A few weeks back I wrote up some thoughts on this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup and the bands I wouldn’t want to miss if I was able to attend this year.
And while a music festival can be a solid wonderment of new artist discovery and seeing those bands you may have never heard of before, I also find it’s one of the best ways to see heavy hitters in a compact “pop” setting. So I’d actually choose to see some bands I have seen before as a solid bet for a fun time in a festival setting where more distraction and casual listening can be a given. So if I can make it to ACL Fest this year there’s a pretty good chance I’d be lending my eyes and ears to the following five artists that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in a club or a theater some other time in recent memory.
I felt like I chose easy: Arcade Fire, Pretty Lights, Big Boi, My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes. And turns out I got some good news recently; I’ll be covering this festival for the first time and returning back to Austin for the first time since I was down there for SXSW in 2008. I loved the city, loved the live music scene, and fully hoped on making a return visit before this September. Oh well, now I finally get to rock it down there again. Again.
The schedule has already been posted so I’ll be making my festival plans sooner rather than later. At first glance I see a Skrillex > Cee Lo > TV on the Radio > Stevie Wonder run as part of day two that will be an easy set of wins right there. OH man, this looks awesome. I’ll share some more thoughts on the festival as it approaches. To any readers in Austin, say hello and let’s plan on meeting up down there for a Shiner!
