After a great night's rest, we were at it again. Saturday, September 27th at the Austin City Limits Music Festival featured a slew of acts that we had never experienced live before, and also a few favorites that always provide a good time. Fleet Foxes, The Fratellis, Bavu Blakes, Jose Gonzalez, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, CSS, Man Man, Erykah Badu, Spiritualized, John Fogerty, Yonder Mountain String Band, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Beck all played a part in providing the soundtrack for our day's events. Later that night, we found ourselves on Austin's famed 6th Street jumping from Man Man's aftershow at Emo's Outdoor to the Parish Room for our most highly anticipated set of the weekend, the Band Of Horses 'secret' show.

Read more about the day and watch a bunch of videos after the jump

We arrived in perfect time, just at the start of Fleet Foxes' 12:30 set on the AMD stage. As we have mentioned before on this blog, we were extremely disappointed to have missed their set earlier in the year when they played at one of Houston's smaller indoor venues. After absorbing their material throughout the year, we grew to love the harmonious bearded Seattleites even more. When ACL announced their initial line-up, the Fleet Foxes were not included among the names on the list. Due to some shifting in the schedule and artist cancellations, however, the band was fortunate enough to land one of the largest gigs of its young career. Their Beach Boys-like jams were a perfect way to ease into a toasty day at Zilker Park.

Fleet Foxes chose to begin their set with "Sun Giant," the song that also opens their heavily-blogged EP of the same name. In between songs, lead guitarist and vocalist Robin Pecknold shared some flippant banter with drummer J Tillman, which served as a nice change of pace from the somber vocal ballads they have become known for. The rollicking "Ragged Wood" was an early set highlight, putting smiles on the afternoon show-goers' faces; "White Winter Hymnal" made the crowd feel, if only for a moment, like it wasn't 92 degrees out. The standout moment of the set came when the rest of the Foxes left Pecknold alone, armed with only a guitar, for a cover of Judee Sill's "Crayon Angels" followed by a crowd-hushing version of "Oliver James." The set ended with the piano-heavy "Blue Ridge Mountains" followed by the tambourine-infused campfire tune "Mykonos." It was an impressive set full of the songs BOT has had in heavy rotation for quite some time. Our only gripe is their show is more geared to one of the smaller, more intimate stages rather than the enormous AMD main stage. Although the Fleet Foxes made several references to not really fitting well in the festival atmosphere, it seemed like they won over many new fans after finishing their early afternoon set.

Fleet Foxes - "Oliver James"

After the Fleet Foxes, we swung over to check out Scottish indie rockers The Fratellis. Cereal has been a moderate fan of their studio work over the past couple of years, but we just weren't feeling their set at ACL. We gave them a couple of songs, then wandered over to the Austin Ventures stage to see what Bavu Blakes & the Extra Plairs were up to.

Blakes and a fellow MC made their entrances wearing a Barack Obama mask and a Hillary Clinton mask, respectively, then launched into their hip-hop assault. Backed by a jazzy/funky soundtrack provided by the band, the two MCs laid down their brand of intelligent rhymes. Then something unexpected happened: the group covered Katy Perry's ode to experimentation "I Kissed a Girl," with Blakes taking care of vocal duties. It was, without a doubt, the oddest cover we heard all weekend. The rest of the set veered more into traditional hip-hop fare; a clear highlight was the re-worked version of "Overnight," one of Cereal's favorites from Blakes' 2003 release Create & Hustle.

Bavu Blakes & The Extra Plairs - "I Kissed a Girl"

Several of our friends had been excited about Jose Gonzalez's ACL set, so we left Bavu Blakes a little early to venture over to the Dell stage. Unfortunately, we were only able to catch the last song of Gonzalez's set. Fortunately, it was his wonderfully beautiful cover of Massive Attack's "Teardrop." This song has been covered pretty extensively by other artists, but we've never been so impressed as were by Gonzalez's version. Just lovely.

