As festival-lineup announcement season (yes, it’s its own season now) continues, the most entertaining game to play with respect to headliners is “What year is this, 1991?” I thought Lolla had it wrapped with their zeitgeist grabbing spread of Tool, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, and Depeche Mode, and congrats Lolla the award is still yours. But “What Year Is This, 1996?” edition is all ACL. Call it nostalgia, call it apparently this generation is incapable of turning out a headliner in the eyes of festival promoters, call it what you will: If you slept through the ’90s, you should be going to festivals in 2009. Sniping (and Thievery Corporation, Toadies, The B-52s, etc.) aside, for their part the ACL folks have kept up on contemporary artists, too: the undercard sports the Dead Weather, BTW Suckers, Phoenix, Bon Iver, Passion Pit, Here We Go Magic, the Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, Grizzly Bear, the Walkmen, Blitzen Trapper, and welcome vets Sonic Youth, Mos Def, and so on. The festival goes down October 2-4 in Austin’s Zilker Park with three-day passes available for $185 at aclfestival.com. The full lineup:
Pearl Jam
Dave Matthews Band
Beastie Boys
Kings of Leon
Ben Harper and Relentless7
Thievery Corporation
John Legend
The Dead Weather
The Levon Helm Band
Ghostland Observatory
Sonic Youth
Mos Def
Toadies
Flogging Molly
The B-52s
Lily Allen
Citizen Cope
Arctic Monkeys
The Decemberists
Coheed and Cambria
Andrew Bird
Girl Talk
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Phoenix
Bassnectar
Bon Iver
!!!
The Avett Brothers
The Airborne Toxic Event
Medeski, Martin & Wood
Clutch
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Grizzly Bear
Heartless Bastards
Passion Pit
White Lies
Dan Auerbach
The Walkmen
The Scabs
Reckless Kelly
Devotchka
Blitzen Trapper
The Virgins
Here We Go Magic
Eek-A-Mouse
K’ Naan
Asleep at the Wheel
Dr. Dog
The Raveonettes
The Knux
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
State Radio
Los Amigos Invisibles
The Felice Brothers
Federico Aubele
Raul Malo
Daniel Johnston
Poi Dog Pondering
Brett Dennen
Rodriguez
Henry Butler
Preservation Hall
Sam Roberts Band
The Greencards
Sara Watkins
Walter “Wolfman” Washington
David Garza
John Vanderslice
Zac Brown Band
Todd Snider
School of Seven Bells
The Dodos
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
Alberta Cross
Deer Tick
Bell X1
Alela Diane
The Wood Brothers
The Parlor Mob
Rebirth Brass Band
Marva Wright
Terri Hendrix
L.A.X.
Lisa Hannigan
The Low Anthem
Sons of Bill
Suckers
Sarah Jaffe
Cotton Jones
The Henry Clay People
Papa Mali
Jypsi
Vince Mira
Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights
Mimicking Birds
Jeffrey Steele
Jonell Mosser
Leatherbag
Keith Gattis
Damien Horne
Sarah Siskind
Dexateens
Nelo
Danny Brooks
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
The Soul Stirrers
The Durdens
Palm School Elementary
The Gospel Silvertones
Diaconos
Quinn Sullivan
Ralph’s World
Q Brothers
Milkshake
Telephone Company
Loose Cannons
Lunch Money
It’s all about the mid-level acts—they alone are worth the price of the ticket. Headliners are just a bonus/curiosity/way-to-beat-the-rush-out-the-gates-at-the-end-of-the-night.
Just so you know, yes, “Ghostland” is big down here. Last year, MGMT drew a TON of teenagers (all immediately identifiable as MGMT fans by their headbands/bandanas). I would imagine the promoters expect Ghostland to draw in the same demographic, with the added appeal to local attendees.
My recommendation, wait for Fun Fun Fun Fest. The last two years have offered a variety of great bands at a fraction of the cost. Plus, no crowds and no parking and transportation issues.
Also,don’t forget that nearly all these bands will be playing in the clubs around Austin each night after the actual festival.
I really wish I could have been able to afford seing David Byrne’s set at the Paramount last year or even M. Ward, Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst at La Zona Rosa.
I’m gonna wait and see. Half the time the bands I really want to see are playing against eachother anyway.
Maybe I’ll get a day pass or go to a club show if the stars align.
Either way, when everyone else asks off for these days I’l be getting brownie points to ask off for something else.
honestly, and maybe we should vote on this, but wouldn’t most people rather see a fist fight in real life than watch the beastie boys kinda just do whatever they do?
