Austin Music Source

By Mathieu F

October 4, 2009 3:31 PM | Link to this

So Sad. It’ll never be the same. Glad we were lucky enough to enjoy it for those special two weeks.

By Mark

October 4, 2009 3:40 PM | Link to this

“sewage sludge”? I think you may be burrying the lede

By HEBuddy

October 4, 2009 3:49 PM | Link to this

LOL!

By Chuck

October 4, 2009 4:03 PM | Link to this

Yes it was a magical 2 weeks as Mathieu states. We all knew this was coming.

By Jacob

October 4, 2009 4:37 PM | Link to this

Sure they might pay for the repairs, but the downtime for the park has costs also. They already closed it off to organized athletics due to the new beautiful lawn. They closed it to organized athletics saying ‘it’s a city park, not an athletic field’. One could say, ‘it’s a city park, not a concert venue’. It seems like all the decisions are made to protect this one event.

And the sewage sludge reference is awesome. The Great Lawn is apparently the Great Pasture with better irrigation.

By Todd Watson

October 4, 2009 4:50 PM | Link to this

Why not go ahead and fix it NOW so we Austinites can enjoy it the REST of the YEAR instead of having the park closed for months leading into ACL?? I bought a ticket to ACL, but I also pay taxes and would like to have use of the “great lawn” the rest of the year.

By Larry

October 4, 2009 5:35 PM | Link to this

You might be BURYING THE LEAD!

By Whitney

October 4, 2009 5:44 PM | Link to this

FYI….after sludging through the mud all day oday (day 3) I gave up and went home and washed the mud off…only to find out that it’s leaving a nasty little rash on most people who came into prolonged contact with it.

Worst ACL fest ever.

By John in Austin

October 4, 2009 5:50 PM | Link to this

well, the Dillo Dirt explains why it smells like poop here today. This smell is pretty rank.

By Baboo

October 4, 2009 6:08 PM | Link to this

A dedicated city park is more important than ACL over the long haul. ACL will lose flavor and die out eventually…it is really sloppy seconds from the truly great summer fests that happen elsewhere.

I hope someone on the city council has the guts to motion ACL to find a new spot for this production. For the amount of money C3 has put into Zilker’s lawn, they could have bought their own dedicated land.

By Les

October 4, 2009 6:18 PM | Link to this

The park has been closed now for 9+ months, why dont we rename it the ACL Park, and just keep it closed? The Park belongs to ALL of US, and not to just the ACL promotors, lets reopen it and let the PEOPLE us it! It just does not seem fair that for profit group gets it and for so long!

By Keith

October 4, 2009 6:53 PM | Link to this

SEWAGE SLUDGE!!!!!

YOU GUYS ARE BURYING THE LEAD!!!!!

By stan

October 4, 2009 7:17 PM | Link to this

Take your stupid dogs to another park and get over it. What is this “we the people” it is “our park” business? Just find a different place for your dog to use the restroom and get in my way.

By laura

October 4, 2009 7:27 PM | Link to this

“Dillo DirtTM” is a compost made by the City of Austin since 1989. If you know Austin, you will not be surprised to learn that it was the first program of it’s kind in the state and one of the oldest in the nation. All yard trimmings collected curbside across the City as well as some of our treated sewage sludge are combined and composted to create Dillo DirtTM. The heat generated in composting (130 to 170 degrees fahrenheit) is sufficient to virtually eliminate human and plant pathogens. After active composting for over a month, our compost is “cured” for several months, then screened to produce finished Dillo DirtTM.

Dillo DirtTM easily meets all Texas and EPA requirements for “unrestricted” use, which even includes vegetable gardens, if you desire. Like many other composts, Dillo DirtTM has many benefits to the soil and plants. Composts add to the organic matter in the soil, reducing watering. Organic matter feeds the microbes in the soil as well as plants, making a more healthy environment. Dillo DirtTM is made from totally recycled materials, and this recycling is less expensive to citizens than landfilling these materials.