We'd been hearing consistently great reviews of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' live shows, so our next goal was to check out their set. The Dap-Kings, who in the past few years have become one of the world's premier backing bands, took the stage and immediately started funking up the crowd. After playing through a couple of tight numbers, Ms. Jones herself emerged to the delight of the audience. Sharon Jones was simply meant to entertain. Throughout the show, while wowing us with her vocals, she took the time to show off her dance skills. Halfway through her set, she invited Nakia (of Nakia & His Southern Cousins) to come down and join her on stage. Jones was already dancing away, so Reynosa took the opportunity to demonstrate some of his own skills while Jones sang her heart out to him. It was the absolute highlight of the set as everybody in the crowd laughed and danced along. We were pleasantly surprised that their show was so delightfully entertaining, and because of that it landed a spot among our favorite sets from the entire weekend.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - "Let Them Knock"

We left Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings a little early to head over to the Austin Kiddie Limits stage to find out who would be making an appearance as the scheduled 'special guest'. We were hoping that it might be a high profile artist like Beck or Robert Plant, while everybody else in the area had their own ideas about who it might be. After making our way to the stage, it turned out be a bust with several members from the different kids acts playing an improvised set for the children, instead of a bigger special guest like last year with Ziggy Marley. We knew that Brazilian electro-pop freaks CSS were only about ten minutes from starting at the AT&T Blue Room stage, so we stopped at the mister fan in the sand to cool down, and then headed into the crowd for a better view. It only took about five minutes to realize that CSS were just not that good. Like M.I.A. last year, CSS are a novelty act that are still grasping on to their fifteen minutes of fame from the iPod touch commercial months ago. We were hoping that they would be better since we've generally been amused by their studio work...maybe it was the heat, or the crowded stage, or the onstage cameltoe, but they just didn't do it for us that day. This worked out nicely from a scheduling standpoint, because Man Man - who occupied a high position on BOT's must-see list - had just taken the stage across the park.

CSS - Jager Yoga

Dressed in all white (perhaps they'd taken cues from David Byrne the day before?) and tagged with white face paint, Man Man ruled the Dell stage with such vigor that passersby stopped in their tracks just to see what was going on onstage. They opened with the kooky "Engrish Bwudd" and had the crowd screaming "fee fie foe fum" right along with them. While keys are his main instrument, frontman Honus Honus commanded the stage (and sometimes the photo pit) using everything he could as an instrument. Other members Sergei Sogay, Critter Crat, Pow Pow and Chang Wang also used an array of percussive instruments to achieve their signature "viking-vaudeville, manic gypsy jazz" sound. The set came to a peak after a frenetic version of "The Ballad Of Butterbeans," when they played through the rambunctious, circus-inspired "Black Mission Goggles" that found the crowd throwing their fists in the air to the beat. Our bellies were rumbling, so instead of seeing the last few songs we made a trek over to "Austin Eats" to enjoy one of the many delicious local offerings.

Man Man - "Black Mission Goggles"

With full stomachs, we headed back over to catch the beginning of Erykah Badu's set. It started a little later than scheduled, apparently due to some sound issues. After pounding the massive crowd's ears with bass, the stage crews finally figured things out, which quickly led to Ms. Badu filling the air with her undeniable vocal presence. Erykah Badu recently made our front page after joining BOT favorite My Morning Jacket onstage in Dallas for her own "Tyrone." We were excited to see her for the first time, but since we knew we'd see her again in October at the Voodoo Music Experience, we weren't terribly interested in getting too far into the mix, instead opting to enjoy her set from a distance. After meeting up with some friends, and having a much needed beer in the shade, we socialized to the soundtrack she was providing. Standouts from the set included "The Healer," "Apple Tree," "Love Of My Life" and an MMJ-dedicated "Tyrone" followed by "Honey" to closed out her shortened set. We gathered our belongings and took the quick walk over to the Dell stage where English psych-rockers Spiritualized were set to take the stage.

