And she is alive to tell her tale

BY MONICA VALENZUELA / PHOTOS BY RELEAFS

It is that time of year, where tourist induced traffic controls the city while hundreds of thousands of individuals make the trek to Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Surviving weekend one was not an easy task. I have walked away from it intact but hardly unscathed. I have dust in my nose, bug bites, and somehow suffering from a hangover despite not partaking in any substances. Maybe because I have the nervous system of someone who has recently returned from battle. Being diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder, you might be wondering why I chose to attend the final boss of anxiety: A Musical Festival. Reason one, it was free. My work was one of the sponsors of the festival so I was lucky enough to obtain a staff wristband without actually having to work the event. Reason two, I technically committed to going with my partner and friends since tickets went on sale back in Spring. As someone whose biggest fear is disappointing anyone, I decided, sure let’s do it! So here is my honest recap of ACL from the perspective of someone who definitely should not be writing reviews of anything. 

I would like to go on record that I was not even five minutes into the festival and I had drastically gone from radical optimism to radically losing my mind.

Friday. Day One. Weekend One.

My goal for Friday was to have a good time and not freak out. I haven’t been to ACL since 2019 and pre-pandemic me was an entirely different person. I went into this event with some radical optimism. “You are going to have a great time no matter what happens!”. Though I had to work in the morning, I was okay with making the adult sacrifice of putting in hours in order to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I was on a very timely schedule. I allotted the time it takes to get to the entrance, wait in line to get my bag checked, and find my friends. Due to the high number of festival goers (close to half a million people), the 30 minutes to get through security was actually not as insufferable as I thought it would be. The weather on the other hand, well that was a bit insufferable. With a whopping high of 95 degrees, as a Texan I was grateful that it wasn’t 105 degrees in October. Once I was past the entrance, I had to rush over to the Miller Lite stage to watch one of my favorite bands in attendance this year, Mannequin Pussy. Unfortunately, during my rush to the performance I dropped my phone at some point. I would like to go on record that I was not even five minutes into the festival and I had drastically gone from radical optimism to radically losing my mind. But everything happens for a reason. I could’ve left and went to find my phone, but instead I stayed and watched one of the best performances I have ever seen. 

MP is no doubt a force to be reckoned with. Their message as a band aligns with a majority of femme punks whose alternative lifestyles don't align with what our mothers and fathers wanted. To be in a crowd screaming lyrics like “and what if I’m an angel? Oh, what if I’m a bore? And what if I was confident would you just hate me more?” speaks to the power and need for live music. Enjoying a band's music is one thing, but experiencing that raw sound in person is like being transported to another plane of existence. 

I would love to say I stayed for the entire one hour set but the heat was beating down and I had to dip at the forty minute mark before the heat stroke settled in. After we cooled down reality had settled in that my phone and my information could possibly be sold on the dark web by now. With that thought a panic attack overcame me and my partner stepped in to help with the circumstance at hand. It took us about an hour for me to track down the phone but someone very kindly turned it into the lost and found. I will say that I did expect the worst in that situation but my faith in humanity was restored. I think the strongest comfort I had this weekend was the community that the festival brings. Everyone is helping each other out, I’m not too sure if it's the southern hospitality instilled in us or maybe the chill vibes that Austin radiates. You could be having the worst time, but someone next to you would offer help in any way they could. 

After that exhausting journey it was time to get back to business. My friends and I grabbed some good eats, took a tiny break in the grass, and then headed to the American Express stage to watch Leon Bridges. Leon took the stage promptly at 6:30pm in his white flared bell bottoms and a UT jersey. He started his set with “Texas Sun” and the large crowd was singing along to every word. It was a beautiful sight to see, the Austin skyline lit up from golden hour and the smooth guitar riff that makes any Khruangbin fan sway. His music had everyone under a spell. He played all of the hits. His set was mellow and a nice pause from the chaos that can come with the festival. It was like he was saying, “ just hang out here for a while, there is no rush.”, and so we did. 

