Austin Music Source

By dave

June 3, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this

wow. friday and saturday look worth it, but sunday is really lacking. and foo fighters are closing?? i’ve only seen them OPEN for rhcp and they were nothing special at all.

By Dave

June 3, 2008 9:14 AM | Link to this

I thought Friday and Sunday were pretty weak. Only one act I care to see either of those days. Saturday’s full of schedule conflicts, so it looks like I’m skipping this year’s festival.

By Dan

June 3, 2008 9:19 AM | Link to this

This is the worst lineup ever for ACL. Take a look at the other Festivals this summer and compare it to ACL. As always this lineup is full of acts who you can see throughout the year in Austin at much smaller venues at a fraction of the price. The only highlight will be Beck on Sunday. F the the Fighters of Foo!

By Bloody Tatpoison

June 3, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this

Are tatooed sideshow freaks still in vogue in austin? Looking at the foo trogladytes, is why I ask.

By Tina Kostman

June 3, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this

Being Austin is the music capital of the world you’d think we could at least put together a line up that is par to the one at Lolapalooza!

By willie n

June 3, 2008 10:29 AM | Link to this

I can understand why the ACL books an up and coming act like Black Joe Lewis but what’s up with all the mediocre bands like Okkervil River and Mates of State??? The last thing we need is more whiny self absorbed rich kid music. BORING!!!

By Stan

June 3, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this

If you do not like the line-up, do not go, someone else will buy the ticket.

By Angus

June 3, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this

Wow! The biggest show in the state in the supposed live music capital of the world and where are the Black artist’s? Austin has only two black acts? One might think black people have no musical feel by looking at this lineup year to year. Is this show for white people only? This is a joke. The ACL owners ought to be embarrassed. At least Black Joe Lewis was invited, he might be the only real black act on the card.

By dave

June 3, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this

stan you’re a genius. i went through the ‘hot or not’ interactive band list, it showed a terribly low amount of interest in most of the performers. quite sad really, but that’s what you get when you book a bunch of artists better suited for playing a coffee shop.

By unimpressed

June 3, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this

a very lackluster line-up at best. thanks for the advice stan: i think i’ll pass on acl this year.

By $50

June 3, 2008 11:41 AM | Link to this

There wil be plenty of weekend passes going begging on Friday afternoon. $50 will be the most I will now pay for this line-up.

By navin

June 3, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this

Tegan and Sara? Wow! Major coup to get them! just kidding. Yeah, I agree lineup is pretty weak. Tegan and Sara…sheesh.

By A LOCAL

June 3, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this

Don’t act so surprised, people. Everyone knows that ACL is a pop/mainstream presentation that caters to the upscale pop/mainstream fan. Once all these high rises are finished, it may sell out to high rise tenants alone. If your musical individuality turns you off to ACL, join the club, but you are the losing minority. Mainstream music venues, such as ACL, Stubbs,and so on are designed for the pop/mainstream fan. It is about selling tickets and making money—that’s it.

By MO

June 3, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this

Angus, Learn to count my man, Badu, Bavu, Del, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings….it’s easy to btch, tougher to count, I know.

By BudGood

June 3, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this

I can’t understand how people deal with this outdoor festival in the blazing Texas summer heat to begin with. I mean how ridiculous is it that ACL is in September, one of the hottest months of the year around here. Not too mention there is no canopy over the audience area, ie: NO SHADE!!! Just shows how arrogant the organizers are!!

By tim tom

June 3, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this

What is it with ACL? as someone above already said, compared to ALL the other festivals around the country this summer, this bites as a festival. ACL should be in the spring or fall too…its way to hot to enjoy music when its 106 int the shade. Remember Aqua Fest? Even they had better acts…get it together Austin.

By Rob

June 3, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this

What a bunch of whiners- be thankful you have a festival at all. There are some great acts and several new acts- this is where new acts may catch a break. And for the moron that only can count two ‘black’ acts, count again. The organizers should be applauded for putting together the most diverse line up of musicians I have seen in years. Something for everyone to enjoy. Go see what you like and take in some new acts with an open mind- or just stay home and cry that 38 Special wasn’t on the card. My God!!

By Tang

June 3, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this

A fair line-up: neither the best nor the worst. At least this is not a Gnarls Barkley love fest like last year. Note to Black Angus: While there are many talented black musicians no doubt deserving of ACL, I haven’t seen many white artists invited to music festivals in predominantly black urban venues either. Stop your whining. ACL ain’t no bling fling.

By Zacnh

June 3, 2008 2:56 PM | Link to this

This is actually embarassing for Austin. This is the worst line-up for summer festivals. Get it together or end it.

