Austin Sound Check

ACL Redux : Sunday Radio Rock Revue

by Ana Wolken on October 3rd, 2008

The third and final day of ACL 2008 started off late after a brunch at Torchy’s.  First band on the agenda was Flyleaf. The Temple, TX natives used to kick around Austin under the name Passerby, but changed to Flyleaf before recording their first full length album. I wasn’t exactly blown away, but the Flyleaf set was pretty rockin’ and still enjoyable.

Next up was Against Me!, who were one of my most eagerly anticipated ACL picks pre-festival.  They rocked the Dell stage with their politipunk as expected. Their single Borne on The FM Waves of the Heartfeatures Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara.

Tegan & Sara were slated to play later in the day on Sunday, so it wasn’t a totally unreasonable expectation that Ms. Quin might grace the stage with Against Me!. Missing Stars was totally worth finding out if my dream would become a reality. The sizable Against Me! crowd went nuts when Tegan got on stage for the song. It was one of the most incredible moments all weekend.

Next up, I watched Silversun Pickups. I’ve been a fan since their album Carnavas was released two years ago. For one reason or another I’d never been able to catch them on their various tour stops in Austin, but the wait was well worth it. They played all the good songs from Carnavas and managed a rousing performance, despite the obvious problems with the soundboard. For the first half of SSPU’s set, it sounded like they were playing in a tin can.

After SSPU, I jumped over to catch a few minutes of Blues Traveler. They played the 90’s hits I really wanted to hear, but overall I was disappointed. Too much of a jam band feel for my tastes. Plus, Blues Traveler opened their set with a Violent Femmes cover. That’s all good and well, but we came to see Blue Traveler play Blues Traveler. I left a few songs into the set.

The Raconteurs were another highlight of Sunday’s lineup, as expected. Jack White & Co. delivered a totally straightforward rock set in only the way they could. The screens on the side of the stage were in black and white for their set, which was a nice touch. Even if you’re one of the few people who don’t like Jack White, you have to admit the guy’s got style.

Style took a back seat to substance during Tegan & Sara’s set. The girls definitely have style, but if that’s the first thing you notice about them you must be deaf. I’ll admit to being a late convert to the T&S game, but to say I was blown away by their set would be a severe understatement. The two diminuitive Canadians brought down the house on Sunday night with their intense ballads. If you haven’t checked out their latest album The Con yet, I highly recommend you do so. Their 2004 album So Jealous features a single Walking With A Ghost that was covered by the White Stripes in 2005. No further cred needed.

After Tegan & Sara, I dutifully watched the first half of The Foo Fighters set. The beginning of the set was littered with 90’s hits and I was pleased. However they also played their current radio hits (The Pretender, Long Road To Ruin) and at that point I left, as promised.

All in all, ACL 2008 did not disapoint. There were a lot of naysayers this year because of a perceived lack of talent in the lineup. Clearly those naysayers missed the point. ACL 2008 was all about the mid level bands. You’ll be seeing more of a lot of the mid level bands and you’ll be wishing you could have seen them way back when they played ACL 2008.

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