The first few weeks of the Fall 2011 semester had come and gone, and everyone was well on their way through tests, quizzes, meetings and greetings. Thankfully a break for many of us had come – the weekend-long celebration that is Austin City Limits Festival. By bus, car, bike, and roommates, Spirits arrived at Zilker Park in South Austin ready for a festival. Below are some highlights from the weekend according to myself and fellow Spirits Tori Kazmierski, Becca Moore, Jacquie Bontke, Taylor Foreman, Andrea Chao and Brooke Leal.
With such diverse headliners and bands playing throughout the day, ACL brought bands to Zilker Park to satisfy any music lover’s tastes. From country to dub-step, there was something for everyone. Which bands were you most looking forward to seeing?
Becca Moore, Fall ‘10: “I was definitely looking forward to seeing Sara Bareilles the most, and her show was absolutely amazing! It was so fun and upbeat, and she has such a funny personality. And did I mention that the girl sounds just as wonderful live as she does on her records? “
Tori Kazmierski, Fall ‘10: “I was definitely looking forward to seeing Arcade Fire the most. I can listen to their new album The Suburbs anytime, any day. They did not disappoint, blew my mind and I would see them again in a heartbeat.
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| Hannah Waitt's View from Back Stage |
Brooke Leal, Fall ’08: “Having worked a music festival before, I knew that I wouldn’t really get to watch a lot of the shows since I was running around the whole time. But I was able to catch bits and pieces of shows. I loved the Young the Giant show – probably one of my favorites of the weekend.”
Andrea Chao, Spring ’10: “I was looking forward to see TV on the Radio the most, since I've been wanting to see them live for a very long time. They did not disappoint! They were amazing live.”
Top artist picks: Arcade Fire, Coldplay, TV On the Radio, Young the Giant, Skrillex
As this was my first time going to ACL, I realized there are several different approaches to attending a music festival. You can stick with friends with similar music tastes as you, seek out your own favorite bands, alone if you must, or explore the music and stumble upon new artists you hadn’t expected to like. As a first-timer, I did all three. But which strategy is best?
What kind of music festival-goer are you?
Becca: “I’m kind of a wanderer when it comes to ACL. I always try to hit up the bands that I know I like and then from there I’ll just roam the festival. In years past I always went to ACL with a group of friends from school but this year I went with my two older sisters. It was a really fun experience to share with them since they had never been.”
Brooke: “I like to get a little bit of everything – that’s the beauty of a music festival. When there are 130 bands playing, it’s silly to just stick to one genre.”
Andrea: “I made sure to see the bands I knew and loved the most and hadn't seen live yet. I love so many different genres of music that I would never stick to the same one! One of my favorite things is to discover new artists at festivals, and I was able to do that since we had a live feed in my trailer! Theophilus London was someone I discovered this year.” Andrea Chao
Artists to explore: Theophilus London, Alexander, Chromeo
To me, ACL was more of a singular experience than three separate days punctuated by going home to sleep and recharge. I loved that I got to enjoy a weekend full of the things I love most: music, friends and food.
Why do you love ACL? Taylor Foreman, Spring ‘10: “ACL comes second only to Christmas. I love it because it’s an opportunity for me to see all the bands I like for one price. It’s like a vacation – I don’t have to worry about school, I can spend the entire day eating local Austin food, you can go see the whole art section. And it’s not just the bands I know – I love getting the chance to see new bands, too.”
Jacquie Bontke, Fall ‘11: “I did enjoy eating all the great Austin food. It was like city wide potluck where you couldn't decide what to eat. I had Mighty Cone for the first time and I think my life is forever changed.”
Tori Kazmierski, Fall ‘10: ‘I really, really love how ACL is the epitome of Austin. From the food to the art fair to the music selection, the whole festival just feels like everything that I’ve come to love about the city.”
Best food: Mighty Cone, Bess Bistro, Farm to Trailer, P. Terry’s
Behind-the-Scene Queens: Brooke and Andrea
Hook ‘Em Haunt and Spring ’10 Weenie Andrea Chao and Fall ’08 Active Brooke Leal are both interns for C3 Presents, the production company which produces ACL Festival. No stranger to the music industry, Brooke’s second experience interning in a live music setting lends some insight to the world of production. Andrea, a McComb’s School of Business student who has always had a passion for live shows, won her internship with C3 at the beginning of the fall semester.
What was your role at ACL? Brooke: ‘I am the festival marketing intern at C3 presents and was a summer intern at Fresh and Clean Media, who handles all the PR for the festival. I worked on both teams.”
Andrea: “I am the ticketing intern at C3, and I was in charge of dealing with all of the artists' guest lists. I also helped with anything ticketing related, including all of the wristbands, backstage passes/artist credentials, etc.”
What kind of perks? Brooke: “I went to Lollapalooza in Chicago over the summer and got to go to ACL for free. It’s pretty cool getting to work with the artists and all the media outlets – you meet some pretty interesting characters, that’s for sure. Being able to flash a Producer badge is a pretty nice power trip, and getting to watch shows from on-stage wasn’t half-bad either.”
Andrea: “I got to go to ACL for free! My boss also gave me C3 Guest wristbands for my friends. Just like Brooke said, flashing my badge was real cool :)
I had the ability to watch shows from backstage, but didn't actually get to since I was busy or some artists closed their backstage access. I also got to meet one of my favorite bands (TV on the Radio!)”
What was something interesting you learned/had to deal with while working the weekend? Brooke: “I learned that everyone involved in the music industry thinks they’re important. For example, I had a local newscaster tell me in all seriousness ‘It’s not easy being famous.’ You have to deal with a lot of egos. People don’t like being told no or that they don’t have access to certain areas, but you have to learn to shut them down nicely. “
Andrea: “Since I was in charge of the guest list for all artists, I also had to be the one to deny people who thought they were on a list. It sucked having to be the one to say no, and sometimes I had to deal with disgruntled people. At one point on Saturday, when the lightning was getting bad, we had to print a ton of tickets that would allow people to re-enter in case the lightning got so bad we would have to kick everyone out. It was so stressful, since I had to be at the front gate glued to my radio waiting on the word to stop allowing people to enter... Thankfully the lightning subdued and everything was fine!
By: Leah Spector, Spring '10 Weenie
