Greetings from Austin, where the 6th annual Fun Fun Fun Fest is in full swing at Auditorium Shores, just across the 1st Street bridge from downtown. While this year's festival is far bigger and more ambitious than its previous incarnation at Waterloo Park, organizers have somehow managed to retain the same homegrown, down-to-earth feel, wiith a minimum of the corporate signage and outside influence that have come to plague some of Austin's better-known music festivals.
Also retained from the previous FFF's is the innovative double-stage design, which allows one band to setup while another plays nextdoor, resulting in a minimum of downtime for audiences. Unfortunately, it didn't prevent some of last night's bigger-name bands from exercising their right to manipulate the crowd by making them wait. And wait…
Below are some of last night's highlights:
Okkervil River, Orange Stage: One of Austin's homegrown success stories, I first saw these heartlfelt roots rockers at the 2nd FFF in 2007. Lead singer Will Sheff poured every last ounce of his spirit into last night's show, spinning and throwing around his acoustic around like Woody Guthrie. The crowd ate it up.
Reggie Watts, Yellow Stage: This was the first chance I've had to see Reggie up close and personal, and he did not disappoint. His unique act is part smart-ass comedy, part-music, beatboxing his way to brilliance like a less reverential Bobby McFerrin. And yet, no less impressive: in one jam, he somehow managed to merge trip hop, dub step and jazz fusion (see above.) Mindblowing.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Orange Stage: After overcoming some early sound issues, the band gave a typically emotive performance, led by the keening Alec Ounsworth on guitar and vox. With the Austin skyline shining through the back of the stage, it would have been easy to mistake the show for an ACL episode. Danzig Legacy, Black Stage: Despite having ample opportunity to set up during the Murder City Devils' set next door, Glenn Danzig's entourage took nearly 45 minutes to set up, making the crowd stand in complete darkness and cold. Worse, when he finally took the stage, Danzig's voice was completely shot, even off-tune. I'm sure the legions of Misfits and Samhain fans ate it up, but any outsider would have chalked it up to a complete disaster.
Public Enemy, Blue Stage: Showing they've still got it after 25 years, Chuck D and Flavor Flav tore through an hour-long set, their anger and righteousness undiminished. Indeed, they name-checked the Occupy Wall Street movement more than once – Austin has their own Occupy movement set up outside the City Hall – as if to say: It's about time you kids woke up. Or, as Chuck put it: "It's time for some Real Talk." By the end, the whole crowd had their fists in the air, willing recruits in the Terrordome – even if most of them were members of the Nation of Millions.
