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Take It to the Limit: Austin City Limits Music Festival Part 1
I got to the Austin Airport after work Thursday night. Since the other boys were having to stay in Dallas until Owen's (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
murphy) flight came in, I was the only one who could pick up Jeff (jeffbear63) who was coming in from Denver. As I entered the airport, I looked around, but Jeff's flight hadn't come in. Still, you could tell that the airport was full of people coming to the festival, and by the looks of it, it was going to be a great week for people watching.
(I can't wait for Chris to get his galleries up, because he has several pics of hotties at the festival)
Jeff and I had time to talk, getting to know each other. I had met Jeff briefly in Tucson, and when he had visited Matty in Dallas, but here we had time to check into the hotel, and head down to Mojo's for a Chai and some internet time. Luckily Randy showed me where Mojo's was...so it wasn't hard to get there, plus I got to show Jeff some of the downtown Austin sights.
Matty (mattycub), Sean (schnitz_mi), Chris (oakleycub) and Owen arrived around 2am in Matty's car. Jeff and I had already grabbed the rooms, and one we already knew had an annoying, chirping smoke detector. The plan was that the couples would get the beds, the singles would get the couches, but due to some foul-ups with the reservations, one of the rooms was big...an entire apartment, with two beds, one upstairs, and a murphy bed downstairs (which would have been so appropriate for Owen). So we got the hotel staff to fix the smoke detector, and the couples, Matty and Jeff, and Chris and I took the apartment. Luckily I had already claimed the upstairs bed (which wasn't that good, really). the singles, Owen and Sean, took the other room. We dropped off to bed.
Friday the sun shown into our room brightly. Chris and I were stirring before Matty and Jeff below, so we got going quietly, and then i noticed how narrow the shower was - not big enough for two, and when you stepped into it, it creaked, loudly. I made myself known, for sure. After the shower, I decided that today was a good day for the kilt. After putting on a shirt, and stuffing a pair of underwear in the pocket "just in case", I wrapped the heavy, brown garment around me and worked on all of the buttons.
Already I could tell this was going to be different. I powdered my thighs, and put on my shoes. Jeff hopped upstairs and I'm pretty sure I flashed him. Chris seemed to approve. I felt weird. After putting on a lot of sunscreen, and getting the rest of the crew together, we headed out to IHOP. Yep, there's nothing better than to walk into a pancake joint with a kilt on. You quickly learn how to sit properly.
Afterwards, we hopped in our cars to go to the shuttle stop. We had to find which of the several parking garages marked on the "official" map, was actually open. We had thought we were lucky for a while, but realized that the State of Texas lots were still being used for the days business. We found the right lot, then walked the 5 blocks to the shuttles. There was already a line there, immediately foreshadowing the large crowds to come. I also enjoyed a first trip to the porta-john, finding how easy it was to piss with a kilt. There's one advantage.
The crowd was already growing at the festival site. The slowness of the shuttle through city traffic caused us to miss The Killers. The next act we wanted to see was Rosanne Cash, so we had an hour to get to know the lay of the land. It was a large park, it was lightly hilly, and the ground was really dry. There were few trees, and lots of open space, under the 95 degree sun. Already there was a mistake in how I started the day, no, not the kilt, it was breakfast.
Let's look at a few first-day mistakes. 1. Heavy Breakfast. 2. not bringing, and drinking enough water in the heat of the day. 3. Not having a blanket or chair to sit on. 4. Thinking this was going to be a lot easier.
Rosanne Cash was amazing. I'll admit that I wasn't really looking forward to her set, but I'm much more interested now. She gave a very touching tribute to her late parents. The good thing is this opened me to many other artists for the rest of the festival, more than just those I really wanted to see. During Cash's set, Scott (xkot) popped up, completing our group.
My legs were fine at this point, because i was sweating like hell. Natural lubricant, I guess.
Of course, if I could have it, everything would be perfectly in tune with the way I want it. It would be 20 degrees cooler, and each stage would move to me. We criss-crossed the fields a few times, and I grabbed a bite to eat, which quickly sank in my stomach. My mood dropped as I was trying to follow the others to seeing Patti Griffith. the crowd had risen a lot and it was starting to scare me. The place chosen was near the stage and in the middle of a sea of people, and my stomach was turning. When I was younger, and in band, I would pass out in the heat of a hot day. This was when I was more in shape and 100 pounds lighter. I felt bad, and when that happens, I end up making others miserable. I needed some shade, and I barked at Chris because of it.
Once I did find shade, Chris tried to calm me down, but I was having none of it. I was worn out and trying not to be nauseated. I told chris to go see Patti, and I stayed on the ground, over by the next stage. There were several stages, the two biggest, the Cingular and the SBC were flanked by two smaller ones, the Bank of America and Heineken. Shows would alternate each hour, so another would come later, here. the crowd would sample one act, but you had to decide where you wanted to be, so often half of the crowd would move on in the middle of a set to set up for the next artist.
