ACL '09: Phoenix Draws The Fest's First Way-Too-Big-For-Comfort Crowd

Like a black hole located at the far west end of Zilker Park, it seemed that just about everything at ACL was being drawn to Phoenix's set yesterday in the four o'clock hour. Unruly crowds tussled about the outer realms of the masses that extended some 300 yards out from...

By Pete Freedman

October 3, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Like a black hole located at the far west end of Zilker Park, it seemed that just about everything at ACL was being drawn to Phoenix's set yesterday in the four o'clock hour. Unruly crowds tussled about the outer realms of the masses that extended some 300 yards out from the stage in all directions, and pissed off glares were the name of the game as crowd members tried to squeezing past one another in fruitless attempts to inch closer and closer to the stage. Seemed all kinds of moot, to be honest; not too huge a difference between standing 301 yards and 296 yards away from the show. Either way, you're just staring at ants.

Adorable French ants with an impeccable knack for penning indie dance-pop gems. But ants nonetheless. So, on that note: Yay, for the screens flanking the stage sides!

My own personal favorite question from the peanut gallery: "So these guys are from France, right?"

Uh, yeah. You'd think the band's scarves would be a dead giveaway.

For a closer, different perspective, though, check out a few more up-close-and-personal shots from our own Patrick Michels...

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.