Following the same route that we'd used the previous day, we stationed ourselves on the left side of the Dell stage, hugging up close to the speaker. As soon as Spiritualized started their set, however, we were forced to move back a bit, or our ears might have exploded. It was easily the loudest moment of all three days. After an intro of "Amazing Grace," they opened with the the rocker "You Lie, You Cheat" from this year's Songs In A&E, and it was obvious that the uninitiated among the audience were quite confused at what they were hearing. After having a laugh at the mass exodus of 40+ year old couples expecting something different, we got involved in the spacey tune "Cheapster." "Soul on Fire," another tune from Songs in A&E, came next and sent us into a rapturous tizzy because we've been singing that song in the shower regularly since we bought the album. Lead spaceman Jason Pierce led the band through the noisiest (in a good way), most soulful set of music we had heard yet that weekend, and it made us float away into the sonic textures for the next 45 minutes. The show ended with a strong version of "Come Together" off of their 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, which we heard on our way to possibly catch MGMT's set-ender across the field.

Spiritualized - "Cheapster"

Unfortunately, the last notes of MGMT finished a soon as we made it within earshot, but on the positive side John Fogerty was set to start in only a few minutes. The man responsible for so many classic songs with Creedence Clearwater Revival took the stage with a true-to-form version of their "Traveling Band." Soon it turned into a greatest hits set, with Fogerty and his band playing through "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River" and "Lookin' Out My Backdoor." Our highlight came early with "Born On The Bayou," which found the extended Breakfast On Tour crew singing along joyfully. Knowing that Yonder Mountain String Band were set to perform in the chair-filled, hard-to-get-into Wamu Tent, we decided to head over after "Midnight Special" to get a good spot.

We were glad that we made it to Yonder Mountain String Band's set early since the tent had already started to fill up. We headed towards the middle of the crowd, but soon found that moving space was quite limited. Shortly after we squeezed in towards the front, Yonder took the stage to the roar of the packed tent. Possibly because the festival is located in the hill country of Texas, Yonder opened up their rowdy set with the fitting "Hill Country Girl," followed by an equally clamorous "Left Me In A Hole." Demonstrating their comfort with varying genres, they threw in a cover of "Death Trip" made famous by punk legends The Stooges. "Mother's Only Son" showed why they fit into the jamband category, with an improvisational instrumental break that lasted a good ten minutes before bassist Ben Kaufmann brought it back to finish the song's vocals. The set ended with "Boatman," which found the patrons in the tent kicking up the biggest dust storm of the weekend. After YMSB finished, the crowd screamed for more, but were soon denied by a stage crewman that came on stage shaking his head to indicate they were all finished. As any true Yonder fan can tell you, 45 minutes is not even long enough for their first set. The boys were just getting started, and by the time everybody worked up a sweat, they were done. Hopefully I get my full YMSB fix as soon as possible.

Yonder Mountain String Band - "Fingerprint"

Going into the Yonder show, we had told ourselves that half-way through we would make it over to see the last part half of Iron & Wine's set. That obviously didn't happen, but what came next was the tough decision between competing headliners Robert Plant & Alison Krauss at the AMD stage and Beck across the field at the AT&T stage. We chose to first go see what Plant & Krauss had to offer (admittedly, primarily so we could say we saw Plant live) and then finish with Beck. After catching a bluesy, slowed down version of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog," and trying to fight the crowds leaving due to the fact that "it's not Zeppelin, man," we headed across the field where Beck was inciting a dance party.