By Homelessnessly salivated

June 3, 2008 3:08 PM | Link to this

I wonder if they’ll dispense the beer into cups and let it sit in the heat until it’s warm, like they did last year. Or if every bit of shade under the trees will be filled with empty chairs. At least they seem to have solved the dust/mud problem with mulch. Maybe they’ll read this and solve the warm beer, shade issues. I’ve had three day passes every year, but last year was my last. And selling the discount tickets on the web is ridiculous. Who cares if someone who is spending several thousand dollars to travel and stay here saves $30. This festival is for out of towners, not locals. This local plans to trade houses with an out-of-towner and leave for the weekend.

By lloydCarroll

June 3, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

foo fighters. beyond suckful. repeat, lyric, samebeat, repeat, lyric, samebeat, repeat, lyric, samebeat, repeat, lyric, samebeat, .

kurt would hurl.

By live capital ?

June 3, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this

OZZFEST now thats a real festival. ACL bites, bring back the Aqua Fest.

By bummedoutabout ACL

June 3, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this

I am so incredibly disappointed. I am thinking of selling my weekend passes! Such a bummer because it has been so good in the past.

By IheartACL

June 3, 2008 6:45 PM | Link to this

Sadly, many of you just aren’t smart or don’t use your brain. Typical for Austin, I suppose. The booking of touring bands depends upon their tour schedule and what part of the country they are in at that time of year. A band is not merely “brought in” for the sake of the festival and a line-up is not simply “put-together”. I think it is wonderful that a bunch of you whiners won’t be there this year. I like to attend festivals with people who are happy to be there. As the previous poster said “…if you do not like the line-up, do not go…”

By The Grand Funk

June 3, 2008 8:02 PM | Link to this

The question every festival should ask itself is whether or not the closing act would be cooler than having Grand Funk Railroad in the same slot. This year, sadly, that’s not the case. Pulling the latest incarnation of GFR from whatever Indian Casino date they have scheduled in September and sticking them in the slot currently occupied by the Foos would rock. Who doesn’t love ‘American Band’ and ‘The Locomotion?’

The Foos do pass the Kenny Loggins standard, but it would be cool if they did ‘Danger Zone.’

ACL isn’t trying very hard.

By David

June 3, 2008 9:33 PM | Link to this

Weak line up…Yes. The music industry as a whole is weak.

ACL is damned if they do, damned if they dont. What do you want? What the other festivals offer? No problem! Hit the road.

Angus-Your argument comes up every year. It’s all about demographics my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. ACL does a pretty good job when it comes to diversity. You need to look at the whole picture. This is not a white festival. There have been plenty of black artists. The difference is that most people dont look at them as black artists. We look at them as artists. Make a head count all you want. I would support that argument if there was a reason to. What black artists do you think are missing or have been missing from this festival? Look at this lineup and years past. The lineup has always been diverse. I am not going this year. Not because there are too many white artists or not enough black artists. There are not enough artists that I like. End of discussion.

By Larry

June 3, 2008 10:07 PM | Link to this

Who goes to see the headliners? Lame.

So much good stuff, I am so happy.

The early bands dominate, it is genius.

If you go for the headliner, you do not deserve a festival, go see an arena show.

By satisfied

June 3, 2008 11:14 PM | Link to this

The bands may not all be the most mainstream acts in the country, but this lineup has an awful lot of amazing musicians in it. I think that with some exceptions, this lineup is somewhat geared toward a slightly older audience than some of the other festivals around the country. If the crowds end up getting thinned a wee bit because the acts aren’t “popular” enough, I think the slightly smaller crowds will just make the festival that much more pleasant for the rest of us. There are bands I wouldn’t mind seeing added to the lineup, but I like the fact that the ACL Fest lineup is a little unusual and different from some of the other festival lineups. It’s a little quirky, but that’s Austin (and I like the fact that ACL Fest, sort of like Jazzfest before it, has begun to take on a bit of a unique, year-to-year flavor). You can always travel to one of the other festivals if you wanna be just like the rest of the country.

By Ed

June 4, 2008 1:37 AM | Link to this

Please move either Beck or Robert Plant to Sunday night!

By ATXnat

June 4, 2008 4:09 AM | Link to this

While going thru the hot or not list, I had a second browser up so as went thru the list I could do a search on Youtube for each band to get a listen, and the bands on the ACL lineup this year are super lame. Looks like someone is trying way hard to be relevent. Good music is not that hard to find so I dont get it. Just by looking at the style of some of these bands/artist, you can tell that they lack creativity and are gonna suck, ie, same ole’ tats galore, rich kid drama (daddy was never around, I had way too much, boo-hoo, cut me a FN break), eighties rehash, woman with a guitar, “edgy” hair, we got it, youre an artist. Another Austin fest bites the dust, no pun intended. And by the way, Austin claims to be the live music capital of the world, in other words, you can hear more live music in Austin at any given time, than anywhere else in the world, just no guarantee the music wont suck. And if I get spam email because I submitted a comment, Im gonna be further annoyed.

By tim tom

June 4, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this

Ever since that stupid moniker of ‘live music capital of the world’ was put on austin, it has magnetized all of the mediocre musicians in america to austin, so it should now read ‘live mediocre music capital of the world’. that would be more accurate.