By Balloonatic Austinweird

October 4, 2009 7:49 PM | Link to this

Where does the great lawn fit into the “great plan”? I smell a highrise there to quiet the hissing of the summer lawn. Or is that the smelling of the sewer lawn? What a disgrace! The Rolling Stones made it a commercial property and we all went along for the show. Now it’s a Woodstock re-creation w/out the nudity and sex. Too Bad! Commercialism on public property. What a concept. Not a new one though, since Austin Hava/ Uncle Swillys has been using public parking by the ball fields on Toomy rd. for their cusomers convenience,w/shuttles to move them to the buissness for the last year. For that matter so have the constuction co. employees. They don’t discriminate though, they park in handicapped parking too…..

By Awesome

October 4, 2009 8:11 PM | Link to this

Great comments, Austin. I didn’t know you still had it in you. Renews my faith in this town.

By confused easily

October 4, 2009 8:14 PM | Link to this

What a joke - ACL destroys the park that Austin supposedly holds so dear. I am so glad I left Austin and its heat, traffic, weak schools and high real estate taxes!

Enjoy rolling around in that dillo dirt all winter ‘cause the grass won’t grow back until April.

By Go away ACL.

October 4, 2009 8:23 PM | Link to this

So those people are rolling in sewage-mud? EWWWW!

Who wants to bet that Zilker park will be closed for months …

Thanks ACL. Go away ACL.

By Steve Basile

October 4, 2009 8:58 PM | Link to this

In 2009 the park got its first major renovation since 1930, one paid for entirely by C3. So after 79 years of public access, parts were closed for about 6-8 months, or about 0.008% of the park’s lifetime total availability,

Each year C3 pays to leave the park at least as beautiful as it was before LOCAL & visiting music lovers enjoyed it for 3 days, during which about $35 million in economic impact is generated. All this during The Great Recession.

There is no soccer played during ACL Fest. Going forward, about 360 days a year, there is no ACL Fest. I’ll take that tradeoff every time.

By AusTex

October 4, 2009 9:38 PM | Link to this

“Great Lawn”…? What’s this? Ohhhhh, you mean ZILKER PARK! Some carpetbaggin’ transplant calls it a “great lawn” because… where they come from, they don’t have grass? Dump the “great lawn” tag, here in Austin, TX, it’s Zilker Park folks…

ACL was good this year. Mud and all. Great time, good people watching. If getting muddy and wet bothers you, stay home in your sterile environment and play with your toys… Realize that despite the world you might want to create in you’re beady little haid, reality happens despite you. A word of caution to city council: just because some hippity-hip dawgs can (& do) wine & dine you, remember, the park is for the residents of Austin, not just for money-making developers and businesses.

By JSS

October 4, 2009 9:38 PM | Link to this

Glad to see “Great Lawn” in quotes. It is definitely not that. Central Park in NY is the Great Lawn Austin morons

By Niske

October 4, 2009 9:57 PM | Link to this

So let me get this straight, the people shown in the picture above are basically rolling around in human waste? Priceless…….

By Ur Not Gonna Rain on my parade

October 4, 2009 9:58 PM | Link to this

Rashes? Oh puhlease. Yeah, the mud stunk. Yeah, I knew from the moment I got off the shuttle that wasn’t a porta potty overflow situation we were smelling—-it was good ol’ Dillo Dirt. And yeah, despite Laura’s explanation below, the labeling on Dillo Dirt sold this last Spring in stores said it cannot be used for any vegetable gardening. In itty bitty letters below, you can read that it is made in part from human waste.

All that said, I still had a rocking good time and let my kid get muddy in it. He and I took a major scrub-down shower and then a good bath afterwards. No rashes. Think it cured his eczema . And thanks, Laura, because I now feel less mom-guilt overall for letting get dirty. But I’m still not planting next-year’s tomatillos in Dillo dirt no matter what you say.

By curtis

October 4, 2009 10:00 PM | Link to this

AusTex…that is all well and good, but you spent the weekend playing in someone else’s feces. Hope it was fun.

By norm

October 4, 2009 10:37 PM | Link to this

I think we can expect ticket prices to go up again next year to pay for this.

