ACL

As previously mentioned I went to Austin this past weekend for Austin City Limits, a 3 day music festival that takes place every fall. I've attended plenty of concerts in my day but this was my first festival and it was awesome. I was really excited for this, especially after hearing countless stories of Nick's experience at Bonnaroo in 2009 (seriously, I've heard them all, you can stop now, thanks). However, I realized something very important, music festivals aren't for everyone. Compared to some ACL is pretty tame, it occurs during normal daytime hours, usually ending around 10, everyone stays in hotels and you can easily leave and walk to a restaurant down the street if you need a break. Even with all the luxuries of a festival in the city, it is still pretty rough to stand for 2-3 hours straight with no bathroom break because you want a good spot for a show. The relentless sun beating down on you doesn't help either (I have a pretty intense burn on my scalp to prove it). I also came down with a cold at the end of the first day, which is really my own fault since I never sleep. All of that is pretty negligible considering how much fun I had.

It was about 95 degrees with very little cloud cover when this picture was taken, I think I was a pretty good sport, right? I also have coffee, a cocktail of various cold medications, and maybe some other cocktails to thank for that (I'm referring to water and lemonade of course). I was also really stoked on seeing the Antlers play. 

The heat eventually gets to you though so napping becomes a necessity 

They look like they needed it don't they? Trust me, they did. Some of us were barely hanging on just a few hours into the second day. Let's just say they were really fortunate to have a nurse with them. 

All the stress and heat was worth it for some really awesome shows. Yes, Coldplay was there but since I've already seen them I opted to see Kanye's show instead and it was really awesome

It was difficult to get good pictures with all those hands and iphones in the air but we got a good one of his surprise entrance. If there's one thing that I'll take from his performance its that if I love someone I should hold on to them tight. He was really feeling the importance of this statement. Thanks for life lessons Kanye.

In total we saw about 11 bands. We planned to attend more shows but extreme exhaustion will make you do weird things like take naps on picnic tables, or in trucks, or in the middle of a field and it tends to be time consuming. 

So if you need tips for a future trip to a music festival here they are:

1. Hydrate. No, a "Jolly Delicious" doesn't count, nor does beer, or warm rum (I wish someone would've told the 17 year old that was trying to offer that to us, yuck) 

2. Wear sunscreen 

3. Beware of camelbaks, they make you drink a lot more than you expect, which also means more bathroom breaks

4. Never say "I'm really feeling this music bro." It's obnoxious. 

5. Just suck it up and stop whining

6. Never wear a strapless dress if there is a possibility for even a very tame mosh pit. Trust me, it gets sketchy. 

7. Rain is your friend. I'm not just saying that because we're in the middle of a terrible drought, it's really just because you get so sick of the sun. 

I've been asked by a few people what bands i saw and it's difficult to fit in one text (ok, I'm actually just lazy, give me a break). Instead I'll list them here in case anyone is actually interested:

Friday:

Wild Beasts, James Blake, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Kanye West (awesome show with some really awesome choreography)  

Saturday:

The Antlers (definitely one of my faves), Twin Shadow, TV on the Radio (another fave-ok I'll stop using "fave")

Sunday: 

The Walkmen, Broken Social Scene, Fleet Foxes (fun fact: Christian Bale was actually on sage for this because he was filming something with this crazy girl who was dancing in front of a camera. I essentially have no idea why he was there, but I saw him and the show was really good), and Arcade Fire (which was also awesome and another favorite) 

Of course my very awesome group helped make the experience so awesome

Nick was of course included in this awesome group but is not pictured because he was taking all these beautiful photos for me since I'm lazy. I'm working on changing my bad habits, starting tomorrow or whenever I'm caught up on sleep which will be never. 

I would definitely go again next year, especially since it'll be in October which is a very nice month with very nice weather. I like October, can it just hurry up and get here already? I could use a day where the temp is below 90. And speaking of October, stay tuned for a fall related post later this week by my favorite (and only) guest blogger, MC. But now its time for sleep and by sleep I mean I'll pretend like I'm going to bed but I'll actually wait another 2 hours before I really get into bed.