I’ve never been a big music festival goer but living in the same town as one of the biggest and best music festivals means you have to go at least once. This was my third time, and boy was it the charm!

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2018 – Zilker Park, Austin, Texas

The brightly colored ACL flags are perfect meeting points. This many people means cell networks get overloaded and old school planning comes in handy.

Old school meet up plan, meet iphone markup.

 

I SAW PAUL MCCARTNEY

This was the highlight of the day. (So I only got a day pass, what – it still counts.) I don’t even consider myself a huge Beatles fan but when Paul and the band opened with a loud, energetic “It’s been a hard day’s night” the crowd went wild, including me, and I spent most of the rest of the time dancing like a maniac, eyes closed, pretending it was the Beatlemania of the 60’s and that I was 18, and in love with them all.

Do you know how old Paul is? He’s 76. Seventy-six years old and still puts on an amazing show!

That’s older than my dad.

But my dad can swing down an entire row of the monkey bars, so I guess they’re even.

Paul also played some of his own stuff and some Wings songs but nothing beats the entire crowd belting out “Hey Jude” or singing along with “Obladi Oblada” at the top of their lungs.

I saw one of the last living Beatles in concert. It was amazing.

Goose-bump inducing fireworks while Paul played Live and Let Die

RUNNER UP

David Byrne.  I didn’t even know I knew that many Talking Heads songs! And the whole time I was surprised that he played any of them.  I don’t know why I thought he’d just play his solo stuff. But I was glad he didn’t!

Lots of great choreography despite it looking partially like he might be doing some physical therapy exercises. I guess he’s a busy guy – two birds, one stone and all that.

Truly though, his voice. It sounded EXACTLY the same. I’m super impressed.

OTHER BANDS

Lily Allen. I was excited about her but maybe she was having a really bad day.  Her performance was so lackluster I can’t even bring myself to finish…this..sente…

Krissy and I spent most of Lily Allen’s set taking pictures of ourselves.

 

The National. Low key by nature, not cause they hatecha? They sounded good, but maybe a little too much like their albums? So chill I wanted to curl up in bed and mourn. The most exciting moment was when Matt Berninger stopped singing to point out someone in the audience and ask for a medic. The guy was okay though, so it’s all good.

Festival-ing with our friends Jim and Krissy (taking photo), who were in town from NYC.

 

I’ll end with a public service announcement brought to you by Krissy.

 

The little toggle wristbands they give you?

Once you tighten them they can’t be un-tightened but they CAN be re-tightened.

So if you have fidgety hands, please, please for the love of all the free-flowing blood in your body, find something else to play with. Or this could be you.

Thank goodness it was just a day pass.