By rosegirl

October 4, 2009 10:40 PM | Link to this

Wow, remember all of that water our fair city used on that grass during rationing to make sure it would look nice for ACL? Plus keeping all of us regular citizens off of it for months? Now we’ll be kept off of it for a month or two more, at least. ACL is not an impact of ‘a few days’, it has kept everyone off of the green space for the best part of a year so that C3 can make tubs of money off it. And does anyone believe that C3 really paid for ALL of the costs associated with the ‘improvements’ to the park? Did anyone consider the ‘cost’ of keeping people from using the park for all those months?

And Laura, in spite of the government ‘certification’ of Dillo Dirt I don’t find the phrase “VIRTUALLY eliminate human and plant pathogens” very comforting. How many pathogens were there when they started? None of the gardening centers in Austin would recommend it for vegetable gardening, not just because of pathogens, but also due to heavy metals. It will be interesting to see if some of the mud sliders end up sick. FYI, I wouldn’t recommend sliding around in mud from any composted waste, especially human waste. I can imagine someone filing a negligence suit since no warning was posted if these kids who thought they were just playing in some mud come down with some nasty pathogen.

By Steve's a shill

October 4, 2009 10:40 PM | Link to this

Steve, your math is wretched. C3 leaves it nicer? Don’t make me laugh. $35m? Are you gullible or are you just a C3 *****?

By fireball

October 4, 2009 10:55 PM | Link to this

Mud wrestling on the “great lawn” anyone?

By UB

October 4, 2009 11:09 PM | Link to this

After more rain this week the mud will for the most part flatten out and the grass will rebound through. There will be a few trouble spots but those should be fine by the end of the month.

By Matt

October 4, 2009 11:14 PM | Link to this

Not Dillo Dirt, Joe Dirt: “I got the poo on me”!

By TreborS

October 4, 2009 11:17 PM | Link to this

Put up a fence around Zilker! No healthcare for ACL!

By Kevin

October 4, 2009 11:23 PM | Link to this

Ok, time for ACL to find somewhere else to hold their little shin-dig. Austin is about to rise up and “Throw the rascals out.!” I have not been able to set foot in that park in ages because of this crap. And the bluff out there is a sacred site for my South Austin tribe. Me and my kids used to go out there all the time. We even had a birthday party out there. Why does Charles Attal have a right to buy it out like that? **** if you ask me. But no one’s asking me and that is why I am saying it here, arf arf! Maybe somebody tell Charles to move it out to The Domain. It is especially offensive to see these people rolling in the 2 million dollar turd bath we citizens of Austin bought. I’d rather have it be soccer and volleyball fields again.

By antneon

October 4, 2009 11:29 PM | Link to this

Worth it. Everyone I know had a blast. I did, too. Austin is admired for many things as it should be. This music festival is one.

By Sun

October 4, 2009 11:48 PM | Link to this

What a waste of tax dollars… Unbelievable.

By Please sue!

October 4, 2009 11:54 PM | Link to this

I actually hope the city gets sued after people find out they were rolling around in dillo dirt. That would end the event for sure.

As for ‘The Great Recession’, from looking at the size of the crowds, you certainly wouldn’t think anyone was hurting for money…

By heisashill

October 5, 2009 12:03 AM | Link to this

Yes, it’s obvious Steve is a shill. The park is closed, the park is closed, and C3 makes their MILLIONS each year. They need to get their own property.

And, Steve, soccer is played during ACL Fest. It’s just played elsewhere because someone has money to make. Wasn’t there a city council candidate years ago who ran on the privatize-city-parks platform? Looks like he got his wish.

By sheckels

October 5, 2009 12:04 AM | Link to this

Hey, I’ve got a deal for you. I’m going to ‘give’ you a bunch of money to spend fixing up your house so it will look really great. All you have to do is let me invite a whole bunch of people over and charge them money to come in and trash it. We’re still cool, right?

By Changel

October 5, 2009 12:57 AM | Link to this

Give us a break, ACL. This is stupid.