I know they’re not nearly as big here as they are in the UK, but are the Arctic Monkeys seriously going to be this criminally underbilled for the rest of their careers?
If ACL would have snagged Animal Collective, it would have a much larger edge on Lollapalooza. Though I don’t think there is any real discernible difference in the two really, I just think ACL has the better mid-level lineup.
I guess the inclusion of Jack White makes them a bigger draw at this point. Sonic Youth are legends, but this probably will be the first time a lot of people will get to see Dead Weather so there’s a certain pull that might not come from seeing sonic youth again. And sonic youth have been around long enough that most of the people into them will have gotten a chance to see them live (i’d think) Not that they’re not worth seeing again.
Pearl Jam is one of the greatest bands alive. they had a small lull at the beginning of this decade, but its good to see them back on top. can’t wait for the new album!
Insanity. Pearl Jam hasn’t had a decent album since Yield, and that wasn’t even that good. Neither was Vitalogy. Have there ever been any bands that haven’t released anything good for moire than 10 years that have gotten more of a critical free pass than Pearl Jam?
I know the group that puts together Lolla are located in Texas. Are they also affiliated with ACL? I had the impression they were but wasn’t 100% sure.
Yes, C3 Presents puts on both Lolla and ACL…you can see the festivals have a lot of the same artists. A lot of their deals are combo deals for both festivals and they always make sure to throw in a few Austin or Texas bands.
as an austinite, i don’t want ACL to fail, but this is crap. if it’s the mid-levelers we want (and if it’s mid-levelers that are fueling ticket sales cause we don’t give a fuck about dave matthews, bboys, or pearl jam) then we send those promoters the wrong message by buying tickets. when tickets sell-out, they jerk each other off talking about how their headliners really delivered.
Let’s not boycott ACL and the bands we love. but let’s show up and storm the gates instead.
who’s with me? we’ll meet at barton springs on oct 2 @ 2pm and after a dip, we’ll get around to rushing the ticket collectors!!
I don’t understand why people get up in arms about these festivals. Look, folks, I’m with you. I like a whole bunch of those “mid-level” bands a lot more than the headliners. But the easiest way to get all of those bands in one place is to pay them with the money that tens of thousands of non “indie fans” pay to see the headliners. Fleet Foxes played last year at, I think, 12:30 pm. By the time Foo Fighters were going to go on stage, you could’ve watched 4 hours of music and been home for another 3 hours. Tickets are expensive, yes. But spend the $200, watch 20 bands you like, ignore the headliners entirely, beat the traffic, and you’ve seen a bunch of $10 shows. (Fun Fun Fun Fest is great, I don’t dispute that. But they also won’t have nearly as many bands the average reader here enjoys.)
Vitalogy wasn’t good? Ok, you’ve been dismissed from this conversation…thats when Pearl Jam took it to another level, one that wasn’t so mainstream. Take a listen to Binaural, that album seriously translates better now than it did in 2003. Pearl Jam is where they are because of their live show, its simply one of the best rock sets you’ll see. Plus they give props the their elders like Neil, The Ramones, and The Who.
ACL 09 is gonna be great weekend, as always. I’m looking forward to some mid-afternoon dance parties with !!!, Ghostland, LAX, and Sound Tribe along with some rockin’ out with Dead Weather, Sonic Youth, Arctic Monkeys. Can’t wait, def 3 solid days of music no matter who the headliners are.
The strength this year is in the ’supporting’ acts. Same goes for Lollapalooza. Both have a solid lineup outside the headliners. If you’re interested in a quick breakdown of the two festivals, you can find it here: http://soundcitizen.com/lollapalooza-vs-austin-city-limits/
Needs more rock and less nerd. At least there will be tons of hot dorky chicks there. One more thing, is it really that difficult to come up with band names for these dweebs?
Pearl Jam have always strived for their best and to stay true to themselves and their music. Their fanbase is that loyal because of this. And to say they haven’t released any good music in over 10 years is preposterous. Yield is a classic. Their last album is kickass. Into the Wild is beautiful. Their live shows are legendary. Leave this band be, hipsters. kthxbai.
WEAK. ACL used to go get guys from the 70s like Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers, Tom Petty and Van Morrison…it’s what set it apart from other big festivals. This year we get Dave Matthews and Eddie Vedder?? WTF happened Austin? WATCH, it’ll be the move successful one ever too.
