Common consensus is ACL is having a hard time getting a real headliner and this will be the softest year yet. As the "Best Music Festivial of 2005" this is the time they step it up and cement themselves as a REAL festival with longevity, or define itself as a passing fling.
Tom Petty, Flaming Lips, John Mayer, Ben Harper and Son Volt is not going to cut it. Even if you add Radiohead to the list -- not there yet. Coldplay may be back -- but they played last year.
People are expecting someone NEW and amazing...and the safe money says it's not going to happen.
Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers and even Pearl Jam would be great new headliners, but none are available that weekend. Paul Simon or Bob Dylan should be available, and are about the best they can add at this point. But, is one of these enough "cement" ACL Fest?
The delayed line-up announcement date means they're sweating, and they should be.
Realistically, who could they add that will make this ACL's break-out year?
Radiohead will not be back, straight from the word of Bonnaroo, Radiohead, and Charles Attal.
Coldplay is also highly unlikely.
The Phish reunion is such a distant chance - I have no idea where any of the speak of it came about, I mentioned it in a dream realm somewhere on this board and now it's being mentioned like there's a serious chance of it happening.
However, I still won't fret, though it is a little saddening to see that some of the acts I'd like to see won't be there, but the festival has confidence in itself, is based on a television show of 30+ years of top-quality performers, etc. etc.
Just because they don't have some of the other festival's performers doesn't mean they're having a hard time, although they could be. It's not for any of us to know.
Basically, the festival will feature lots of predictable bands, bands heavily featured at the other festivals (Who couldn't have seen Bloc Party last year?) and will throw up some definite surprises. ACL will find several big acts that will set it apart from Lolla and Bonnaroo.
People on here (myself very much included) have been a little too speculative and excitable about who might be playing, which stresses us a bit too much and leads to people doing things like putting up "ACL Going to Choke in 2006" threads.
Each festival has it's own flavor. If you wait out the Announcement we'll see what it is. Last year's appealed to a lot of people, the same will go for this year. Just wait for the lineup, be it the 11th or the 18th, and we will see just what they've done for us this year.
I also think Radiohead could glue it all together...and ACL organizers should make them an interesting offer of some sort, if they dont wanna screw up this year.
No doubt, no matter what names end up on the artist roster. There will be countless people complaining on this board and other places about it. It is really easy to throw stones on the internet. So, that being said, let me throw some stones.
Come September, the festival will go over fine, just like the past four years.
The "ACL might choke" crowd does not represent the majority of attendees who will walk through the gates in September. Not even close, the overwhelming majority of ACL Festival fans are living their lives right now, not checking this blog, worrying about other things. They have better things to do than worry about who the headliner might be or complain that Tom Petty, Ben Harper, Flaming Lips, etc... alone are not good enough. Heck, I know a lot of people are are pretty excited about some of the names so far.
It is fun to speculate and discuss the Festival. But, some of you really need to look at this front a different point of view. If this festival does not measure up to your hopes; you can still go to other festivals, go to other shows, and most importantly, enjoy whatever is he we end up getting this year at ACL.
It was not that long ago that the bigger late Summer festival in Austin was AquaFest.
ahhhh...Aqua Fest!!! I thought I was the only true Austinite who remembers Aqua fest...mmm 7 days of music and carnival fun!!! All you needed was a skipper pin that was only about $7.00!!!! I miss those days, everyone who was anyone in Austin was at Aquafest!!!
Common consensus is based on water cooler talk at work and over the weekend with friends who are hearing the same banter elsewhere.
I forgot to mention that Shakira will be a "surprise" headliner. We just hope she's not a top-five. Talk about a dud.
Yes, the festival is good. And, it will sell out. But, the bar has been risen and this is a put-up or shut-up year. This is the year to land a huge line-up of power headliners. The spotlight is on ACL now. If the organizers don't, the following year will start a downward as oppossed to an upward trend in status as a legit WW fest.
I agree with Kwame. I really do think ACL is struggling behind the scenes with getting a solid lineup. DON'T GET ME WRONG...Tom Petty, New Pornographers, Flaming Lips, etc. are some great bands, but compared with the other festivals, I'm not getting a warm fuzzy that the lineup will be as good as last year's.
If they DO want to continue the trend as THE festival, regardless of how well run the operation is...and it is VERY well run...they are really going to have to produce a solid lineup. The bar has been set high....but I only purchased tickets last year BECAUSE of the lineup.
When tix went on sale this year...thinking that this was THE festival, I purchased. Were the promoters thinking the same thing?
They'll sell based on the buzz from last year and then hold off as long as they can before announcing a lackluster lineup.
I REALLY hope I'm wrong, since I've already laid out quite a bit of coin for this festival (not to mention the anticipated travel expenses).
I hope they are holding back as they arrange a KNOCKOUT lineup that NO ONE can touch...but I'm afraid it won't be....
There are people out there (like myself and my friends who've traveled the 1600+ miles to attend the past two years) who go for the 2nd and 3rd tier bands. I really could care less about the headliners. I like the stages where you can easily get close to see the bands. We've almost always left before the "headliner" plays or while they are playing (which is a great way to make that walk after a long, hot day)!
I agree with eddie and Nikolai- Im flying from Chicago, and i guarantee its not to see coldplay (Know how I know youre gay? You listen to coldplay.) or the frikking dmb, or even pearl jam. I would check out phish if they did reunite, but im not going to lose sleep over it. Shit I paid 402 dollars for round trip airfare, 4 nights hotel, and a 3 day pass. Im not gonna bitch about missing dave matthews. In fact I cant stand that prick with his 100 dollar tickets, at least for shows near chicago. See yall in Sep.
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