By Leo

October 5, 2009 1:23 AM | Link to this

What a bunch of whiners. If you dump half an inch or more of rain on a field full of people, of course it’s going to get muddy, and the compost will rise. To blame C3, which paid for resodding the “Great Lawn” in the first place, is idiotic. And ACL Festival is one of the best uses to which the park may be put. If you don’t like it, move to Dallas!

By Sean Mathis

October 5, 2009 2:08 AM | Link to this

I’ve been to every ACL Fest since 2004. In terms of spirit, this year was as great as (or better than) any other before it. The mood I saw in both the artists and thousands of those who literally walked away from it with me reflected such a positive attitude. We play the weather hand we’re dealt, and at least this year it was not the hottest place on earth.

Most fertilizers are made of one sort of “animal waste” or another. At the risk of sounding like a hippie, it’s the cycle of life. Duh.

For all you self-righteous taxpayers with a swollen sense of entitlement (or exclusion)… Chill. Everything will be alright. Grass grows back. Throw rocks through condo windows if you please, or move to a town where all you have is Tim Duncan, Sea World and the Riverwalk. But don’t whine about living in a city that boasts about its global stature but doesn’t have the cajones to back it up. Music is a part of its fabric. This weekend exemplifies that in the best way possible.

By Amar

October 5, 2009 3:25 AM | Link to this

What many of you are forgetting is the amount of money ACL brings to the city of Austin. Local vendors are treated to visitors from across the country. Downtown gets a surge of business (probably second only to SXSW) and local bars and other establishments and even souvenir shops reap the benefits. Not just C3 Presents.

By Brian

October 5, 2009 8:41 AM | Link to this

Hey confused easily… must be sad to have left a city and miss it so much that you have to come back to an online forum and anonymously post how you are glad you left the city. Or maybe you just moved to a boring place and there is nothing to do but rant about the reasons why you left the place you once lived.

By formal rural guy

October 5, 2009 9:06 AM | Link to this

Sheesh.

I sure hope Dillo Dirt is safe, and my impression is it is probably as safe as any compost mass produced in ****** like these, but it makes sense and is a good idea NOT to roll around in it. It would be prudent for festival planners to make sure people know this before the next show.

and FYI: One thing I learned while composting in the country is that if it smells like poop the compost isn’t ready. Maybe the rules are different when making it by the ton, but follow your instincts people…. if it smells bad, you shouldn’t cover your body in it.

By An Austinite

October 5, 2009 9:09 AM | Link to this

And another thing: Several dozen times over the course of the weekend pedestrians flipped me the bird because I was audacious enough to expect to drive when the light turned green.

Many of the out-of-towners that come to Austin for the weekend act like jackasses while they’re here.

By J9

October 5, 2009 9:11 AM | Link to this

I was so pleased to see the lovely new grass and how well it was standing up to the heavy foot traffic that ACL brings every year. I have attended every year since its ACL’s inception and I applaud C3 for taking on the restoration of the Park lawn. I was truly saddened to see the muddy devastation caused by throwing heavy rains into the mix, and wonder if it is possible for this special new grass to recover without an extended closure of the park. I certainly hope so, because the festival IS a local Austin event. Talk to your waiter, your check-out clerk, your co-workers. They’ll be there. As for the “kids” rolling around in the mud, I don’t think the city can be blamed for their poor judgement or subsequent road rash/hangover.

By Dan Schafer

October 5, 2009 9:47 AM | Link to this

ACL Festival is too big for the Zilker Park venue. Over its years of growth ACL foot traffic has compromised the park till it now requires months of repair ( preparation for the next ACL). Let the music continue, but move it away from our beautiful Zilker Park!

By park user

October 5, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this

Glad to see all the comments from people supporting the concept that Zilker Park should be a public park for ALL Austin citizens and should not be the commercial venue that it has become - closed to the public for so much of the year. The 65,000 concert goers are a privileged minority and they do not represent the majority interest of Austin citizens, yet they, and more so, the concert promoters and organizers, have been successful at taking over control of Zilker Park.

I was particularly appalled a few weeks ago when the Parks Department spokesperson had the audacity to suggest that soccer playing would no longer be allowed because it would ruin the grass. This past weekend is an obvious testament to what is more harmful.

