Despite the latest wave of inclement weather in the Houston area that has severely affected lots of undeserving Texans, the state's capital, Austin, continues to serve as an oasis of art, culture, and music. Next weekend, Austin's Zilker Park will be flooded with an estimated 65,000 people (per day) for the 3-day, 8-stage, 130-band mega-festival, Austin City Limits. As ACL has joined Bonnarroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza in the upper echelon of American festivals, it's safe to say that producers C3 will not put on an event without building up a lineup that makes Live Nation and Superfly Productions nervously tug at their collars.
The television program off of which the festival was based originally showcased artists hailing from Texas. More recently, the PBS show has evolved to correlate more with the festival itself and thereby has made it and the festivPal more eclectic. Although primarily rock-based this year's lineup is still eclectic and it puts people's suspicions at bay that it would be a disappointment, following last year's inclusion of Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, Bjork, and Bob Dylan. ACL 2008's headlining acts are Foo Fighters, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Beck, Mars Volta, David Byrne, John Fogerty, Manu Chao, and The Raconteurs. Tip of the iceberg. Gnarls Barkley, Iron & Wine, and The Black Keys are also featured on the bill, plus many more jaw-dropping acts.
At this rate, festival-goers will become so spoiled that ACL 2012 will have to feature a reanimated Jimi Hendrix/John Bonham/George Harrison supergroup for fans to consider buying tickets. Fortunately for ACL, they haven't run out of artists who are still alive. So in the mean time, it's best to eat up all the festival has to offer before it hits the ceiling, which will probably occur before they've developed a way to revive deceased rock stars.
ACL will take place this Friday, September 26 through 28 and each day will run from 11am-10pm. The festival will include features such as a kids stage, an autograph tent, recycling, and a series of additional concerts in various venues around Austin. These will occur before, after, and during the festival. Three-day passes and Saturday passes are sold out, but Friday and Sunday tickets are still available for $80 a piece. For more information, visit the website.
