As a first timer, it is hard not to be blown away. This is like Disneyland with tattoos, mullets, lot's of leather, bands pushing carts with their gear through the streets, people playing from street corners, massive stages, open air bars, tents and trucks. I've seen several oopmha bands with liederhosen. My wife spotted a band with identical twin horn players, both of whom were wearing matching British Health System cheapo black plastic glasses with smudged lenses, crooked, of course. Some of the women are gorgeous- others, well, if you can imagine a Wal-mart shopper in cut offs, a halter top, prison tats and bulging mid-riff, you start to get the idea. The bass is so loud that you can hear it through buildings blocks away.
We caught a few acts already, including Los Lonely Boys, and some friends who bought a bar here for the sole purpose of producing and hosting live events are having George Clinton headline on Saturday night. It is a total circus, but seems to be fairly under control, in terms of threat level. (I tend not to like drunks or crowds, and especially don't like the combination).
We stopped into the Driskill (sort of the Plaza Hotel of Austin, very nice place where we have stayed before we semi-relocated here). The bar was a mosh pit of production crews working out playlists and logistical details.
My heart goes out to the musicians that are really doing this bare bones, no crew, no manager, schlepping their gear through the crowded streets to a gig, or no gig at all. Virtually every brand name in media has branding here, whether it is a small trailer or giant parking lot taken over by staging, lighting, sets and ancillary trailers, power and film crews, like pop up full sized venues-
This is utter madness in a pretty good way.
The buzz is the Prince show in a smallish venue. Clapton headlines at the end of the festival.
We caught a few acts already, including Los Lonely Boys, and some friends who bought a bar here for the sole purpose of producing and hosting live events are having George Clinton headline on Saturday night. It is a total circus, but seems to be fairly under control, in terms of threat level. (I tend not to like drunks or crowds, and especially don't like the combination).
We stopped into the Driskill (sort of the Plaza Hotel of Austin, very nice place where we have stayed before we semi-relocated here). The bar was a mosh pit of production crews working out playlists and logistical details.
My heart goes out to the musicians that are really doing this bare bones, no crew, no manager, schlepping their gear through the crowded streets to a gig, or no gig at all. Virtually every brand name in media has branding here, whether it is a small trailer or giant parking lot taken over by staging, lighting, sets and ancillary trailers, power and film crews, like pop up full sized venues-
This is utter madness in a pretty good way.
The buzz is the Prince show in a smallish venue. Clapton headlines at the end of the festival.