I see an uprising brewing here. I think it’s time that we take back Zilker park from commercial interests and have Zilker Park be what it is supposed to be, a place that anyone from Austin can enjoy 365 days out of the year.

By Green Thumb Gary

October 5, 2009 10:14 AM | Link to this

Get a hold on yourselves, people.

THIS JUST IN: Grass Grows Back

By jaime v

October 5, 2009 10:51 AM | Link to this

the nasty smell was the wet hay people. the put that hay down to help but it got all wet and steamy and that’s what wast stinky. the area where none was laid down it didn’t mell so bad. nevertheless it was a mess

By schwingbioset

October 5, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this

By treating the sludge through a patented process known as “The Bioset Process”, the contaminants are eliminated and the sludge is nothing more than fertilizer. We use the process in Florida and they are spreading the product on golf courses - very safe.

check out www.schwingbioset.com. Then call your local city council member and ask them why Austin isn’t using this process.

By Sharon

October 5, 2009 11:22 AM | Link to this

Good comments, Jacob and Todd and Les, Kevin and Heisa. They kicked soccer out but soccer leagues call rainout days and don’t play when they determine the turf would be damaged. A few hundred soccer players run around there one day a week (Sunday), and the leagues don’t play in the summer. Then consider 65,000 people x three days and ACL chews up the “lawn” thousands of times more than regular recreational use even, rain or shine, as well as blockading it before and after. ACL has made a mess, and monopolized the park for weeks, ever since it started. The soccer leagues, and their families who joined them at Zilker, apparently couldn’t read between the lines when the big bucks and big ideas came up with this. But it’s not too late to call or write your councilmember. (Remember “The Airport - Move It” bumper stickers? It took a lot of hard work but the effort was effective.)

By Hippies pay my mortgage

October 5, 2009 11:47 AM | Link to this

I’d like to see them add a couple more Music festivals throughout the year. I make at least $3,000 every ACL festival weekend. And the rest of the time I like to stay inside and play video games or watch television so it’s no big deal to me. You can play soccer or volleyball anywhere. The only thing I think they should change is banning pedestrians and bicycles. They make it hard for me to drive around during the festival.

By Austin Blues

October 5, 2009 12:04 PM | Link to this

It would be nice to have ACL elsewhere. I don’t believe it should be eliminated, but as mentioned the event has outgrown their venue. Which is also a good thing for C3 and Austin. However, let’s move it. And as far as if everything will be back to usual… I certainly hope so..

By Kyle

October 5, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this

If you don’t like live music, that’s your prerogative. I’m not sure why you moved to Austin, but whatever.

But seriously, get a grip. C3 spent a ton of money to improve the park. They could have said “City of Austin, resod the park or we’re moving this to Dallas.” But, they didn’t. It’s a good example of a commercial interest doing the right thing.

C3 has said they’ll be fixing the lawn at their expense. Also an example of doing the right thing.

If C3 wasn’t footing the bill for all of this, do you really think we’d ever have an improved lawn at Zilker?

News Flash: Things close down for construction/improvements. I’m sorry Zilker was closed earlier this year. I wanted to play out there too. But that time went to improving the park. It will be a better place to play because of it.

Everyone wins here. Yeah, Zilker was off limits earlier this year. Yeah, it will be off limits longer because it rained. But long term, we have a better Zilker Park, a better ACL festival because of it, and more money coming in to the economy because of ACL fest. Everyone wins.

By Grape Ape

October 5, 2009 12:09 PM | Link to this

I find it truly amazing that no matter how great our city is or how incredible the events we host, people here just ***** and moan (even those who were there tearing up the park are on here complaining about ACL as well I’m sure)about every little thing that happens.

You know what, I wish that C3 would have never paid to have all that new grass and irrigation put in so that we could still be using more tax dollars to maintain what was there and still have a crappy no grass having park. Seriously, for the first time in what, decades, the grass was truly replaced and an irrigation system put in that saves taxpayer money and all anyone can do is ***** about it.