The rest of the night played out with The Marias and a trip to the merch area. We closed with Blink-182 and a long walk back to our cars. When I arrived home my brain was racing and my body was settling down. My first day at the festival was a roller coaster but I was so excited and ready for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday. Day Two. Weekend One.

 I didn’t go. 

Sunday. Day Three. Weekend One.

I would be lying a little bit if I said I didn’t regret going on Saturday. Mostly because of pop powerhouse Dua Lipa, missing her performance live will be something I have to live with for the rest of my life. But, I’m no spring chicken and I desperately needed to recover. ACL is a marathon not a sprint, and I’ve never done a marathon in my life but I’m pretty sure you can take a break at any time.

I wanted to be well rested for Sunday because for me it was THE big day. The main reason I wanted to attend the festival in the first place was because of Chappell Roan. Even though she would not be taking the largest stage, it was common knowledge she would have the largest crowd. She wouldn't take the stage until 6:45 pm but her die hard fans were sitting and waiting since 11 am. I’m a huge fan but not that dedicated. I slowly made my way to the festival grounds in the afternoon. Enough time to attend to some other big names like Orville Peck and That Mexican OT. It was nice having time to spare, to soak up other artists I’ve never seen before.

ACL is obviously a music festival but one of the best additions that the event has catered to over time is the food selection. For people who live in Austin the food culture is something to brag about. With amazing barbeque, outstanding Mexican taquerias, and vegan staples; the eats section of the festival is another reason why people enjoy coming. We wanted to try La Pachanga Eatery, located near the IHS stage. We heard nothing but great things about every vendor but we really wanted to try Discada tacos. 10/10 would recommend to anyone. 

Once our bellies were full and our water bottles filled, we found our way to the American Express stage around 6:00 pm to stake out a spot on the grass. By that time, the crowd was getting dense and at a certain point the closest we could get was about 60 feet from the stage. We did have a great view of the screen and were right in front of one of the large speakers. Time does pass pretty quickly when you are in a high energy crowd. Before we knew it we could see all of the band members take the stage and hear the loud screams as Chappell is seen on the big screen. 

Her entire performance was monumental! This girl is twenty-five years old and bringing crowds the way Queen did in the 80s and 90s. She is bigger than I even realized. I can’t help but scream, sing, jump around and dance. Even though she only has one album out she plays all of her popular songs. It is easy to understand her hype, her talent is undeniable. At certain points I looked around at how big the crowd was and it was overwhelming. But it makes sense, there is something so relatable about her music, especially with the newer generations. There is a familiar feeling when you’re singing her lyrics on songs like “Casual” and “After Midnight”. 

I wished her hour-long set lasted just a little bit longer, but all good things must come to an end. She concludes her set with “Pink Pony Club”, and all of us are in sync with the lyrics. The song ends and the smoke from the fireworks dissipates. I looked over to my friend and we collectively agreed that it was one of the best performances we have ever seen. We could’ve rode that high longer but the immense crowd started exiting at a quick pace. In retrospect, I wish I never would’ve seen the aerial view of the crowd. Because imagining myself in that vast ocean of people sends me into a spiral. I somehow choreographed my way through the crowd and eventually found my partner. We contemplated watching Tyler the Creator or Sturgill Simpson. But unfortunately, work expected us the next day and it was well past my usual 9pm bedtime. 

Despite my few hiccups along the way, I really enjoyed ACL. Coming from someone who doesn't like crowds or people that much, I’m surprised I can genuinely say I had a great time. I lend that a lot to the experience that is ACL. I’ve lived in Austin for about 15 years now and I’ve seen festivals come and go but ACL remains an institution. It is comforting in a sense, we see a lot of great places in Austin close down because of the exhaustive tech driven companies and ever expanding population. So to have a festival that has been operating since 2002, continuing to bring great artists and local vendors, feels like the good parts of Austin are still alive. 

If you happen to attend ACL weekend two or any ACL in the future, I have some advice for you: bring something to sit on, have a refillable water bottle, and the money you think you will spend there, well double it just in case. 

Best of luck to all who fest!