K.O.L.'s Caleb Followill /Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder / Photo by Mark C. Austin
In case you've never listened to a lot of excellent bands in the most ridiculously sloppy and swamp-like conditions imaginable, the experience at this year's Austin City Limits Festival provides a good hint as to what you've missed. With a lineup headlined by Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, John Legend, the Dead Weather, the B-52s, and Flogging Molly, this year's ACL was a success, despite the mud stew that became Austin's city-central Zilker Park.
Here are our picks of the festival's best and worst moments:
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FRIDAY:
BEST SNEAK ATTACK – THE WALKMEN
The Walkmen are easy to take for granted—they've been around for a while, they're always steady, they've wandered along the edge of a mainstream breakthrough but have never quite gotten there…all that stuff makes it easy not to recognize that, in fact, they're better than ever. Led by the ferocious Hamilton Leithauser, whose full effort vocals justify his well-documented bulging neck vein, the band is a bounty of mature talent and workmanlike execution—for skill and songcraft, this was a win. For this particular show, they played some in-progress tunes, favorites from their past, and a slew from last year's acclaimed You & Me, including an intense version of "Canadian Girl." But, really, it was the one-two punch of "The Rat" and "In the New Year" that truly stood out. To wit: About six hours after it was over, a man exiting the festival was singing, at the top of his lungs, the chorus from "The Rat."
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BEST ‘60S REDUX – DR. DOG
Donning their Beatles influence without a bit of apology, this Philly outfit's retro harmonies, plinking keys, raw-voiced vocals, and occasional power chord don't make you think much, but they do keep everyone in a good mood. Nothing new under the sun, but for this pop-hungry crowd looking for a feel-good set, that didn't matter.
THE ROKY ERIKSON AWARD FOR BELOVED, DISTURBED LOCAL HERO CURRENTLY IN A GOOD PLACE – DANIEL JOHNSTON
It was odd to see so many college students cheering on a pot-bellied gray-hair mumbling stage banter and singing odd ditties from as far back as his 1981 debut. But all those students were duly rewarded, as Johnston's lovably off-kilter love songs ranged from super-spare to full band, and, really, something just felt right about the whole thing.
BEST JUSTIFICATION FOR WINNING AN ARMFUL OF GRAMMYS – JOHN LEGEND
Legend got the crowd revved up with a stunning, touching early-set rendition of "Redemption Song." Effortlessly connecting with the audience, the dynamic and engaging Legend made use of his slick band, horn section included, to rattle off a collection of his best-loved tunes. A highlight was his utterly amazing backup singers, whose three-deep vocals and silky, Supremes-inspired dance moves kept everyone in the flow. The only downside: The sun was not quite down, and this was a show made for the dark.
BEST GRADUATION INTO FULL-BLOWN SUPERSTARDOM – KINGS OF LEON
Many in the crowd remembered Kings of Leon's last ACL performance a couple years ago -- it was actually possible to walk up during their show and find a nice place to stand. My, how things have changed. Now there is no doubt that Kings of Leon have grown into full-fledged rock superheroes, and have the toys to prove it. Using multiple projection screens to showcase their made-for-arena sound, Kings of Leon played all the favorites, from "Molly's Chambers" and "Taper Jean Girl" to "Crawl" and "Sex on Fire. In the end, even those who hadn't yet been won over had to respect their improved chops, as they made it clear the Kings are one of a dying breed: true-to-life rock stars unafraid of embracing the brazenness of the role.