All of you NIMBY asshats need to get a reality check. I know, I know, C3 has full control of the weather, they made it rain on purpose just so they could piss you off and close the park. I guess, they should have just come on stage on Friday and said, “Hey, we’re just going to move this to next weekend because of the rain”

By David

October 5, 2009 12:32 PM | Link to this

I went to ACL on Friday but wouldn’t take part in destroying the park any more on Saturday and Sunday. Why didn’t we just wait to put down new grass until after ACL? Why are we getting charged twice for it?

And for those of us who are actually from this town, we do like to use the park from time to time, not see it covered in mud and shut down for 9 months. Oh, and have the water fountains along the trail not work in the middle of summer.

Maybe ACL is a barometer for what’s happening city wide with downtown development (and on Barton Springs), crazy sound ordinances and closing down the shops and clubs we all used to enjoy.

By David

October 5, 2009 12:35 PM | Link to this

I went to ACL on Friday but wouldn’t take part in destroying the park any more on Saturday and Sunday. Why didn’t we just wait to put down new grass until after ACL? Why are we getting charged twice for it?

And for those of us who are actually from this town, we do like to use the park from time to time, not see it covered in mud and shut down for 9 months. Oh, and have the water fountains along the trail not work in the middle of summer is pretty awesome, too…

Maybe ACL is a barometer for what’s happening city wide with downtown development (and on Barton Springs), crazy sound ordinances and closing down the shops and clubs we all used to enjoy.

By Kyle

October 5, 2009 1:26 PM | Link to this

David -

You’re not getting charged twice for it. C3 paid for it. Both times. How about, “Thanks for upgrading our park, C3?”

By Dave

October 5, 2009 1:43 PM | Link to this

Please give me back my Zilker Park. This concert is a huge write off somewhere. I don’t care. I want our park back. This is absolutely ridiculous. It’s closed prior to, during, and after this “concert”. Please, one SXSW is enough. Great suggestion for C3 to buy their own space. PLEASE STOP THE ACL FEST AT ZILKER.

By Festival = WalMart

October 5, 2009 2:04 PM | Link to this

Festivals like these are the equivalent of WalMart coming in. Stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap.

Band = product. Short set = advertising. Units = songs / MP3 downloads. Fans = consumers.

It’s just in the guise of ‘fun’ and ‘being cool’.

And yet the same people who attended the festival would more than likely oppose a WalMart on their park. Crazy, really.

This is not about live music. It is about money.

By heelrod

October 5, 2009 2:25 PM | Link to this

This festival was great. My friends that work in the service industry made more money this past weekend, than they did for most of the summer. It rained. Something that hasn’t happened in Austin in a long time. The grass was NOT TORN UP!!! The mud seeped through the grass to the top. The park will be fine. But this is Austin, and people like to complain about everything. Listen up grumpy Austinites. This aint the Slacker Movie version of Austin anymore. Want that back? Move to a smaller town.

By James K.

October 5, 2009 2:49 PM | Link to this

I think plenty of us can agree Zilker is not the best location for how big ACL has become. I don’t believe the majority of us would like to see ACL just pack up and leave our town, but let’s try to come up w/ some solutions. Where in this Town could we move ACL to besides Zilker? Any idea’s? My place would be a little cramped.

By Mel

October 5, 2009 3:08 PM | Link to this

It doesn’t take much research to discover that this was a benefit concert for Austin parks. In addition to the $2.5 mill that C3 paid to improve Zilker, another $300K has been given to improve parks all over Austin. Ya’ll are some seriously selfish people.

By Patrice

October 5, 2009 3:54 PM | Link to this

Pearl Jam > Grass

By Keith Vesper

October 5, 2009 4:19 PM | Link to this

People who are moaning about how their tax dollars go to a park that they can’t use because of ACL Fest need to realize that the economic boost to the city trickles down to you, and the quality of living in the beautiful city of Austin. Whine whine whine…you love misery.

By Roy

October 5, 2009 6:09 PM | Link to this

My son had a blast at ACL, but he came home covered in foul smelling mud and is sick today. Hope it isn’t a result of the “virtually” pathogen free Dillo Dirt. I never did like that word “virtually”.

