Back

We are back and very glad to be home. The drive home was uneventful. Well, except for the stop at Cabelas, but more on that later.

The last day at ACL was both great and problematic. Problematic because the temperature soared over 100 and this particular festival was unusually dusty. After Wilco we walked down to the SBC stage (the biggest venue in the park) for Coldplay. The SBC is down a little hill and as I walked down that hill, you could barely see the stage in the distance. The brown haze was very apparent. I ended up using one of my wet bandanas to cover my mouth, but at the end of the night, we both felt like our lungs were a little heavy.

That said, there was some great music yesterday. The Arcade Fire (a band I had not heard of prior to this year's ACL) was amazingly good. Something like 9 band members, using drums, violins, a French horn, and guitar to produce an amazing sound. Very impressive. Listen to their song "Wake Up" for a good sample. I also heard the Kaiser Chiefs (who I referred to as Kaiser Souze all afternoon) and the Decemberists, as well as the Doves. All were good--with the Kaiser Chiefs perhaps my least favorite of the bunch.

Coldplay, at least for the part we stayed for, was very, very good. I had some doubts going in. Their albums are strong, but I wondered about his vocals in this setting. But they were really good.

Wilco continues to amaze me. Songs I have now heard in concert three times still work, and work well. For me, this band is the most innovative of this recent generation. I kind of think U2 was for the 80s, but Wilco just continues to innovate and still produce quality stuff. Stuff that requires a little work and patience, but lasts. Spoon (probably my second favorite set of the festival) reminds me a bit of them that way.

All in all, the festival was a great success. The hurricane caused some cancelations, and I suspect contributed to the heat wave, but we were all luckier than those who had to flee high waters. I have to say that this particular festival had a few less magical music moments--where the hair stands up on my neck or emotions flow--but they happened. That happened when Steve Earle sang "Copperhead Road," "NYC," and "Amerika 6.0." Or when JT Van Zant did one of his dad's old songs, or when Wilco broke into "Handshake Drugs."

I am sure I will have more to say as this all sinks in, but that will do for now. I am tired and all of our outdoor bags are coated in dust.