"Que Onda Guero" was the first song we caught (we found out later that we missed the "Loser" opener), which drew us closer to the stage. Backed by a four piece band, Beck made his way through several songs that spanned his entire career. It was great to see that many of the new songs from this year's Danger Mouse-produced LP Modern Guilt fit very well in the live setting. Halfway through the show, the band members donned headsets and joined Beck towards the front of the stage, then played through quite possibly the funkiest moment of the weekend with two songs off of 2006's Guero, "Hell Yes" and "Black Tambourine." We danced our way closer and closer to the stage with every beat Beck put out. The most memorable moment of the show for us was when they jumped into the classic "Where It's At," which found the entire audience screaming "I got two turntables and a microphone!" back at the stage. A cover of Bob Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" came next, but it was the smoking set-ender "E-Pro" that made the crowd want more. Beck left the stage with fifteen minutes remaining in his scheduled set, making most fans anticipate an encore. Beck never did return to the stage, which definitely made a few people unhappy, but I left his set completely impressed with what he brings to the table live. Knowing that we had to get downtown to catch Man Man at Emo's, we headed swiftly towards the exit.

Beck - "Hell Yes" and "Black Tambourine"

On the way towards our car we were treated to an impromptu set from Austinites Rattletree Marimba, whom we've covered for the site previously, which found the headier festival goers dancing around to the bouncy tunes they were emitting. After browsing through the street vendors' offerings (anyone else notice that the glass pushers under that big white tent looked ridiculously happy to be selling pipes?), we made it back to the car and headed downtown and to Emo's.

Rattletree Marimba

Man Man were still setting up when we entered, and we used that time to get ourselves refreshed with a bathroom and bar break. Unfortunately, the sound man was stoned or something because he found it necessary to play through Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll Part 2 (The Hey Song)" about twenty times. In a row. That was by far the worst part of our day, and we would like to take this opportunity to address whatever stupid fucker responsible: We hate your face. Anyway, Man Man came on to a very raucous crowd that consisted of many odd looking folk, including a guy in a banana costume. They played through several favorites including "Mr. Jung Stuffed," "Hurly/Burly," and my favorite of the night "Banana Ghost." We knew our time was limited, so while Man Man were finishing their set, we headed up the street to where Band of Horses were almost set to take the tiny stage at the Parish Room.

Man Man - "Mr. Jung Stuffed"

We were tired, and surrounded by a huge group of people that were way too clean for a summer festival late-night show. We really didn't care, though, because all we had was Band of Horses on the brain. Bill Murray was in the room, so was Beck, and apparently Robert Plant was also lurking around somewhere in the shadows. All of that didn't matter because we were too focused on BoH to even notice. They came out strong with "The Great Salt Lake" and soon led into "Is There a Ghost." The crowd was mixed, with half extremely attentive and the other half extremely drunk. We found out quickly that this mix of people doesn't produce optimal results, as much of the crowd remained aggressive/belligerent throughout the night. Lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Bridwell didn't seem to notice, however.

It appeared to be a fun night for the entire band; they made their joy known throughout the evening with random woohoo!s and crowd high-fives in between songs. The intensity and passion behind "The Funeral" were almost enough to bring the audience to tears, while "Ode To LRC" was another distinctive highlight. They even treated us to a few of their new songs, with "Why You Never Get Older" featuring keyboardist Ryan Monroe taking a stab at the vocal work. A fan-requested cover of J.J. Cale's "Thirteen Days" generated so much crowd stomping that we were sure we'd all fall through to the Roux restaurant/bar just below. The set finished with a crowd-rousing version of "The General Specific," which led into a "fake encore" and then our highlight of the show, a quick version of the rarely played "Our Swords," which found Bridwell playing a bass, matching his skills with the cowboy hat-sporting bassist Bill Reynolds. When the show ended at 1:30am, everyone made their way out the door, free event poster in hand, beaming happily at having just witnessed an extremely intimate Band of Horses show.

Band of Horses - "The Great Salt Lake"

Band of Horses - "Why You Never Get Older"

Band of Horses - "The General Specific"

Band of Horses - "Our Swords"

Sunday would bring another full festival day, so after stopping for a couple of heaping slices of pizza, we headed back to the hotel. After taking the best showers of our lives we quickly jumped in bed, still smiling from the final show of the night.

Check out our other ACL 2008 reviews:
Friday
Sunday

-Eggs