Subject: Zilker Park

• Austin City Limits: You Read It Here First

  May 16, 2006

• ACL Is Underway, Rootsy Early On

  September 26, 2008

• Setting the Scene

  September 26, 2008

• ACL Day One: More band photos

  September 27, 2008

• Photos: The Raconteurs at ACL

  September 29, 2008

• Self-important Faces in the ACL Crowd

  October 2, 2008

• Busy Schedule

  NextStage has a full dance card

  May 1, 2003

• Making Waves

  Denton's Midlake inks record deal, prepares debut LP

  July 24, 2003

• Rain or Shine

  We drove to the Austin City Limits Music Festival in ponchos, but we left wearing surgeon's masks

  September 29, 2005

• Odds & Ends

  Sara Radle's off to L.A.; LM5 calling it quits; Rubber Gloves gets anew look

  May 12, 2005

• ACL '09: So Can We Get This Party Going Already, Or...?

  ​Pretty sure I'm in Austin right now--seems it at least; there's a whole bunch of young people running around acting like there's something going on. I dunno, this is a pretty early wake-up call for me. But I digress: I'll be here all weekend long, along with Observer Web editor and photographer extraordinaire Patrick Michels, documenting this year's fest for your reading please both here and on our DC9 at Night twitter feed, which you should start following immediately, as it'll no doub

  October 2, 2009

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

  Patrick Michels Phoenix's Thomas Mars.​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 t

  October 3, 2009

• ACL '09 in Photos: The Avett Brothers, Andrew Bird, Dr. Dog and More from Friday Onstage

  Photos by Patrick MichelsThe Avett Brothers share a family moment Friday afternoon.​Along with Pete's takes on some of Friday's biggest sets here at ACL, we already brought you shots of Phoenix, Raphael Saadiq and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- so before we head on out for another day in the front row (for the first three songs anyway, before they kick us out), here's a roundup of the rest of the day's acts.Look for a festival slideshow and plenty of crowd shots here soon, but for now, after the jump:

  October 3, 2009

• ACL '09: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Sparkle Our Imaginations And Karen O Gets Crazy.

  Photos by Patrick Michels Almost as magical as when Merle Haggard spits onstage.​Dressed like a character belonging more to Pan's Labyrinth than anything of the natural world, Karen O led the Yeah Yeah Yeahs through a fantastical, epic performance at Zilker Park last night.And it was all thanks to O's doing. Beyond charismatic and magnetic, Karen O's on-stage persona is a mixture of childlike fascination and well-studied punk rock execution. The most charming thing about it all, th

  October 3, 2009

• ACL '09: Grizzly Bear Offers Sunshine On A Dreary Day

  ​Banter is not Grizzly Bear's strong suit--not in the slightest. Rather this is a band propelled by meticulous instrumentation and harmonies. And though the band failed in the first count, its moot apologies to the crowd for putting up with the rain falling flat, the band succeeded glorious on the second, offering audiences empirical proof that live shows can equal a band's output on record--even in the rain, even on a festival stage without the same set-ups afforded a band in a theater p

  October 4, 2009

• ACL '09: The Rain's Stopped (For Now) As Crowds Wait For Pearl Jam--And Maybe The Toadies?

  ​The early outlook here on the Day Three of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival isn't too bad. The sun has peeked out from behind the clouds here and there, and, for the time being, the rain has held off. Forecasts appear to indicate more rain as the day continues, though, and, surely, that will only add the the muddy mess that Zilker Park's grounds have become--a true shame, too, since everyone was raving about the fresh, gold course-like grass on Friday's beautiful afternoon. S

  October 4, 2009

• ACL '09: A Muddy, Beautiful Mess On Day Three

  Photos by Patrick MichelsTwo mud enthusiasts scrap it out as their friend Kenny Chesney cheers them on.​The rains from Day Two at ACL may have held off on Day Three, yeah. But, make no mistake, the repercussions off dropping that much water onto a confined space? Those were definitely still felt by all in attendance on Sunday.Indeed, Zilker Park was one giant mud pit on Day Three of the fest--which, actually, might be an insult to mud pits. A pig's heaven, the grounds at Zilker Park--despite h

  October 5, 2009

• ACL '09: The Toadies Come From The Water

  Photos by Patrick Michels​Surely, it was with their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks that the members of the Toadies opened their 4 p.m. set at the festival's main stage on Sunday with longtime Rubberneck favorite "I Come From The Water."But, a funny thing about the Toadies' set on Sunday afternoon: For the first time since Friday evening, audiences were treated to--get this--sunshine at Zilker Park. And with the light pouring down onto the band and its massive audience on Sunday, the To

  October 5, 2009

• ACL '09: Pearl Jam Regains Its Rightful Place Atop The Rock World

  Photos by Patrick Michels​It had been 15 years--according, at least, to one of Eddie Vedder's asides during the closing set of this weekend's Austin City Limits Music Festival--since Pearl jam had played what he called "The Live Music Capital of the Nation." And, as such, Vedder promised the mud-covered audiences at Zilker Park, Pearl Jam would not disappoint: "I'm not going home, personally, until I'm covered in dirt," he announced, unsurprisingly eliciting a massive roar from the crowd. And

  October 5, 2009

• ACL '09 in Photos: Festival Recap with Passion Pit, Girl Talk and Ben Harper

  Photos by Patrick MichelsPassion Pit's passionate pit.​With ACL wrapped up and the bands, festival-goers and fields at Zilker Park on their road to recovery, it's time for one last look at the bands that braved the mud on the festival's last day.First, for an overall recap of the best shots from the festival -- including some from our sister paper in Houston you haven't seen before -- check out these ACL slideshows with our best band shots and best crowd photos. Check after the jump for shots

  October 6, 2009

• Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights Made the Best of a Rainy Saturday at ACL.

  October 8, 2009

• Fun Fun Fun Fest Day 1: Crystal Antlers, Shonen Knife, Russian Circles, Death, Neon Indian, Jesus Lizard

  All photos by Patrick MichelsDeath singer Bobby Hackney​Choosing Fun Fun Fun over the Austin City Limits festival this year was a no-brainer decision, and I have not regretted the decision to pass on Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam and Ben Harper for a nanosecond. Sitting on the soft grass and turning away from the Orange Stage before Death's set to watch a beautiful sunset over the trees of Waterloo Park really emphasized the superiority of the venue to the mud- or dust-clogged hell that Zilker Park

  November 8, 2009

• Fun Fun Fun Fest Day 2: Astronautalis, Metallagher, Broadcast, HEALTH, Crystal Castles, GZA, Of Montreal

  Patrick Michels​Some people attribute weather changes, fortunate or otherwise, to God. The Riverboat Gamblers' Mike Wiebe thought someone else was responsible for the all-day drizzle and showers that turned Waterloo Park into Mudderloo Park. "Someone said, 'It was sunny yesterday, I'm surprised it's rainy now,'" he said during his band's set. "I'm like, 'Are you fucking kidding me? Danzig is here. He flew in on a black pterodactyl. The crops are dying. It's because fucking Glenn Danzig is here

  November 9, 2009