Sound tribe and Ghostland? Again? …nevermind. They could make it an easier decision for me to NOT go by putting Phish and Widespread Panic on the bill.
Ok, I know the Dead Weather has Jack White involved, but I don’t think they should be slotted above Sonic Youth and the B-52’s before their first album even hits stores. What ever happened to respect for elders?
I can say that i would only go for about four of those acts.
Call be out of the loop, but I didn’t know a good 1/3 of that line-up. You know, the one that includes the B-52s.
This makes 2 years in a row where I was all ready to buy tickets to austin but changed my mind when I saw the line up. A few good acts when you get to meat of the lineup, but this is very week up top.
completely and entirely underwhelming. this schedule’s got one day pass written all over it, if that.
phoenix, grizzly bear, andrew bird, here we go magic, bon iver.
thems some good mid level acts. Headliners blow though.
Eek a Mouse snd Poi Dog Pondering….holy way back machine!
i want to go to there
It’s all about the mid-level acts—they alone are worth the price of the ticket. Headliners are just a bonus/curiosity/way-to-beat-the-rush-out-the-gates-at-the-end-of-the-night.
Bet you wouldn’t be sayin’ that if Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel and Jimmy Buffet were the headliners.
Is Ghostland Observatory really that high up in terms of headlining? Is it just because they are an Austin band?
Overall, pretty unimpressive lineup, besides the mid-level acts.
Just so you know, yes, “Ghostland” is big down here. Last year, MGMT drew a TON of teenagers (all immediately identifiable as MGMT fans by their headbands/bandanas). I would imagine the promoters expect Ghostland to draw in the same demographic, with the added appeal to local attendees.
My recommendation, wait for Fun Fun Fun Fest. The last two years have offered a variety of great bands at a fraction of the cost. Plus, no crowds and no parking and transportation issues.
agreed 100% though I think Fun Fun Fun Fest may be a bit too rock and roll for your average Vampire Weekend or Animal Collective fan.
Also,don’t forget that nearly all these bands will be playing in the clubs around Austin each night after the actual festival.
I really wish I could have been able to afford seing David Byrne’s set at the Paramount last year or even M. Ward, Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst at La Zona Rosa.
I’m gonna wait and see. Half the time the bands I really want to see are playing against eachother anyway.
Maybe I’ll get a day pass or go to a club show if the stars align.
Either way, when everyone else asks off for these days I’l be getting brownie points to ask off for something else.
Fun Fun Fun feast is by far my favorite festival. Also,It’s in November, so the weather is usually perfect
honestly, and maybe we should vote on this, but wouldn’t most people rather see a fist fight in real life than watch the beastie boys kinda just do whatever they do?
I know they’re not nearly as big here as they are in the UK, but are the Arctic Monkeys seriously going to be this criminally underbilled for the rest of their careers?
Seriously. Do they not know how to order the bands in Texas or something?
Lollapalooza has the same problem. Same with All Points West.
If ACL would have snagged Animal Collective, it would have a much larger edge on Lollapalooza. Though I don’t think there is any real discernible difference in the two really, I just think ACL has the better mid-level lineup.
pearl jam goes on top. thats the order.
Weak (bad because I will be in TX), good call on needs more AnCo and wait for Fun Fun Fun Fest.
How does Dead Weather get higher billing than Sonic Youth?
I guess the inclusion of Jack White makes them a bigger draw at this point. Sonic Youth are legends, but this probably will be the first time a lot of people will get to see Dead Weather so there’s a certain pull that might not come from seeing sonic youth again. And sonic youth have been around long enough that most of the people into them will have gotten a chance to see them live (i’d think) Not that they’re not worth seeing again.
one of the WE MUST GO music fests. could anybody take me there?
Pearl Jam is one of the greatest bands alive. they had a small lull at the beginning of this decade, but its good to see them back on top. can’t wait for the new album!
Insanity. Pearl Jam hasn’t had a decent album since Yield, and that wasn’t even that good. Neither was Vitalogy. Have there ever been any bands that haven’t released anything good for moire than 10 years that have gotten more of a critical free pass than Pearl Jam?
Oasis? Weezer?
the only thing more insufferable than pearl jam are their fans.
I know the group that puts together Lolla are located in Texas. Are they also affiliated with ACL? I had the impression they were but wasn’t 100% sure.
Yes, C3 Presents puts on both Lolla and ACL…you can see the festivals have a lot of the same artists. A lot of their deals are combo deals for both festivals and they always make sure to throw in a few Austin or Texas bands.
