Day one of this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival is finally upon us. In just a few hours, Team Tripwire will be embarking on a quest to snag some sun block and a few other outdoor essentials, followed by the challenging task of finding tolerable parking near Zilker Park.
As great it is to have so many awesome artists converge for a music festival, when you have multiple stages, chances are you’re going to have bands competing against each other. Austin City Limits Music Festival definitely has that problem, with a whopping eight stages alternating throughout the three-day event.
For the most part, choosing who to see when isn’t that tough. They have done a great job separating out artists that may draw similar fans. Of course, there are exceptions, and each day we’ve got some tough decisions to make. On Friday, we have three pairings of bands that is currently causing us to scratch our heads. First up is at 3:30, which will most likely be our first of the day. Blonde Redhead will be on stage at the same time as Peter Bjorn and John, although after a few more sips of coffee, Blonde Redhead has become the winner. Problem solved.
Up next will be Queens Of The Stone Age versus Spoon. Two great bands, and it has been about the same time since we’ve seen both perform. Both of their latest albums were great as well, so we’re sorta screwed. This might boil down to a last minute gut decision. The final shows of the night, The Killers versus Bjork, might be tough for some people, but for us Bjork is the hands down must-see act of Friday night.
For Saturday, there is only one tough call, which comes at the end of the day. At 8:15 Arcade Fire takes the stage at 8:15pm, while Muse begins at 8:30pm. This may be the toughest choice of the entire festival. I hate to admit it, but I have never witnessed the spectacle of Arcade Fire. On the other hand, the last time I saw Muse was shortly after they released their debut album, Showbiz, and that performance was only fifteen or twenty minutes. So, who to choose?
On Sunday, we’ve got Wilco versus My Morning Jacket at 6:30, and Ghostland Observatory versus The Decemberists at 7:45 and 7:30pm. Right now we’re leaning towards Wilco and Ghostland Observatory, but The Decemberists are very tempting. At that point, we could all be so fried from three days of music that it might not matter.
With just a few hours to go, let our official coverage of Austin City Limits begin!
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