By Zilker has been open nonstop all year

October 5, 2009 7:36 PM | Link to this

Zilker has been open all year and will stay open all year. Barton Springs is open year round. The large wooded and grass area south of Barton Springs road has never been closed and features tons of picnic tables, grass to play in, and even a disc golf course. If you people actually used the park, you wouldn’t be saying innacurate things and complaining about imaginary issues with a park you obviously don’t use.

By Parks are not just for kiddie sports

October 5, 2009 7:42 PM | Link to this

I’m sorry that your son’s obscure field sport had to move locations. The team and sport will be fine played elsewhere, it’s not like ACL disband the team and shut down the league.

Do you realize it’s selfish to want a small soccer team of a few dozen people to keep 65,000 people from enjoying the park? Especially when the soccer teams have the park the rest of the year?

By Dr Edo McGowan

October 5, 2009 9:51 PM | Link to this

In 1982, the US EPA did a major study on sewage effluent and sewage sludge. That study noted that sewage processing augmented the growth of antibiotic resistant pathogens. Thus, for those exposed to the mud, it will be important to remember that skin infections may be related to resistant pathogens and thus hard to treat. These organisms may subsequently transfer this resistance to pathogenic organisms, resulting in reduced efficacy of antimicrobial chemotherapy in the event of an infection. In vivo studies have shown that when individuals carrying R+bacteria are subjected to antibiotic therapy, these organisms flourish and transfer their resistance to other bacteria (25).

By norm

October 5, 2009 11:32 PM | Link to this

Looks like the ACL spin doctors are out in full force here :) I had never heard the term great lawn used for Zilker until recently .That area was always called the soccer fields. And now, no more soccer allowed there but ACL gets to keep tearing it up once a year? That’s just wrong.

By LuvATX

October 6, 2009 12:04 AM | Link to this

I would roll around in human feces everyday to experience that (ACL) again! I’ve gone for the last 8 years, and this one was BY FAR the best! Yay human feces!!

By austingrrl3

October 6, 2009 12:12 AM | Link to this

I’m an Austin native who has never been to ACL due to the heat. An Oct. date, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Levon Helm and Them Crooked Vultures got me there. I had an amazingly good time. Went alone Friday and loved every minute. Saturday was crazy; showed up just as the big rain hit, prepared for it. (Flogging Molly in the pouring rain, anyone?) And watched the grass and the people with poor shoe choices…I knew Sunday was going to be disgusting muckity yuck, but I did not care. That grass seemed pretty damn sturdy and the mud seeped up through the grass, the grass did not get destroyed down to the mud. It will recover. And I came prepared. And watched the mud in some places get so very deep. And more people with poor shoe choices. That mud just stunk, and was slick, but people were pretty good, watched out for each other. We were all in it together, no doubt. Eddie Vetter reminded us several times to look out for each other, take care of each other on this crazy mud soaked night. And we did, at least what I saw. I will never regret Pearl Jam in the stinking mud. It was an amazing group experience.

The grass will grow back with some care and attention. Let C3 pay for it. And maybe we can find a more open place for this beautiful festival. I will never miss it again.

By John Kirk

October 6, 2009 10:26 AM | Link to this

My girlfriend and I were there for Saturday and Sunday and may I 1st say that Austin is a wonderful city overall. I loved all the people and all the great bars, restaurants and killer venues.

It’s a true shame the park got so destroyed but, acts of nature can’t be prevented sometimes so, what do you do? My only question is….why on earth would you use HUMAN sewage where thousands upon thousands of people would be for 3 straight days? Thank god it was only on out feet and legs. Those people swimming in it might end up with diptheria or god knows what else.

Regardless, good luck restoring the park.

John Kirk Denver,CO

By chris von danger

October 6, 2009 10:46 AM | Link to this

I think its interesting to see the old hippie “NIMBY” guard clash with the new “progressive” guard in this situation. Lets face facts: C3/ACL is bringing in much needed tax dollars and revenue to the area, which is needed in these current economic times. That being said, I agree Zilker may not be the best place for ACLMF going forward, as a festival needs its own place and property to grow accordingly..

