Slideshow

Austin City Limits Festival 2011 (Slideshow)

Austin City Limits Music Festival enjoyed its tenth anniversary this year with the likes of Cold War Kids, Foster the People, Charles Bradley and Coldplay.

By Nora Spitznogle

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The mood around the Austin City Limits Festival brightened considerably after rain sprinkled on the crowd in Zilker Park in the early afternoon — the first in Austin, Texas since May. With the devastating drought this summer and the 45 square mile wildfire burning just a county over, the clouds were cause for celebration.

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• Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne and his band looked like true Texans (or at least an HBO version) in their vests, fedoras and heavy sprinkling of beards. They played a mellow set, with LaMontagne on acoustic guitar and raspy voice. While I enjoyed the bluesy-folksy set, and pedal steel makes me swoon, I’m not sure what all of the fuss is about — but the 20,000 people singing along clearly disagreed with me.

Kurt Vile and Violators

You can set your watch by the start times of the music at the Austin City Limits Festival. In the last five years I can only think of one time that the stage didn’t start exactly on time. With 130 bands and eight stages the production has to be a well-oiled machine. Kurt Vile and his crew started a few minutes late, giving the stage manager an incredulous look when told that all of the stages start on time. Vile bounded out, looked around for the rest of the band and went backstage to fetch them. Jet lag can be blamed — they were in Europe just two days ago.

After the faltering start the set was indie stoner rock at it’s best. Plenty of electric guitars (not a bass in sight), distortion and hair, although I wouldn’t have minded a chorus or poppy riff or two.

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• Cold War Kids

Cold War Kids

I enjoyed the energy of the Cold War Kids after the heavy-liddedness of Kurt Vile. Their swagger juxtaposed with their sensitivity for some great fun and pop goodness. They seemed genuinely happy to be there, and the crowd of thousands was thrilled to be singing and dancing along.

Foster The People

Mark Foster was in the hospital earlier today with bronchitis. You never would have guessed by his energy and sound. You’ll recognize their song, “Pumped Up Kicks,” even if you’ve never heard of the band. The clean-scrubbed LA-based band has only been together since 2009. I loved how the cabinets for their keyboards and such looked like they’d been fabricated in their grandparents' basement. The set was big clean fun.

Foster the People could have played on one of the bigger stages — it was just plain harrowing getting to and from the photo pit. People were smashed against Porta-Potties and spilled out into the food area. I was happy to escape.

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• Charles Bradley

Charles Bradley

I had the good fortune to have a telephone interview with Charles Bradley last year. His humbleness and lack of pretention was totally charming, but his answer to almost every question I posed was, “if I can’t help you, I sure ain’t gonna hurt you.” It took a tremendous amount of cajoling on my part to get his story. And a good story it is.

Bradley has earned his made-for-soul raspy voice the hard way. His music is very personal. His first-ever album, No Time for Dreaming, released last year, is "based on true stories that I lived," he says.

Bradley’s excellent band, Menahan Street Band, started the set with two soulful instrumental songs under the blindingly hot Vista Equity stage. The piano player jumped to the microphone to give Bradley an appropriately respectful introduction.

Bradley opened with the heart-wrenching song, “Heartache and Pain,” about his brother’s death. In the interview Bradley told me that he puts his whole essence into this music. “If you’re watching me on stage sometimes I turn away, I’ve got to catch myself and let the lyrics out, because I’d be so full of emotion.”

He wasn’t kidding. I’ve never seen such an expressive performance. The audience was reliving the day his brother died with him.

I woke up this morning and Mama was crying,
I looked out my window,
Police lights were flashing, people were screaming,
A friend grabbed my shoulder and said these words to me,
Sorry for the sorrow, but I have to tell you this, your brother is gone.

Although Bradley, 63, has been singing for years, this is the first time he’s been able to perform full time. He was inspired by seeing James Brown at the Apollo Theater in 1964 when he was 16 years old. "When I saw him I was completely amazed and wanted to be like him.” But Bradley had to make do with a broomstick as a microphone and the rooftops as his stage in Brooklyn; as the youngest of eight, he spent a lot of time wandering the streets.

He eventually found a career in cooking, which took him from Maine to Alaska to California, where he eventually made his home for decades. “Music and being a chef have been my whole life.” Bradley was able to squeeze in occasional music gigs and a little studio work along the way and was ready to buy his first house. “Then life hit me real hard.” He was laid off of his restaurant job after 17 years.

Bradley ultimately decided to return to Brooklyn. "I learned to be a handyman. I always fix things the right way. Give me the opportunity and I will do it right, that’s the way I am.” He also had more time for music. He started performing his James Brown routines under his alter ego, “Black Velvet,” when Gabriel Roth of Daptone Records happened to catch his show and recognized Bradley’s raw talent.

Bradley kept telling the ACLF crowd, “I love you, I love you.” And I believe him with my whole heart.

I’m going to be bold and declare that the Charles Bradley set will be my favorite of this year’s Austin City Limits Festival.

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• Sara Bareilles

Sara Bareilles

I didn’t expect to be so totally charmed by Sara Bareilles, but I’m not even sure what I expected. I realized that I’d looped her in with the Indiana State Fair stage collapse - Bareilles had finished playing not long before the accident.

Bareilles is lovely and is a strong singer/songwriter/piano player with an intimate stage presence.

Coldplay

I was torn — Coldplay or Kanye?

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• Coldplay

They were both playing just minutes apart on opposite sides of the 350-acre Zilker Park. And photo rules state that you can only shoot the first three songs of the set — except in the case of Kanye, where you could only shoot the second and third songs. I let laziness make the decision. The Coldplay stage is easier to fight the crowds to the photo pit.

Coldplay are the ultimate arena rockers. Their set was fun and happy and professional — and not nearly as boring as that sounds. They’re comfortable in their skins and know how to put on a rocking, good show.

Well done, guys.