Worshiping at the Fest: Day One of ACL 2014

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

No one can be perfect all the time, but with repentance, we might be lucky enough to find forgiveness. After working hard on some final previews for the first of two busy ACL weekends, I finally had my water and camera gear packed and headed downtown to catch the shuttle to Zilker Park. Trying several garages that weren’t open to the public until later in the afternoon, I eventually settled on street parking at a meter. Unfortunately, I conceptualized the day as during the work week, meaning the meter should be up at 5:30 or 6:00, right? I paid through 5:48 PM on what I thought was a 6:00 PM meter, only to realize once on the shuttle that the street parking would need to be paid through midnight. No turning back now on this journey.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

I arrived on the festival grounds a couple minutes after 1:00, which meant I’d missed Sphynx, who not only was I hoping to see, but insisted everyone else see in a recent preview.  I attempted to atone by racing down to catch a bit of Preatures’ set on the Austin Ventures stage. The Australian rock outfit, fronted by Isabella Manfredi, utilizes 70s leaning guitar tones and a dose of funky bass. They just finished up working on an album with Spoon’s Jim Eno. Live, the band was much grittier than I’d expected, and Manfredi’s energy defined the set, as she climbed out onto the subs and paced the stage relentlessly. She even made her way over to guitarist Jack Moffitt and pressed her forehead to his before licking him on the chin. Rock ‘n’ roll heaven, baby.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

After a few songs, I headed over to the Miller Lite stage, where Temples were already mid-set. While The Preatures had delivered a sermon of 70s rock, Temples invited the crowd to bow down before the glitzy sheen of glam. The UK band borrows sensibilities primarily from Marc Bolan of T Rex, along with hints of other glam greats, David Bowie and Roxy Music to name a few. Temples has grown tremendously in popularity since the release of their debut album Sun Structures and sounded as tight and solid as ever. (Futurecast: we caught the band’s late night set later in the weekend, and have much more to say about that.)

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

Next door, on the Honda Stage, Jimmy Cliff got things started to a modest but enthusiastic crowd. Although I’m not the biggest fan of reggae, Cliff holds a special place in my heart; his song “Many Rivers to Cross,” which he played with heartfelt solemnity near the end of the set, still registers as one of my all time favorites. (Perhaps, especially so since I’m a big fan of the later Harry Nilsson cover on the John Lennon produced album Pussycats.) Onstage, Cliff is joyous, dancing and pumping up the crowd, cupping his ear as a gesture for calls and responses. Whooaaa-oohhh! It’s great to see a legend like this still so effective at working a show, and while Cliff may not hold the same popularity, he deserves to be in the conversation with the greatest: Dylan, Marley, Springsteen, Cohen, Lennon, and the like.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

If neither the rock of Preatures, the austere power of Temples, nor the feel-good praises of Jimmy Cliff are your thing, maybe you’d prefer the next act we caught, Chvrches. Driven by the vocals of Lauren Mayberry, this Glasgow-based three-piece looks to the 80s to construct synth-based indie pop. Their live sound is crisp and certainly has the power to get the youngest of the ACL attendees moving, even if their onstage chops are a little inhibited. Fans were most hype for the group’s most recognizable singles: “Recover” and “The Mother That We Share.” If you haven’t caught on yet, we’re telling you the first four acts we saw were Preatures… Temples… Jimmy Cliff (who practices a religion on his own level)… and Chvrches. By now, I’m hoping I’m saved. It’s worth mentioning that not one of these acts are from the U.S. Respectively, they hail from Australia, England, Jamaica, and Scotland. Hey, we’re living up to our name.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

For those who reject religion, there’s always the path of the power-hungry or the road of the all-out misfit. Which brings us to the day’s headliners: hip-hop up-and-comer Childish Gambino and hip-hop legends Outkast. I’m an enormous Donald Glover fan, but approached Gambino with an air of skepticism until I saw him perform at FPSF this summer. Impressed doesn’t quite cover my reaction to that show, so his ACL set came with a good deal of anticipation. Still, he managed to one-up my expectations.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

