When Music Meets Life: The Beauty Of The Vibe At ACL

It’s been many years since I have been to the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL). I think the last time I set foot on Zilker Park for ACL was to see Al Green in 2003. In the same breath, it has been even more years since I have gone to the South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW). I think that would take me back to the Tragically Hip at the Liberty Lunch back in 1995 (3/18/95 to be exact). I can say that I remember the days when Austin was a cool, funky music place that nobody really knew about. I remember the times when you could go to SXSW with a $25 wristband and take in 15 unsigned bands over 2 or 3 nights and be totally stoked about each of them. It was all about the vibe, the raw edge, the soul.

For fear of sounding like some old curmudgeon, it has become easy to make note of the obvious commercialization with both SXSW and ACL. Living in Austin, being a part of the music scene here, has always been a great thing. But when you buy a wristband and have virtually no access to much of anything – without tremendous lines and huge numbers of people – it loses its edge, especially when most bands have passed through here before and have played smaller venues in the process. Nowadays, ACL jams Zilker Park with 60,000 of your closest friends. The times, Dylan once said, are a’changin’.

In the midst of all this, it was easy to lose sight of that which drives it all – the music itself. That was until ACL this past October 2010. I was provided with an opportunity to return to the vibe, to the purity of the music, to the beauty of sharing it, and experiencing it. It took me back to a time of great discovery and exploration.

And you know what? It really is about the music.

It was a last-minute thing. On the Monday before ACL, Nancy presented me with an opportunity – a spare ticket, and an invitation to attend with her. I graciously accepted. I was given the task of picking the bands that I thought we should catch. And then, it hit me – a feeling I knew all too well. I started reading reviews of the bands. With the advent of web sites like MySpace, I was able to listen to many of the bands’ material online, something I’d not been able to do in my initial forays into SXSW. Though there were plenty of names I really didn’t recognize (admittedly, I may be a bit out of the loop and the acts were geared towards a younger audience it seems), there were some that I did. I could feel the excitement building, for the first time in a very long time.

One  name that I did know, and had heard about for quite some time, was Robert Randolph. As luck would have it, he would be the first band on our list for Friday evening.

From the first guitar riff, the “wow factor” hit me. It was the groove - and it was beyond awesome. It was tremendous musicianship and lyrical content. It was uplifting, spiritual. Suddenly, there was a realization – that it really is all about the music and the way that music hits your soul. It was about forgetting the distractions of life and getting back to truly experiencing the world of music. It was simple, pure, and wonderful.

Without question, Robert Randolph set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

So if there was any doubt, then you need to listen to this – and tell me that this groove doesn’t just … burn!

And it couldn’t be said any better than this …

Whether it's rock and roll or old soul (It don't matter)
Disco, Calypso (It don't matter)
Suit and tie or tie-dye (It don't matter)
Snakeskins or Timberlands (It don't matter)
Tight fade or long braid (It don't matter)
Red head or brunette (It don't matter)
Breakdance, slamdance (It don't matter)
Do the jerk until it hurts
I'm tellin' you
Ain't nothin' wrong with that (I'm tellin' you)

It was a beautiful reminder of all of the things found within the confines of a moment in time, sitting, listening, sharing, experiencing. It was a glorious fall evening, with great company and a tremendous groove playing in the background. It was delicious food eaten under the stars. It was the essence of being in the moment.

To this day, I can close my eyes and hear Randolph’s guitar in the background. I can feel the chunky chords, touching me deeply. I can vividly remember the smile on my face with the reminder of the beauty of the music, the beauty of the vibe at ACL – and cynicism be damned.

Photo credits: Wikipedia