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ACL: Austin’s Sound Team
Pre-announced last shows can be dangerously self-conscious affairs. A band says “this is it, folks” and suddenly the band members think they need to go out with a bang. The performances might be fine, but there can be an ugly air of showbiz around the whole thing, with multiple guest stars and a self-important vibe (“The Last Waltz,” I’m looking at you).
Sound Team, who stated last week their Saturday show on the AMD stage would be their final performance, managed to avoid this entirely by simply playing the best set they could. They’ve probably played better at other times, they’ve certainly played worse, but this was the last blast and they went out with the straightforward dignity of rocking out. (As it were.)
Their look was certainly haphazard. Singer/guitarist Matt Oliver looked patrician (yet sweaty) in a seersucker jacket, bassist Bill Baird was decked out in an orange jumpsuit, and everyone else rocked the jeans and T-shirt look. “You guys are crazy for standing in this,” Oliver said to the crowd (presumably meaning the heat, not their music). Well, this is your last show, dude. Everyone loves a victory lap.
In between Oliver mugging for the video cameras with his guitar, the band leaned on the mid-tempo rockers, various combination of guitar and keys driving their platonic indie-rock. “No More Birthdays” seemed to get the most love from the crowd, but it was the massive “TV Torso” that we’re clearly going to miss. A two-chord vamp blown out into a jam reminiscent of ’70s Krautrockers such as Can, this was as powerful as the band gets — big noise, big rhythms, big finish. Then it was over. “Good bye, bye, bye,” Oliver said. Now, as Bono once said, time to dream it all up again.
(Photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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