ACL 2011

ACL2011 STATS:

• September 16th (Friday) - 18th (Sunday)
• Zilker Park, Austin, TX
• Jenna and I were in Austin from the 15th to the 19th.
• We stayed in the cooler-than-cool Casulo Hotel for the second year in a row.
• My 7th time attending the festival, Jenna's 2nd.
• It rained a little bit, which was great because Austin hadn't seen any precipitation in something like one thousand years. 
• We had an amazing time. 

FULL LIST OF BANDS SEEN/HEARD AT ACL2011 (in order seen/heard):

• Smith Westerns
• Ray LaMontagne (a little bit) 
• Kurt Vile & the Violators 
• Bright Eyes 
• Mavis Staples 
• Kanye West (a little bit) 
• Coldplay (a little bit) 
• The Antlers 
• Twin Shadow 
• Phosphorescent 
• Daniel Lanois' Black Dub 
• Iron & Wine 
• The Moondoggies 
• Fitz and the Tantrums (a tiny bit) 
• Cee-Lo 
• TV on the Radio 
• Stevie Wonder (a little bit) 
• My Morning Jacket (a little bit) 
• AWOLNATION 
• Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses 
• Elbow 
• Fleet Foxes (a little bit) 
• Randy Newman (a little bit) 
• Arcade Fire 

MY TOP 5 FAVORITE ACTS AT ACL2011:

1. TV on the Radio 
2. Bright Eyes 
3. The Antlers 
4. Elbow 
5. Kurt Vile  

JENNA'S TOP 5 FAVORITE ACTS AT ACL2011: 

1. TV on the Radio 
2. Elbow 
3. The Antlers 
4. Bright Eyes 
5. Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses 

OUR LEAST FAVORITE ACT AT ACL2011:

• A TIE!: 
• AWOLNATION 
• Any of the techno/dance groups scheduled at the same time as quiet/acoustic acts we were trying to see. Urgh. 

THINGS I ATE/DRANK AT ACL2011:

• Hot'n'Crunchy Avocado Cone ™
• Thai veggie pie
• Fried avocado taco 
• Strawberry/coconut snocone 
• Pecan-chocolate pie 
• A very mediocre Mediterranean gordita 
• New York Style Butter Salted Potatoes ™
• Some of Jenna's spinach pakoras 
• /
• Mucha Maine Root Ginger Brew
• Agua 
• Blueberry Lemonade 
• Watermelon Agua Fresca
• Strawberry Limeade 
• Diet Coke

RESTAURANTS EATEN AT IN AUSTIN BUT NOT ACL2011:

• Shady Grove
• Güero's
• The Snack Bar
• The Casulo Hotel breakfast buffet

AWESOME SHOPS VISITED IN AUSTIN:

• Big Top Candy
• Uncommon Objects
• Allen's Boots (I got boots that I love! Right off the shelf! IN MY SIZE! For the first time in 7 years of going to Austin!) 
• Tesoros Trading Co.
• The Turquoise Door
• Mi Casa 

THINGS I DID NOT DO AT ACL2011:

• Smoke anything
• Drink any alcohol at the festival grounds 
• "Kill any of the multitudes of terrible hipster types ohmigoddoihatethembecauseiamthem?noofcoursenotofcoursenoteverything'sokay" {copied verbatim from last year's overview; still very true}
• Get a bad sunburn
• Feel lonely
• Get sick. (See last year's post) 

THINGS WE DID AT ACL2011 THAT WE DID NOT DO AT ACL2010: 

• Wait a long time to get good spots for a very popular artist; we managed to have both a really full schedule and an uncanny ability to get awesome vantage points! 
• Took a pedi-cab 
• Drank margaritas 

POSTIVE REVELATION HAD WHILE AT ACL2011:

• I am happier right now, at this point in my life, than I have ever been. And it isn't just the fireworks kind of exciting happiness. It's a calm, deep, satisfied contentedness, a willingness and ability to accept negativity and sadness and let it pass through, to enjoy all of the great stuff my life contains. 

NEGATIVE REVELATION HAD WHILE AT ACL2011: 

• Crowds at concerts are getting worse and worse, and will only get WORSE. 

RELATIVELY NEUTRAL REVELATION HAD WHILE AT ACL2011: 

• I am not a fan of Fleet Foxes 

MONEY SPENT:

• A helluva lot, every penny well-used.