The Paw Print

than just the shoes off your feet

by Rebecca, Managing Editor

It might just be every kid’s dream to see their favorite band play live on stage. The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival attracts teenagers that are dying to hear their favorite band by waiting in a long line for a wrist band and surviving the torrential rain that beat downtown Austin to a mud pie.

“I couldn’t even believe that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were playing live! “It was totally awesome,” commented a teenager at the festival.

The ACL Fest sets up stages and brings in international bands and songwriters to Zilker Park every late September or early October. The most popular bands were the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The B-52’s, Pearl Jam, Spearhead and Toadies.

One of the best parts of the festival is the lights! The sky is filled with a light show that can be seen from miles away. People of all ages dance and sing to the music. When the bands finish up, the crowds scramble out to the charter buses to head back to the parking lots.

“I was amazed at how many people actually got up and started dancing to the music,” said a cashier at a food booth. The second day of the ACL Fest was horrible! It rained and thundered all day creating loads of smelly mud because of the dillo dirt that paved the seating areas. If you were wearing flip-flops, you ended up bare-footed by the end of the night.

Sunday was the worst day to be at the festival—lots of trash left by inconsiderate concert seekers, half-eaten food, gnats and loads of muddy shoes. There was even a size 12 shoe covered in mud and lying in the trash bin.

“It was disgusting! I hope next time they look at the weather forecast,” said Larunce, a man who attended the ACL.

But don’t let the weather stop you from coming to an ACL Festival at least once. The best part is the music, which grips ACL fans every year.