By get out

October 6, 2009 12:13 PM | Link to this

i love the post that states zilker was open all this year. really? not sure that is true. if you mean the leash only wasteland parking lot, just east of mopac, you might have something there. fact: if ACL remains downtown, where it isnt sustainable, zilker will have to be closed for a good portion of the year for ‘refurbishing.’ i say good portion b/c grass, like other landscaping, has to be tended to at certain times of the yr—those times cooincide with the better weather of the year and when residents and visitors will and would use the park. fact: it didnt need to rain for the park to be ruined. again, the festival is not sustainable in its current location. there are other locations in the city and just outside for this great event to take place. maybe its something to consider the next time. maybe. and you dont need to be a hippy to view acl and zilker as a problem.

By K. C.

October 6, 2009 1:17 PM | Link to this

This is a hysterical thread. The photo is enough to keep me laughing for days.

ACL is a commercial venture that doesn’t serve the city, but rather C3’s own commercial interests. And now they have covered everyone in human feces that were ‘virtually’ free of pathogens. The thought of people bathing in human feces, it just doesn’t get funnier.

The amount of money that is pumped into this city during this festival is a nice by product for local industry, but I am not sure it is worth the trade off. Born and raised in Austin, I have watched the city die a slow death. Condo development, over-hyped music festivals and still the city doesn’t take care of their own homegrown musicians that struggle to make a living all the while keeping the city’s vibrant music scene going, which in turn is what brings the money and interest to Austin. They are why ACL exists. I have watched Austin City Limits on PBS since I was a child, and now I see the likes of Cold Play and Okkervil River. Who makes these decisions? Honestly, gone are the days of real rock and roll. We are now faced with over-hyped pop music that pander to fools. We have watched C3 monopolize venues and musician access, destroying competition and the musical heart of what always made this town great. There used to be a soul to this place and now we sell it at $30 per rain boot and umbrella.

Thank you C3 for finally showing us just what you are really made of: human feces.

By Lauren

October 6, 2009 2:33 PM | Link to this

For the record, I totally have a rash on the lower parts of my legs. Am I going to sue over it? No. Is it serious? Not likely.

By Helane Shields

October 6, 2009 6:10 PM | Link to this

I am accumulating comments posted by folks reporting skin rashes and illness from their exposure to the Class A sewage sludge biosolids “Dillo Dirt” in Zilker Park this past weekend.

The US EPA and Environmental Working Group report billions of pounds of toxic industrial chemicals and pollutants are discharged to sewage treatment plants each year. The wastewater treatment process reconcentrates them in the sewage sludge - BOTH Class B AND Class A. EPA admits Class A sludge biosolids is subject to explosive pathogen regrowth.

Noone should physically contact this contaminated waste, and particularly children with their hand to mouth behavior. Family pets walk through and roll in the dirt and sludge and track it into homes on their fur and feet. Many children and adults have been sickened by exposure to (Class B) AND Class A sewage sludge biosolids: www.sludgevictims.com/Class-A-sludge.html

Please email me if you have suffered skin rashes, lesions, infections, or other adverse health effects from exposure to the wet Dillo Dirt.

Helane Shields, Alton, NH 03809 Sludge researchere since 1996 www.sludgevictims.com hshields@worldpath.net

By Kristi

October 7, 2009 10:22 AM | Link to this

Since when did zilker become austin’s only park? Come on people, it’s a fabulous place for ACL and as an austinite I am proud to say that we host the ACL Fest

By dren

October 8, 2009 4:36 PM | Link to this

move ringworm fest to the travis county expo

By Brandon

October 14, 2009 11:08 PM | Link to this

Let’s just rename it ACL Park. It is ridiculous that this city has allowed this park to be destroyed the way it has. Take ACL Fest away or Austinites (just a portion of the people who attend) can’t use the place for almost a year while it’s prepared for ACL 2009, just to it can be destroyed? Now we have to wait another several months? Then ACL 2010 comes along? Ridiculous. I don’t care what the festival brings to Austin besides the destruction of our most hallowed grounds—by visitors no less!