ROOM

We were so lucky to find this place.  JT was looking north of town, way north, but I wanted something close.  Walking distance.  So we searched the vrbos and most everything was booked up or wanting a 4-night minimum and jacked up prices.  Then I found airbnb.com and found the area close to Zilker Park was called Zilker neighborhood (who would have thought it).  Perfect price and location across from Little Zilker Park (with a leashed dog area).  Prepare for the big hill to walk up and down.

Very thankful that we didn't go camping during the festival.

On the way back home after we dried off and warmed up.  We headed to Brenham and drove by the Blue Bell Ice Creamery.  One day we will be back.