Zilker Park feels very intimate, considering its vast, open field-ness. Then again I love open fields and find them to be very intimate spaces. It's just that before arriving I imagined all kinds of twists and turns in the park and that I would have to walk great distances between stages, really solid on which bands I was going to see when. At least that's the idea I'd cultivated from past attendees, but I'm finding that's not really the case at all.
Upon arrival, my first priority was to find one of the several Camelbak filling stations (you must bring your Camelbak empty). These places are a godsend for hot and thirsty festivalgoers! It's literally a long row of smiley girls holding hoses, waiting to fill your backpack with delicious, life-giving, free water anytime during festival hours. And these places are hardly even crowded. If you're coming to Zilker without a Camelbak, don't. Just don't.
All hydrated and shit, I wandered past one of the headline stages where fun. was starting to kick up the energy for the rest of the night, but I left the kids to their fun(.) and found myself in front of Detroit-based Electric Six instead. Funk, punk, dirty rock 'n roll--yeah, all those things--they were blowing it out, and frontman/songwriter Dick Valentine was certainly only making things better with his drunken antics. At one point he commented on the night's headliners, Depeche Mode and Muse, asking the crowd if we "want to see a band that's all pre-programmed with computers, backing tracks pre-set...or do you wanna see Depeche Mode?" Some of us were tickled by that (even though I DO love Muse, as you will see in a bit).
Things kind of went on like that for a while until I caught the last half hour or so of the Local Natives, a band of beautiful men with a very stimulating sound. After that I stumbled into The Black Angels' set, a sort of nu-psychedelic blues. I retreated to the outskirts of the crowd and danced in the sunshine, where it really became obvious that dancing is in fact a rare occurrence at ACL. No, seriously.
I took the time after that to relax a little before the frenzy of the night would descend. I realized then that I hadn't eaten all day; I had gotten off the plane and straight to my hotel, quickly dressed and dashed out without even thinking of sustenance (that's when you know I'm in a bit of a crazy state). And then suddenly-- miraculously--there were fish tacos. The Austin Eats area consists of maybe 30 local vendors, all with no more than four or five choices, which appeals to my sick, situational desire for Communism. From burritos and ice cream to straight hippie juices, this place has it all. I enjoyed my tacos with immense gratitude.
Queens of the Stone Age was one of the bands I was really looking forward to seeing but knew that I wouldn't get much of a chance due to the schedule conflict with a higher priority band. The sun was going down and energy was rising as people gathered round the stage, occasionally looking toward the Arctic Monkeys just down the hill. This is the great thing about this setup; you can be standing at one stage and still totally get another stage's goings-on without it feeling like the two are clashing.
When Queens came on, that's when the grey sky opened and rain began to fall in hefty drops. Fortunately it only lasted long enough to add an electrifying element to the evening, and by then all charged up, I purposefully made my way toward the main stage to prepare for Depeche Mode.
It was only a few minutes before they came on, the crowd showing as much enthusiasm as they could. The boys launched into the standard "Welcome to My World" and "Angel," the only two tracks they would feature from Delta Machine. It was the switch-up of the fourth and fifth songs that really got my engines going: "Behind the Wheel" and "World In My Eyes" have only been featured in a handful of shows this tour. I freaked, obviously. Unfortunately most of the crowd couldn't appreciate this, so I held it down where I stood, probably the only real Devotee as far as I could see.
Every few songs I crept closer, searching for that sweet spot. At my first DM show last month, I was front row, center. That has its obvious perks but also its disadvantages in that I couldn't take in the stage visuals, and being so close, the sound is in fact pretty shit. So I started farther back last night, but I kept getting pulled closer until I was dead center but still far enough away to see the whole spectacle. Also, I found myself in a little pocket of Latino fans, who sang loudly with me and clearly loved Martin as much as I do. Awwwww.
When "Never Let Me Down Again" was over and the guys had bowed out, I wasn't fuckin' around and immediately started my dash toward the other main stage to catch the last half hour of Muse. The sound of the ambiguous thundering drums and wailing guitar soon condensed into "Stockholm Syndrome," one of my favorite Muse songs that I was not going to miss. I started to run, then faster, and soon I was sprinting like y'all ain't never seen! Seriously, like my life depended on it. Adrenaline propelled me toward the hardcore sickness of that song, and even though I had absolutely no energy or breath left, I still shout-sang and broke it down once I was in the midst of it all. I didn't feel the need to be super close like with DM because their sound is so huge and less intimate.
I caught some of the biggest end-of-show songs like "Uprising," "Starlight" and "Knights of Cydonia." That was enough to completely exhaust me, though I am sad to see that I missed "Map of the Problematique" earlier in the set. Still, I can't say I would have done anything differently if I had it to do over again.
So there are the highlights! This is a total ramble because I am doing no editing on it; I'm just about to rush out the door to get back there in time to see Electric Guest at 2:00! Day Two, here I come!
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