This year was a little different since we now have Sophie. I knew she wouldn't be able to last all three days. It was either really warm or raining, plus my girl loves her naps. We decided to take her on Friday which was a less eventful day music wise, but we could still catch bits of The Afghan Whigs and Weezer.
So off we went! We headed down around 2pm Friday afternoon. The best way to get to the park is to drive to downtown, park, and then take the shuttle over. The city must use just about every single city bus, coach, and trolley because they know how to transport people. Luckily, it's only a 10 minute drive over, not sure Sophie could handle sitting on our laps for longer than that. I knew we would be in for a challenege since we decided not to bring a stroller, but we went about our adventure.
Then you arrive! It's very busy, tons of people and it made me nervous bringing a 1 year old. I have nightmares of her just walking off into a sea of thousands. I did bring a "leash" just in case. I don't think I would ever use a baby leash in my daily life but you just never know. However, my 1 year old is free as a bird and loves to run around and go everywhere you don't want her to so she did not favor the leash at all. She cried. And cried some more. The second we put it on her, she tried to make a mad dash but was stopped dead in her tracks. We decided to head over to get some food and then to the kiddie section. It was very warm that day and the kiddie section was nice and shaded. They even had a sand area that was completely shaded, with mist fans! Definitely the coolest spot in the whole park.
After some time at the kiddie area listening to kid songs, we needed some real rock and roll. We walked over to see The Afghan Whigs. I was not familiar with this band, but I could immediately tell it was a band that had been around for a while. I thought the music was great. I am partial to bands of the 60's, 70's and 80's so they were right up my alley.
After a bit of hanging around in the heat with a 1 year old who would not nap, we decided to head home earlier than expected, but we had a good time nonetheless. Sophie was a trooper that day and I was a super proud mom.
On Saturday, Mr. G and I headed back down to the festival by ourselves and it decided to rain. This was not the first time we experienced rain at ACL. In 2009, it rained all day one of the days we were there and it was a complete mudfest. This year wasn't as bad, but we did get soaked the second we walked into the park. We headed to Big Gigantic first, who defintiely had the younger crowd dancing. including Mr. G and myself. This group is more of a DJ so it was loud dance music, with thousands of people, dancing in the rain.
Our main reason for going to the festival that day was to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Mike and I have always loved Neil Young and his music will always be a memory of our relationship. Before Neil came on, we saw The Roots (the picture above). This group has been around for a while now and they put on a great performance. A mix between hip hop, R&B, funk and soul. One thing I love about ACL is the eclectic music choices. There is everything from country and indie, rock and hip hop, old and new. The Roots rocked for an hour long set and I was glad I got to experience their talent.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse (pictured above). I have never seen Neil play live before so I was excited to finally see him. I had a chance about two years ago, but unfortunately could not make the show and had to get rid of my tickets. I am not sure when the last time Neil played with Crazy Horse, but I know it has been a few years. They are coming out with a new album so they played a lot of new songs during the ACL performance. There were some classics in there such as Needle and the Damage Done, Hey Hey My My, Powderfinger, and Cinnamon Girl.
Mr. G and I snuck away half way through the performance to get a bite to eat and to check out Jack White on the other side of the park. We only caught his last song, but it was a goodie, Seven Nation Army. I am a huge Jack White fan and of The White Stripes, Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather. I've seen The Dead Weather twice now, once at ACL 2009 and then again a year later at Stubb's Austin. I don't often find newer bands that I really like and want all of their music, but The Dead Weather has been one of them. It ended up being a great evening.
Sunday ended up being a wash and we decided not to go down to the park. We had been up late the night before with Sophie so we were beat. I feel like an old lady these days, I am turning 30 after all. I kid, I kid, but next year I am only getting a day pass. Fortunately, Sophie will be free until she is 10! I can't wait to see who will be playing ACL 2013. Did anyone else make it this year? I would love to hear about your experiences!
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