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Fun Etc. Etc. Fest
And then there were three.
The first sign that Fun Fun Fun Fest is quite different from its older brothers South By Southwest and Austin City Limits Music Festival was the sight of chief Funster Graham Williams peddling around the perimeter of Waterloo Park on a bicycle Saturday afternoon. Could you imagine “the three Charlies” who put on ACL riding around on anything besides their executive golf carts or seeing SXSW co-founders at all during the non-conversational times of their event?
Fun Fun Fun Fest was more than just a gathering of hip bands with bad names, it was a festival with a face, a local face.
Although the Austin music scene is defined by its behemoths of March and September, Fun Fun Fun, which takes its name from a song by 1980s local punk band the Big Boys, felt more like the way Austin really is. It was like the Spider House in a big field, for ten hours of live music each day on a weekend, with no one on their laptops.
There wasn’t any tension about finding a good spot to watch the bands or wondering if you’ll even get to see your favorites at all. Even for the New Pornographers and Explosions in the Sky, the two last bands to play Stage One (of three) Saturday, it was possible to walk up to within 50 feet of the stage if you came at it from the side. The attendance was almost as perfect as weather which made clear that November is to September what Alec Balwin is to Danny.
The louder, heavier Stage Two, where the Sword’s seamless metallic wallop made up for a punchless set by the reunited Angry Samoans (who were never very good to begin with) was a little harder to manuever around, but anyone could still get close enough to see and hear just fine. Now this is the way a music festival should be, I remember thinking almost out loud.
In only its second year, Fun Fun Fun Fest has been compared to Chicago’s Pitchfork Festival, where just being booked is like getting a four-star review. A big difference, however, is that the 4F Club is centered around the taste of one person- Graham Williams, who has been booking shows in Austin since junior high.
Williams no doubt has a collection of perfect memories from the weekend, but I have three, well, four really, if you count the Longhorns come-from-behind victory against Oklahoma State, which I caught at nearby Scholz’ Garten.
With the game-winning field goal fresh in my mind, I walked into Waterloo Park with Okkervil River flailing away on “Evil Doesn’t Look Like Anything” and it was great to see that this Austin band, whose latest LP “The Stage Names” has become a mild obsession for me, could pull it off so magnificently live. I had them pegged for studio tinkerers, but they flat-out rocked.
Moment no. 2 came at the midpoint of the New Pornographers set, which seemed a tad off early on. Neko Case and Carl Newman finally clicked on “Sing Me Spanish Techno” and I felt the blood rush to my head. Perfect pop on a perfect evening,
The third thing I’ll remember most from the concert’s first day was when Explosions in the Sky (who won’t be getting checks from the badly slumping “Friday Night Lights” after this year) were doing their shimmering guitar thing and I felt compelled to lay down. To hear the sensitive bombast that way. At first I was thinking that someone might trip over me or that security would think I’d passed out. But after a few seconds the vulnerability dissipated and I felt safe. The music filled the air like fireworks and I remember thinking now this is the way a music festival should be.
All that and an extra hour of sleep.
(Photos: 1. Fun Fun Fun Fest crowd by David Weaver FOR AUSTIN360, 2. The Sword by Bret Gerbe FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3. The New Pornographers by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Fun Fun Fun Fest
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By eh~
November 4, 2007 4:19 PM | Link to this
hey Corky… since only a dozen or so folks read this blahg it really doesn’t matter but the year-round music fest staff at sx are always jumping club to club to work stuff out every single hour from 7-2am and far beyond, oftentimes.
i know you wouldn’t know because you’re waiting in line for lyle lovitt at stubb’s, but you’re a lying butt-wad.
but you are funny! and i mean that!
By CarterB
November 4, 2007 4:29 PM | Link to this
I went to P4K Fest last year and FFFFest this year (Saturday only) and FFFFest beats P4k in terms of much smaller crowds (6K vs. 30+K) and stage setup. Of course given the larger crowds and revenue, they have bigger names, but still I hope FFFFest never gets too much exposure because the size and price and weather and lineup right now just can’t be beat.