September 25, 2005
Eisley Kills at ACL Fest
In the sweltering 104 degree high humidity in Austin's Zilker Park, 60,000 fans braved the conditions for some sweet music. Robert Randolph & The Family Band brought the house down last night; which was no surprise, but what shocked a few was how often Randolph left his slide guitar stool for a six-string slung over his shoulder, jamming away.
Eisley played a good hour set, featuring old songs and songs from their full length. Sharing lots of sweet sibling banter between songs, they made the outdoor crowd of a few thousand (5 to 10,000 maybe?) feel like they were family, too. They didn't waste much time, though, almost rushing through the set for us, "so ya'll don't have to stand out there so long," yet they filled their one-hour time slot, even though they started 10 minutes late.
The swirling harmony vocals sounded as dreamy as ever, floating in the outdoor air like kid's balloons.
"We were going to rehearse a lot for this show, but instead we worked up this new song, 'Many Funerals.' It might not sound great, but you guys will be the first to hear it." It featured some cool call and response vocals. We also heard "Marvelous Things," "Head Against The Sky," "Telescope Eyes," and "Memories."
An old song they dusted off and re-recorded, "Head Against The Sky" was the only song in the set where one instrument (guitar) competed against the vocals a little too much for portions of the song.
They ended with "Tree Tops," which was ironic, because the Cingular Stage they played on bordered the park against some huge Oak trees.
Touring the grounds revealed that this was simply a first class festival. It's like going to an arena that's in an outdoor field. You don't have to worry about camping and that fact helps bear the barely bearable conditions. I visited the nicest and cleanest porta-potties I've ever seen at a festival. And there were over a dozen of Austin's finest restaurants offering quality food at an affordable price. Most meals were $5 or below. Nice.
I got a chance to see the Kaiser Chiefs and their fun show. The New Amsterdams started off day 3 really well. The Capitol Metro stage showcased Gospel and Blues all day long. I had a chance to see a show-stopper in Ruthie Foster. She was really gettin' down in a major way, speaking over the music in a powerful way. Her band was solid, using slide guitar to spice it up just right, and the rhythms were as thick as BBQ sauce.
Tonight should offer some pleasant shows, with Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay ending this up. The music will be over by 10 pm, which makes for a do-able music marathon.
It was a trip watching Franz Ferdinand within an outdoor crowd of 60,000. You're so far from the stage, yet can still see what's going on on top of it -- not to mention the jumbotron screens blowing up the action. Very cool. The helicopter that flew over for a few passes was so close to the crowd and the trees. Amazing. Fun bunch of guys, that band.