Video - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge - ACL 2012

Okay, here's my final video from ACL 2012.  One of the best songs by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and one of the last songs of the festival.  Thankfully, it was a slow song, so I didn't get body-slammed in the middle of it.

Video - Neil Young - Powderfinger - ACL 2012

Another classic from the "Rust Never Sleeps" album.

Video - Neil Young - The Needle & The Damage Done - ACL 2012

A Neil Young classic.  The video, however, kinda sucks.  I had just downloaded a new app called "Video Zoom 2" for my iPhone.  It can zoom pretty well (a feature that isn't included with the video camera that's already installed), but it doesn't auto focus, or even focus at all, for that matter.

Video - Florence & The Machine - Shake It Out - ACL 2012

This is pretty much the only song I know by Florence and the Machine.  Both Weezer and Florence and the Machine were playing at the same time, so I caught about 30 minutes of each.  I came into the Florence set mid-way though, and the crowds were already huge, so that's why I was stuck to the far left of the stage.

Video - The Roots - Sweet Child O' Mine - ACL 2012

This was a bit unexpected.  The Roots, a hip-hop soul band, playing an 80's heavy metal song.

Video - Iggy Pop & The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog - ACL 2012

Watch for the stoned-out crowd-surfer pass by my camera about 35 seconds into the video.

Video - Weezer - Buddy Holly - ACL Festival 2012

Here's a video I took of Weezer doing their one big hit song, "Buddy Holly."

Video - The Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling - ACL 2012

I'll have a few more videos from the headliners, as well as a couple others, in the days ahead. This is one of my favorites from the Black Keys last album.

Video - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California - ACL 2012

Moshers break out next to me during the end of this recording.  It got a bit crazy.

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012, Day 3

If the word for the second day of ACL was "wet", than the third day can best be described as "hot."  The clouds were gone, the sun was out, and it felt like summer again in Austin.

Unlike the previous two days, where I arrived late in the day to catch the headliners, I decided to go early on Sunday to hear some new bands I hadn't heard before.  That's the whole point of a huge festival like this, with over a hundred bands playing.  You're hoping to see some new band that catches your eye (and ears).

Because of the heat, I didn't pick bands based on whether I thought they would be good or not.  I went to see bands based on how much shade there was around the stage.  I caught a little bit of a band called "POLICA", but they sounded like some sort of European, techno-dance band.  Not my type at all.

                                              (POLICA)

Next, I moved over to a stage that was actually indoors, out of the sun.  The band was called "Thundercat", but they sucked.  I could only sit through two songs before leaving.  Their playing was just sloppy, and their lead guitarist seemed like he didn't even know how to play.

                                         (THUNDERCAT)

Then I caught about 30 minutes of a band called "The Dunwells."  These guys were okay.  They were at least proficient with their instruments.  Their sound was a bit generic, though.  But, since their stage was completely covered in shade from the nearby trees, I stuck it out.

                                     (THE DUNWELLS)  
                       
After "The Dunwells", I headed over the main stage where I remained the rest of the evening.  I caught the 70's punk rock band "Iggy and the Stooges", and they were followed by the headliners, "The Red Hot Chili Peppers"

Iggy Pop is 65 years old, but you wouldn't guess it with the way he looked, sounded, and acted on stage.  The other members of his band all looked like the senior citizens they are, but Iggy defies his age by prancing around like he's in his 20's.  Well...you know what they say.  You're only as old as you feel.

                            (IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES)

After The Stooges, the crowd packed in like sardines, waiting for The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  I was near the front of the stage, and I literally could not move a foot in any direction, it was so cramped.  It really does take a lot of endurance if you want a good spot.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers put on a good, energetic show, playing mostly a "greatest hits" set with only a couple of new songs thrown in.  I had the unfortunate experience of standing next to a group of guys who wanted to start a mosh pit right next to me, so I got thrown around a few times.  Wait till you see my video of "Dani California" and you'll see what I mean.  The moshing began during that song as I was filming, and you'll see my video end abruptly.  I don't want to seem like some old geezer who doesn't want people to have fun during a concert, but "moshing" is pretty lame.  "Moshing" is basically people pushing each other back and forth.  How and why did this become popular?

                          (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS)

So...it was a good experience overall.  For me, Neil Young wins the festival.  He was great, and I didn't get injured watching him.

Video - Neil Young - Hey Hey My My - ACL Festival 2012

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012, Day 2

Day 2 of the ACL Festival can best be described as...wet. Shortly after I arrived, there was a huge downpour of rain. I had brought an umbrella and poncho, but I was really hoping the rain would stop. I know some of these younger kids revel in the rain by dancing and sliding in the mud, but I'm too old for that crap.

