If you were following me here, I am sure you thought I had disappeared forever. As I mentioned in one of my last posts, I had horrible back pain after attending (and jumping around at) a Spearhead concert last November. Well all is great now! I had back surgery and if this was MD blog I would go into details on great it was but thankfully it’s not, so I don’t relive that experience again. I have not seen a live show since last year which is one of the longest droughts I’ve had since seeing Van Halen in 1984. It would be apropos if I was to announce I was seeing Diamond Dave and little Wolfgang playing but I haven’t looked into those dates yet. But I am starting my year or I guess I should say ending it, by going to Austin to check out a weekend’s worth of live music for this year’s annual Austin City Limits Festival.

Since it was announced I haven’t been that crazy about the line-up which is headed by Bob Dylan, Björk, The White Stripes, The Killers, Wilco & Arcade Fire. On paper it doesn’t look like it has the diversity that other years have had. I went in 2003, 04 and 05, missed last year and the first one. This year it seems like there are lot of young indie- type bands without the experience. For instance Rodrigo y Gabriela (who I first discovered through NPR) have canceled due to to exhaustion. They are being replaced by Common, which I don’t know his music but I am glad cause it does diversify the festival a bit by adding some hip-hop, but by accident. Of course it’s widely known that although she sang that she didn’t want to go-go-go Amy Winehouse has finally gone into Rehab so she will n longer be a part of the bill. Also another example of lack of lengthy experience of the performers, the band Sound Team a relatively young band are breaking up after this show.

There are only a few artists on the bill with longevity to their careers, such as Lucinda Wiliams, Steve Earle and of course Dylan are among the few big name acts that fit in this category. I shouldn’t really complain I get to see my favorite band Yo La Tengo (who I would say fit in the long career group) within the same day as my favorite solo artist Bob Dylan. So, yes I am changing my tone and getting psyched since it is just a few days away and I have some great after-shows lined up as well. We’re seeing Stephen Marley and Zap Mama on Friday night at Emo’s. My buddy Joe who is a die-hard Drive-By Truckers fan wants to stop in at Club 155 and see Patterson Hood before we head over. We were keeping Saturday night open, as nothing was screaming out to us until it was announced last Friday that Dylan would be playing Stubb’s BBQ. A spot that people speculated would be Wilco or My Mornign Jacket. We were so excited that all of us bought tickets without consulting each other first so we have a couple extra. I am suprised it took an afternoon for Bob to sell a 1000 tickets in a pre-sale, if it were the east coast it would have been less than 10 minutes to sell out 2,100 capacity venue. Now we don’t have to decide between Arcade Fire & White Stripes, makes that choice helluva lot easier. On Sunday after we see Dylan for a second time (as the headliner) we’ll head back into town to The Parish and check out Porter Batiste Stoltz of the Meters to end our weekend bash.

If you’re a newbie and looking for some tips here’s my lowdown on some basic stuff you should know. Once you get your wrist-band resist the urge to take it off after you leave the first night, you will need to wear it for the 3-days. So if you have an OCD issue, this will be the place to get over it or you’ll be buying another ticket. A trip mid day to the Barton Springs pool is key to keeping yourself cool. Food at the festival is a little pricey but not as high as other festivals. There is a pretty good variety if your not a vegetarian. We stopped at a good Mexican restaurant downtown for lunch the first year we went. We rent bicylces while in Austin as the trek from the festival grounds to town is a couple miles.

Things you should have: Sun block & sunglasses as the sun is brutal in Austin. A cell-phone to get in contact with your friends. Your ACL Pass/Cash/CCs: If you purchased tickets to events don’t forget to bring that credit card. Something to sit on, the grounds are huge so there is a lot of walking involved. I bring a Neat Sheet, it’s like a beach blanket, which you can buy at a drug store. You can bring a chair, but you can’t, or I should say your not supposed to, bring it up close to the two main stages.

Shorts and T-Shirts for the day! I bring at least 1 extra shirt with me a day because the ride over can get sweaty. You can buy shirts there too if you run out. I highly recommend bringing a bathing suit, to go swimming at the hotel or at Barton Springs pool. A ziplock bag to keep your damp bathing suit in. Depending upon the weather you might need another pair of shoes, or not. Last time I was there they were a dusty a mess at the end but I only brought one pair. In 2003 they got pretty muddy from the scattered T-storms all weekend. If your balding (or bald like me) you may need a hat or you can purchase one from a large variety of vendors at the festival. One thing I have to remind myself is to not to jump up and down at shows anymore. I’ll be back next week with a full report, no pun intended.