I just can’t handle ACL. I went all out last year–open to close, all three days, media tent, afterparties and aftershows–and I think I just burned myself right out. Instead, I will be walking myself to tailgating and the UT game. Trying to drive or cab anywhere south of Enfield this weekend is going to be a horrible idea, so I’m planning on hoofing it everywhere. Thank god for the 80-degree weather we’re being promised.
BUT I know so many of you out there are lovers of ACL, so I went to a minimal effort to find you the scoop on the good shows, the good aftershows, and–the best part–a sweet widget so you can customize your schedule, post your widget to all your social networking sites, and demonstrate to everyone else just how cool you are because you know what they should be seeing. This is clearly not me, as the only band I’d want to see is Vampire Weekend and they play at 2:30 on Friday, which means ACL doesn’t think they’re as good as the Statesman’s Joe Gross does (and I’m basing my desire to see them entirely on his recommendation, which, for the record, I received before he wrote this article).
Anyway, without further rambling I present a list of two sites you could visit if you want actual info on ACL … I tried to find more but unlike SXSW, most of the lil blogs leave it to the big dogs to write about ACL. Weird. Anyway, finally:
ACL Fest official page
Austin360’s guide to aftershows
My ACL survival guide (if I were going again):
-Wear light-colored clothing, with a swimsuit. Girls, you’re inevitably taking your shirt off to hide the sweat running down it, guys, you’re inevitably taking your shirt off because it’s hot as hell.
-Drink lots of water. Drinking booze is tempting, and sneaking it in is easy, but hydrate first. Drink later in the afternoon, you’ll thank yourself for it later. And you’ll remember at least half the bands you saw.
-Sunscreen. Don’t get cancer, and don’t be miserable for the following two days. Don’t get sunburned, it will make you a thousand times hotter, which is not a place you want to be. Wear some freakin’ sunscreen.
-Big, floppy hats / umbrellas / sunglasses / chairs with built in umbrellas / your program / whatever, use it.
-Take breaks/naps. Barton Springs, restaurants with a/c, under trees, or under someone else’s chair, as long as you take a respite, it doesn’t matter where.
-Don’t try to drive and park. It never works. A bajillion and a half cabbies and pedicabs are circulating, buses and shuttles are all over the place (free from Republic Square!), or have friends/parents/bums drop you off. The other side (west) of the Mopac bridge is a great place to be dropped off and avoid the crazy Barton Springs Road traffic.