I already knew on the morning of Day Three of Austin City Limits that I was going to have a big case of post-vacation blues when if was over. The whole experience of spending time with my family, watching amazing shows (some of which I never thought I would ever see), and relishing the opportunity to relax in the VIP Grove couldn’t have been better or come at a more opportune time. Just as I was starting to get a little burnt out from going from owning a business to going to the Olympics to moving and immediately starting another job, this magical little music festival popped into my life and rejuvenated my spirit. But it is also going to leave me a little sad to go home! Although Denver, you still have my heart.
My parents hit up my sister’s golf tournament in the morning, which coincidentally happened to be 30min away on the same weekend, so I sent my mom a picture of my outfit before Josh and I head out via Uber for the day. My sister and I never wanted to match her or each other when we were little, so she’s always very sensitive about not wearing similar outfits. More duck boots, but less pants since it was hot again.
Josh and I really wanted to make sure to get there before MØ since we love her and can’t stop listening to her Spice Girls “Say You’ll Be There” cover. And OMG SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT! What. A. Rock. Star. Her voice is flawless, her band is the epitome of cool, she crowd surfed, and she threw a beer into the crowd. Also I’m totally jealous of her ability to rock a crop top, Everlast sweats, and a scrunchie.
This is what MØ looks like crowd surfing:
Overall, Day Three was solid. We had seen KONGOS at Red Rocks with Young the Giant and actually had a chance to chat with them a bit. Super nice dudes who are also super talented. Honestly, they’re good on the radio, but I like them much better live. Fitz & the Tantrums was another highlight. I forgot how many of their songs I love! The whole crowd was dancing, the sound was incredible, and I got to hop around to MoneyGrabber so I couldn’t have really have asked for much more. Plus I realized that Michael Fitzpatrick is basically Robert Downey Jr. as a rock star.
We actually got to sit in the grass a little for Phantogram (awesome) before heading over to dance at Chromeo. Both solid sets. Then we grabbed a little food before coming back for Lorde and I must say, while I really like her music, she was even better live. And – I mean this in the best way possible – she looked much less weird on stage than she looks on some TV performances. Her movements really accentuated her music and the lighting and her outfits just looked so darn cool. She was also genuinely grateful for everything that has happened to her, I hope she continues to do well.
All the ACL Day Three acts we caught:
The night ended with us walking around on the outskirts listening to both Pearl Jam and Calvin Harris from the Outskirts while following the Drunk Tower Girl saga. This girl in a bikini top climbed the “capital” tower in the middle of the festival, proceeded to dance around several stories up, and then realized she couldn’t get down. The police kept the crowd back until they were able to bring a ladder tall enough to get her down – about 30min later – but when they put it up she panicked, finally managed to climb down, and tried to escape before being cornered and handcuffed. In my Sheldon Cooper-ness I really needed to see her get arrested, so I made my family wait around until I was certain that the handcuffs were on.
The verdict: Austin City Limits is pretty awesome. We’re already planning our trip for next year!
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