So...I lucked out. The rain stopped at around 6pm and it didn't rain again for the rest of the night.

 The only band I really wanted to see Saturday night was Neil Young & Crazy Horse. His performance started at 8pm. There was another performer, "Gotye", who was performing at 7pm that I considered watching. He's got a current hit single called "Somebody that I Used to Know" that I think is pretty good. But..that's the only song that I know. If I had watched his performance, I would have been stuck at the very back of the crowd for Neil Young. One thing I learned from these ACL festivals is that if you want to get close to the stage, you have to get over there at least one hour before the band is scheduled to come on. The longer you wait, the farther back you will be. Neil Young had the priority that night.

                                 (NEIL YOUNG)

 Neil didn't disappoint either. When he plays with Crazy Horse, he is in an entirely different stratosphere. His performance rocked harder than just about any other rock band half his age that was playing at ACL. There were several songs running nearly 15 to 20 minutes where half of that time was just FEEDBACK. I think only Neil can turn 10 minutes of feedback into an artform.

                              (KISHI BASHI)

Over these past couple of days, I have also learned the limitations of my iPhone camera and came to the conclusion that it sucks. I'll occasionally get a good picture out of it, but it's capabilities are too limited and the video recorder is awful (there is no zooming capability unless you download an additional app, and even then it's still not good). I was hoping the iPhone camera would be better than my current, 8 year old Nikon, but it's not. They both suck. So, I guess it's time to spring for a new camera.

                                (PUNCH BROTHERS)

Video - The Black Keys - Howlin' For You - ACL Festival 2012

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012, Day 1

Here's a few pictures from the first day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival (10/12/12)  I didn't get there until late in the afternoon, so I caught about 30 minutes from both Weezer and Florence and the Machine, followed by the full set from The Black Keys.  I'll have a few videos to follow in the days ahead.

Sara Talks Openly About Obama Vs. Romney 2012

I asked Sara to tell me her opinion about the upcoming election.  I didn't coach her or tell her what to say.  This is what she said.  I thought it was kinda funny.

Video: The Australian Pink Floyd at ACL Live

Here is some video I shot on my new iPhone of the Australian Pink Floyd doing the Floyd classic, "Comfortably Numb." You can decide for yourself if you think they captured the Floyd sound or not.

ACL Live: The Australian Pink Floyd

October is a pretty big month for music fans in Austin, as the Austin City Limits Music Festival takes place next weekend (October 12-14).  I'll be attending once again, as the lineup this year is quite a bit better than last year.  This years headliners feature The Black Keys, Neil Young, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Before the ACL Festival, however, there was Austin City Limits Live.  This is a show that has been broadcast on PBS stations since 1976, and is pretty famous here in Austin.  If you get to see a live taping, you can see some pretty famous bands (sometimes) performing in a very small venue.

Last night Christy and I saw our first ACL Live show, featuring the most famous of all the Pink Floyd cover bands out there: The Australian Pink Floyd.

The Australian Pink Floyd has been around for a very long time, gaining a pretty solid reputation as the best re-creation of a Pink Floyd concert (circa the '87 and '94 tours).

The show started off well.  "In the Flesh?" opened the evening, but since the Roger Waters production of "The Wall" was still fresh in my mind, I couldn't help but compare the two, and obviously it's better to see the real thing.  Then they segued into songs from the David Gilmour-led Pink Floyd, with "Take It Back," "Sorrow", and "What Do You Want From Me?"  They did a very good job with these later songs.  The highlights for me, however, were the two songs that the actual band didn't even sing on.  "One of These Days" sounded almost identical to the PF version from "Pulse."  "The Great Gig in the Sky," performed by their three backup singers, was also quite excellent.

It would have been a pretty good evening, if it weren't for the smoke alarm that went off during the group's first set.  After about 5 songs in, the house lights came up and the music was abruptly halted.  The band quickly left the stage, and we were never told what happened.  Only later did I find out that the smoke alarm was accidentally triggered.  Any momentum the band was gaining was quickly lost due to this "What the hell just happened?" moment.  I should point out that, even though the smoke alarm went off, the audience was never told about it, or asked to leave the venue.

Christy enjoyed the show and said it made her appreciate the original band more.  But she still insisted that "a clone is still a clone."  I think The Australian Pink Floyd serves a niche.  Pink Floyd hasn't toured since 1994, and there's an entire new generation of Floyd fans who wish they could have seen them.  Barring an unlikely reunion, this is probably the best they're going to get.