Starting way before the whispers of a line-up have begun, Austin City Limits is already selling tickets. Loyal customers blindly buy three-day passes, banking on the consistent line-up delivery each year. In its 10th year, the Live Music Capitol of the World’s festival has risen to prominence and can easily stand its own against classics like Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. Featuring legendary acts and indie darlings side-by-side, this year’s line-up, Friday-Sunday, October 8th-10th, went unmarred by last year’s cancellations and downpour.
The Mountain Goats (2 – 3 p.m., Budweiser Stage)
Bands like the Mountain Goats always have their stock following of loyal fans that crowd their way to the front and could confidently scream the lyrics to every B-side and leaked release, but as I gleefully pushed my way through the crowd I heard several groups of those who, by fate, ended up in front of Budweiser Stage that day. Their commentary was the same, “I thought these were young guys…”
If you are unfamiliar with the Mountain Goats’ stellar 19-year run, it would be an easy mistake to make. John Darnielle lead his band with the same gusto and energy that he is known for, taking to the stage barefoot and eager to entertain. The set evenly displayed work from each stage of their career, and even introduced some new material into the 
mix. They covered their bases with well-known tracks from their better-known albums Sunset Tree and Tallahassee, but during Darnielle’s customary solo set he ventured fearlessly into unreleased material, acknowledging that he could lose some of the crowd. After a precursory warning that he could forget the words, he, well, actually forgot the words. Cue aforementioned loyal fan. An emphatic woman clinging onto the stage barrier screamed the line without hesitation, and an unembarrassed Darnielle continued with the song without a second thought.
It is this kind of humility that shows in the Goats’ songs and gave them their longevity. The set was both nostalgic and adventurous, and was a great comeback from a largely retired touring band.
The Black Keys (4 – 5p.m., AMD Stage)
The Black Keys may be a duo, but their sound emits with the force of an army. Known for unrelenting live sets, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney returned to Zilker Park for their second ACL appearance. Much like their 2008 appearance followed on the heels of Attack & Release (QRO review), Black Keys came ready with new tracks from their increasingly popular latest album, Brothers (QRO review). While they may be getting MTV time, their impending wide reception leaves the band with the same raw sound they’ve always had. Brothers single “Tighten Up” was played early in the set complete with able whistling from Auerbach, followed by new classics like “Your Touch” and “Strange Times”.
Auerbach and Carney have a kind of authenticity to their live sound that is hard to 
translate even to their hard-hitting studio tracks. Not only is their performance quality unaffected by burgeoning popularity, but also even the staunchest of music snobs that Austin is infamous for seemed unaffected by a lightly bigger crowd at the AMD Stage.
Beach House (5 – 6p.m., Honda Stage)
Lush sounds from Beach House were best enjoyed on the hill that sloped down towards the Honda Stage. The sun was still shining down on the mild afternoon, and normally antagonistic and wired crowds seemed to dissipate into a mutually blissful group as the sun faded from blazing to a gentle sunset. Fresh off of a summer of touring to promote their third album Teen Dream (QRO review – eat your heart out, Katy Perry), Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have perfected a set list largely comprised of their new material.
Legrand’s husky vocals rang out over an intentionally fuzzy organ-guitar mixture, crooning the crowd to submission despite the raucous sets on the surrounding stages. Beach House’s success in a festival 
setting was largely speculated upon, but the band pushed through doubts that the sound would fall short. Legrand proclaimed her gratitude for the crowd saying toward the end of the lovingly crafted set, “You are the most loving, patient happy people.”
Sonic Youth (7 – 8p.m., Honda Stage)
Contrasting their Honda Stage predecessors, Sonic Youth stormed the stage with an arsenal of guitars and effects pedals. If the Beach House set was something to be enjoyed while relaxing, Sonic Youth was an instance calling for front row, uninhibited rocking.
After canceling their appearance at last year’s ACL festival, Sonic Youth’s show was even more anticipated. The crowd was a hodgepodge of personalities, ranging from the younger generation of listeners (probably sold by the band’s reference in Juno) to a considerable older crowd. Thurston Moore traded off vocals with the 
‘First Lady of Indie Rock’ Kim Gordon, but never really made it out of the gate on many songs. But for any fan of Sonic Youth, the insightful lyrics were never the draw. The guitar hammering started early in the set and bled from one song to the next without pause. The only slight break for any of the band members was when stagehands rushed them their next guitar to abuse.
The Strokes (8 – 9:30p.m., AMD Stage)
If there was a Sonic Youth for the generation that dominated Zilker Park for ACL it would be Julian Casablancas and his infamous crew. Not that the sound is even remotely similar, but the level of nostalgia for the preceding generations has a similar quality of generational unity. That being said, The Strokes waxed nostalgic, cutting back into their catalogue for earlier hits.
The Strokes played with their characteristic swagger and snark, but also a practiced sound from a summer of playing comparable large sound venues. From the epically jammed “New York City Girls” to the steady and persistent “12:51”, Casablancas, Fabrizio Maretti, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, and Nick Valensi exhibited their legend status for the ACL crowds. Any band that can play a set list that would listen like a greatest hits compilation is sure to have at least a satisfying show cut out for them, but the band pushed it over the edge with their unrivaled energy. Plus, they played a snippet of the Hellcats theme song, which can never hurt. Flouting the encore tradition, the Strokes pushed through their set until 10p.m., and Casablancas noted that the tradition seemed excessive.
“We know we’re supposed to go off-stage and do a fake encore, but fuck that, we’re just going to keep on playing.”
