An ACL Fest history

We trace the evolution of the annual Zilker Park music festival

By Michael Corcoran
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Monday, September 22, 2008

I.

Sept. 28 & 29, 2002

The story line: First-year jitters and logistical bumps were soon forgiven; a new Austin music tradition was born.

Attendance: 42,000 on Saturday (organizers were praying to break even with 30,000) and about 33,000 on Sunday.

The headliners: The Arc Angels reunion, String Cheese Incident, Pat Green, Wilco, Emmylou Harris.

Breakout acts: Robert Randolph, Ryan Adams.

Celeb sighting: Lance Armstrong, but he wasn't as well-known as today. We exchanged pleasantries backstage and when he walked away I told my friend from Arizona, "That was Lance Armstrong." "The astronaut?!" she exclaimed.

Biggest hiccups: Hourlong waits for buses, food and double that to exchange tickets for wristbands. A lot of hotheads coming in were soothed by the cool vibe, however.

No conflict here: Saturday's competing headliners were Pat Green and String Cheese Incident, two acts that have a total of about seven fans in common.

Note: One-day tix to the inaugural ACL Fest were $25.

II.

Sept. 19-21, 2003

The story line: Now a three-day event, ACL Fest has arrived!

Attendance: About 150,000 total over three days.

The headliners: R.E.M., Steve Winwood, Al Green, Dwight Yoakam.

Breakout acts: Los Lonely Boys, the Shins, Miranda Lambert.

Celeb sighting: Director Cameron Crowe.

When pigs fly: String Cheese Incident, with the help of a local seamstress, relaunches the Pink Floyd pig while they played "The Wall."

III.

Sept. 17-19, 2004

The story line: 75,000 people came Saturday night and they all wanted to see the Pixies. This is the year the crowds got out of hand.

Attendance: 200,000 or more over three days. (Neighborhood groups demanded that a cap of 65,000 per day be implemented, which is the current capacity.)

The headliners: Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow, the Pixies, Trey Anastasio, Jack Johnson, Wilco.

Breakout acts: My Morning Jacket, Franz Ferdinand, the Greencards.

Celeb sighting: It was too hot for the rich and famous, with temps in the mid-90s.

Put it in perspective: How can you complain about the heat when the 80-somethings in Blind Boys of Alabama were up there vamping in suits?

IV.

Sept. 23-25, 2005

The story line: Will the show go on with Hurricane Rita about to strike? But instead of a hurricane we got a heat storm (108 degrees on Sunday) that turned Zilker Park into a dust bowl.

Attendance: About 170,000 for all three days.

The headliners: Coldplay, Widespread Panic, Oasis, Lyle Lovett, Allman Brothers, Wilco.

Breakout acts: Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire, Thievery Corporation.

Celeb sighting: Gwyneth Paltrow.

V.

Sept. 15-17, 2006

The story line: Organizers helped pay for a new irrigation system at Zilker and wisely didn't cut the grass for two weeks, resulting in no dust. But it was still hot as Satan's car seat.

Attendance: About 180,000 for three days.

The headliners: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Massive Attack.

Breakout acts: Ghostland Observatory, Gnarls Barkley, KT Tunstall.

Celeb sightings: Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal

A nice touch: After Ben Kweller's famous nosebleed, Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips covered his face in fake blood and asked the audience to throw tampons onstage (which Kweller had to resort to using).

Whine, spo-dee-o-dee, let 'em whine: When this lineup was announced, it was soundly panned in cyberspace as not adventurous enough. Then folks complained that Tom Petty, who played through a rainstorm, was not loud enough.

VI.

Sept. 14-16, 2007

The story line: The year of the big fire. An overfilled propane tank ignited outside an RV, burning four employees of Brown Distributing beer suppliers and sending flames 75 feet in the air. All four survived. This was also the year of the big cancelations, with Amy Winehouse pulling out early and co-headliner the White Stripes scrapping the date just days before the fest.

Attendance: About 190,000 for three days.

The headliners: Bob Dylan, Bjork, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Killers, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age.

Breakout acts: LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., the National, Gotan Project.

Celeb sightings: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore.

Anti-climax: Sunday's headliner Bob Dylan not only sounded like he gargled with anti-freeze, but he refused to allow any closeups on the Jumbotron.