There was much to be thankful for at Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) as the 11th annual event got underway at Zilker Park in the heart of Austin yesterday; The festival grounds held up to the rainy weather on Thursday, the wristband scanner system worked well enough to keep lines at the entrance to a minimum and the music performances were memorable. Delta Spirit tore up the AMD Stage, DJ A-Trak led a massive party in the sun and Weezer rolled out the hits for a spectacular sun-downer set in front of an estimated 75,000 fans.
Delta Spirit
San Diego (now Brooklyn) band, Delta Spirit played an early (2:15 p.m.) set at the AMD stage that demonstrated the band's maturity as they ran through their set list. Their tight, driving set translated well to the large stage. After seeing the act nail it at SXSW last March and repeat that amazing performance at the Do512 Lounge we are sold. Delta Spirit can play on any size stage and we will be there.
Lead vocalist and guitarist, Mike Vasquez was energetic, running all over the stage despite the humid, hot weather. Set highlights included "Idaho", "California" and "Tear It Up", the latter two coming towards the end of a pleasing dozen song list. Just like the previous two shows Examiner got to catch in Austin, we cannot wait until these guys return in November for an ACL TV taping.
Setlist:
People C'mon
White Table
Idaho
Empty House
Parade
Otherside
Bushwick Blues
Trashcan
Tear It Up
California
Children
People, Turn Around
DJ A-Trak
If you have not seen a dance party in the middle of the afternoon, then you have not seen A-Trak mastermind a session on the decks at ACL Festival (or anywhere else for that matter). The former scratching prodigy proved why he commands a large crowd each time he visits Austin by dropping the needle on a crowd ready to party. From the opening song, A-Trak had fans jumping, waving their arms and letting loose at the Honda Stage during what must have been the hottest part of the afternoon.
It was a dance-party of epic proportions. It felt like A-Trak officially made it a party with the energy that was generated at the sometimes pedestrian, songwriter-heavy Honda stage. From his dope performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest to this year's bombastic set at ACL, this DJ has shown why he is the best electronic solo act currently touring.
Weezer
Surprisingly, this was Weezer's first appearance at ACL Fest. The 90s rockers have enjoyed a ton of radio hits which all appeared in the set (see setlist below). The Los Angeles, pop-punk band who were label-mates with Nirvana briefly, were excited to play the festival for the first time:
"We flew from L.A. to Austin, Texas last night and settled into town, enjoying a little downtime as the city ramped up for the festival, with every hotel booked solid and the bars and the restaurants packed. Today we fought the car and pedestrian traffic and made our way into the huge Zilker Park, taking van and golf cart deeper and deeper into a labyrinthine web of paths, roads and fenced off lanes that finally led us to our temporary HQ in the wilds behind the AMD Stage. This is our first time playing ACL and we are stoked to finally be here." - Karl Koch (Weezer.com)
Lead vocalist/guitarist, Rivers Cuomo wearing his trademark nerd glasses and the rest of the band laid down a set that was happy, rocking and just plain fun. The fact the band was handed the sundown set is a sign of respect from the festival organizers. C3 Presents. The band must have felt similarly, delivering a memorable performance that made the huge crowd smile.
Setlist:
My Name Is Jonas
Memories
Surf Wax America
(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
Dope Nose
Island in the Sun
(Rivers sang an improvised … more)
Perfect Situation
Buddy Holly
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
Beverly Hills
Say It Ain't So
Pork and Beans
The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
Undone - The Sweater Song
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