That is what I thought – thanks!
as an austinite, i don’t want ACL to fail, but this is crap. if it’s the mid-levelers we want (and if it’s mid-levelers that are fueling ticket sales cause we don’t give a fuck about dave matthews, bboys, or pearl jam) then we send those promoters the wrong message by buying tickets. when tickets sell-out, they jerk each other off talking about how their headliners really delivered.
Let’s not boycott ACL and the bands we love. but let’s show up and storm the gates instead.
who’s with me? we’ll meet at barton springs on oct 2 @ 2pm and after a dip, we’ll get around to rushing the ticket collectors!!
I don’t understand why people get up in arms about these festivals. Look, folks, I’m with you. I like a whole bunch of those “mid-level” bands a lot more than the headliners. But the easiest way to get all of those bands in one place is to pay them with the money that tens of thousands of non “indie fans” pay to see the headliners. Fleet Foxes played last year at, I think, 12:30 pm. By the time Foo Fighters were going to go on stage, you could’ve watched 4 hours of music and been home for another 3 hours. Tickets are expensive, yes. But spend the $200, watch 20 bands you like, ignore the headliners entirely, beat the traffic, and you’ve seen a bunch of $10 shows. (Fun Fun Fun Fest is great, I don’t dispute that. But they also won’t have nearly as many bands the average reader here enjoys.)
Well at least it’s given more variety and originality than most of the line-ups now adays.
Vitalogy wasn’t good? Ok, you’ve been dismissed from this conversation…thats when Pearl Jam took it to another level, one that wasn’t so mainstream. Take a listen to Binaural, that album seriously translates better now than it did in 2003. Pearl Jam is where they are because of their live show, its simply one of the best rock sets you’ll see. Plus they give props the their elders like Neil, The Ramones, and The Who.
ACL 09 is gonna be great weekend, as always. I’m looking forward to some mid-afternoon dance parties with !!!, Ghostland, LAX, and Sound Tribe along with some rockin’ out with Dead Weather, Sonic Youth, Arctic Monkeys. Can’t wait, def 3 solid days of music no matter who the headliners are.
Can somebody explain why John Legend is higher than the Arctic Monkeys? Are they really not that big in this country?
Because John Legend is amazing.
I wonder what it feels like to be Lunch Money.
I had no trouble coming up with 20 bands worth seeing. Nice write-up with the obligatory video primer here:
http://thedumbingofamerica.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/austin-is-the-greatest-city-in-the-world/
Goddamn. The same three headliners everywhere.
The strength this year is in the ’supporting’ acts. Same goes for Lollapalooza. Both have a solid lineup outside the headliners. If you’re interested in a quick breakdown of the two festivals, you can find it here: http://soundcitizen.com/lollapalooza-vs-austin-city-limits/
Go see Mimicking Birds! Saw them when they opened for Modest Mouse about a month ago and they were ahhhhhmazing! Very cool, mellow vibe.
Needs more rock and less nerd. At least there will be tons of hot dorky chicks there. One more thing, is it really that difficult to come up with band names for these dweebs?
Pearl Jam have always strived for their best and to stay true to themselves and their music. Their fanbase is that loyal because of this. And to say they haven’t released any good music in over 10 years is preposterous. Yield is a classic. Their last album is kickass. Into the Wild is beautiful. Their live shows are legendary. Leave this band be, hipsters. kthxbai.
WEAK. ACL used to go get guys from the 70s like Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers, Tom Petty and Van Morrison…it’s what set it apart from other big festivals. This year we get Dave Matthews and Eddie Vedder?? WTF happened Austin? WATCH, it’ll be the move successful one ever too.
Sound tribe and Ghostland? Again? …nevermind. They could make it an easier decision for me to NOT go by putting Phish and Widespread Panic on the bill.
Why are these the same headliners for SF Outside Lnds? FAIL.
Ok, I know the Dead Weather has Jack White involved, but I don’t think they should be slotted above Sonic Youth and the B-52’s before their first album even hits stores. What ever happened to respect for elders?
I can say that i would only go for about four of those acts.
Call be out of the loop, but I didn’t know a good 1/3 of that line-up. You know, the one that includes the B-52s.
This makes 2 years in a row where I was all ready to buy tickets to austin but changed my mind when I saw the line up. A few good acts when you get to meat of the lineup, but this is very week up top.
i embrace hipster gabage maybe you should too. sounds like a good time.
PEARL JAM AND KINGS OF LEON AND DAVE MATTHEWS.. PEARL JAM!!! NICE