Live, Childish Gambino’s beats hit harder and feel crisper as Glover bounces across the stage like a welterweight fighter, busting impeccable dance moves while dropping bars. Glover was first an actor, so we shouldn’t be surprised, but his energy and charisma still chart as remarkable. As if this weren’t enough, the set also featured incredible pyrotechnics, a curtain of sparks that showered down behind Glover and towering flames that seemingly enveloped the entire stage in fire. Gambino worked through his recent hits to the delight of the crowd, namely “Sweatpants” and “3005.” Fresh on the heels of a new mixtape and with an EP in the near future, Childish Gambino is at the top of his game, and the size of the crowd reflected that. I’ve certainly seen rougher crowds, but the one at the Honda stage on Friday night was as packed as I’ve ever seen.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

And it stayed packed. After all, hip-hop legends Outkast would soon be taking the stage. Several of the crowd’s younger members wanted to leave, but found themselves too packed in to do so. A few made it over the rail, some in pretty bad states of dehydration, shaking uncontrollably or almost unable to stand. One girl who claimed dehydration seemed relatively okay and was told she couldn’t climb out over the rail by a security guard. When she attempted to cross over anyway, he rushed forward and pushed her back into the crowd with a leg still hung on the railing. I get that you don’t want to start a trend, but it seemed pretty uncool for a big bouncer dude to push a young girl who was feeling uncomfortably crowded back into a sea of people. Eventually another security guard did help pull her out.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

Finally, the curtain dropped to reveal the large box we were all expecting and André 3000 and Big Boi strutted onto the stage with “B.O.B.” as their entrance music. The crowd went nuts and rightfully so. In an era where so much conflict, unrest, and empire building still exists in the Middle East, it’s hard to see the move as anything but decidedly political. The song came out on 2000’s Stankonia; what has really changed? I find it hard to believe that this is the same reunited duo that recieved poor (mediocre at best) reviews when they first returned to the stage at Coachella earlier this year. Big Boi and Dré were incredible. They sounded flawless, spoke with high spirits between songs, and joked easily. And that’s saying nothing of the outstanding visual spectacle before us.

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

After hitting “Gasoline Dreams,” “Rosa Parks,” and a few others, the duo made their way inside the cube as projections of water fell on the outside. The pair paraded in a circle as they talked through the intro of “Aquemini,” taking the set to mellower grooves for this deep cut. NSFW projections dominated the screen for “She Lives In My Lap,” before Outkast played hits “The Way You Move” and finally gave all the casual listeners the moment they were waiting for with “Hey Ya!” From there, the casual fans seemed to trail off as these hip-hop legends continued to hit career highlights “Hootie Hoo,” “So Fresh, So Clean,” “Roses,” and “Whole World.”

Photo by Bryan C. Parker

I can’t believe that anyone dissed this show at previous stops, and frankly, I’m irked by anyone that would dismiss the show as a novelty. Both artists have pursued other endeavors and remained relevant after Outkast’s breakup. Neither a novelty nor lacking in substance, the show should be praised as a rare opportunity to see some of the greatest in the game onstage once again. It’s an opportunity for hip-hop redemption for every fan who never thought they’d be able to see these legends, and I have been redeemed.

Riding the high of Outkast’s set, I left the festival gates and walked over a mile from Zilker park all the way back to my car at 7th and Guadalupe rather than wait in the shuttle line. I’ve always been the kind of person who prefers the longer, scenic route as opposed to sitting in traffic on the direct thoroughfare. Unavoidable dread began to build in those final few blocks as I remembered my mistake with the parking meter. But as I approached my vehicle and another parker, slightly tipsy, stumbled from the pay station to their own car, I could see no ticket littering my windshield. Hallelujah!

Come back all throughout the week for much, much more coverage of ACL Fest and late night shows. All photos below © Bryan C. Parker & Pop Press International; all rights reserved. Click any image to open set in slideshow viewer.