Sunday

Ryan Shaw We caught the last half of Ryan Shaw’s set and what a half it was. Shaw’s soulful interpretation of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” was both bold (When I find myself in times of trouble/ You’re Holy Spirit comes to me) and powerful. This kid’s got the chops. The set was a lot of fun and Shaw was the only artist we saw come back out for an encore while at ACL.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals The biggest surprise of the weekend was with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. I had seen this group from Vermont perform on Leno and so I was interested in hearing them live. They exceeded my expectations. Lots of jamming and I am a sucker for organ solos. They were on a smaller stage so we were able to sit close and were able to really see just how much fun this group was having. GP&N won the Highlight of Festival in my book.

Common Common, a last minute addition to the festival line-up, played in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday. I assumed that it would be well attended but I was blown away at just how big the crowd was. I was unable to get very close but Common’s deep lyrics and socially conscious beats rang out across Zilker Park and were unencumbered by distance. Great set.

Bob Dylan I came, I saw, I preferred the mystery.

Over all I had a great time at Austin City Limits. Big props to my friend Scott who left his wife and baby boy to join me for the weekend. Their loss was my gain.

Despite losing some big name acts (Amy Winehouse, The White Stripes), ACL was a great experience. I think we saw about 20 full sets and then countless other acts as we walked the festival grounds. I am very interested in heading out to the festival next year. Who’s with me?