I calmed down, went and refilled the water bottles, halfway across the park. Then I met with the gang after Patti's show, a little better than before. Still, The crowd again was growing. I was upset that my legs were covered with dirt, and realized just how pampered I've become in the last few years. I wanted a shower.
As we left the somewhat boring Ryan Adams set. He was much more stoned than the peoples that were just starting to toke up. It was time to move on to Franz Ferdinand, the band that I, and apparently the other 80,000 people wanted to see. As the sun fell, we came across the crowd that had already set up for the show...and it was a sea of people crowding the gently falling hill. When the band took the stage, it was a tiny group of guys, very, very far away. Being one of the smaller stages, the sound was very small. Every song sounded exactly the same.
Everyone was exhausted, and we waited for everyone to return to our meeting spot, the tag-a-kid tent. Sadly, they just put numbers on kids wristbands, and don't actually "tag" the kids. I'm thinking they could use those radio tags they put on kangaroos and such to follow them in the wild. Then they can track them throughout the park. We listened to a little of Los Lonely Boys, which not only suffered from the poor speakers on the Cingular stage, but really just sounded like old, recycled ZZTop. We skipped out on that night's headliner, Sheryl Crow, in order to get back to the hotel and shower.
I was walking very funny from the continued contact of my legs. I wasn't sweating as much, and the chaffing was making me very unhappy. It was a walk to the shuttle, and a walk to the car.
Once back in the hotel, I dropped the kilt, brushing off the dirt and grass. Refreshed from the shower, I wanted to go eat, but the others didn't. Matty, feeling exceptionally bad from a cold, wanted to stay in. I got miffed with the lack of direction, and bluntly said I was going out, and did anyone want to go with me? Chris felt obligated to come, but no one else did, not having as much energy.
Chris and I went to Chili's nearby, which was just the thing for me. We had a talk about my bad, controlling demeanor today, and Chris told me I needed to relax. I knew I did, but I also knew that sometimes when I get on a bad streak, it's hard for me to correct the bad mood, and my behavior. i even told him of another friend reccomending some therapy. Am I really that bad off? Maybe it just comes across in the journal this way, since I tend to focus on the bad in me (This is my therapy). I calmed down some, and at least knew more of what I would be in store for for day two. 97 degree heat for one. Leaving Chili's I was so tired I was shaking.
On Day Two: Hippies, Loops and Stars
murphy) flight came in, I was the only one who could pick up Jeff (jeffbear63) who was coming in from Denver. As I entered the airport, I looked around, but Jeff's flight hadn't come in. Still, you could tell that the airport was full of people coming to the festival, and by the looks of it, it was going to be a great week for people watching.(I can't wait for Chris to get his galleries up, because he has several pics of hotties at the festival)
Jeff and I had time to talk, getting to know each other. I had met Jeff briefly in Tucson, and when he had visited Matty in Dallas, but here we had time to check into the hotel, and head down to Mojo's for a Chai and some internet time. Luckily Randy showed me where Mojo's was...so it wasn't hard to get there, plus I got to show Jeff some of the downtown Austin sights.
Matty (
mattycub), Sean (schnitz_mi), Chris (oakleycub) and Owen arrived around 2am in Matty's car. Jeff and I had already grabbed the rooms, and one we already knew had an annoying, chirping smoke detector. The plan was that the couples would get the beds, the singles would get the couches, but due to some foul-ups with the reservations, one of the rooms was big...an entire apartment, with two beds, one upstairs, and a murphy bed downstairs (which would have been so appropriate for Owen). So we got the hotel staff to fix the smoke detector, and the couples, Matty and Jeff, and Chris and I took the apartment. Luckily I had already claimed the upstairs bed (which wasn't that good, really). the singles, Owen and Sean, took the other room. We dropped off to bed.Friday the sun shown into our room brightly. Chris and I were stirring before Matty and Jeff below, so we got going quietly, and then i noticed how narrow the shower was - not big enough for two, and when you stepped into it, it creaked, loudly. I made myself known, for sure. After the shower, I decided that today was a good day for the kilt. After putting on a shirt, and stuffing a pair of underwear in the pocket "just in case", I wrapped the heavy, brown garment around me and worked on all of the buttons.
Already I could tell this was going to be different. I powdered my thighs, and put on my shoes. Jeff hopped upstairs and I'm pretty sure I flashed him. Chris seemed to approve. I felt weird. After putting on a lot of sunscreen, and getting the rest of the crew together, we headed out to IHOP. Yep, there's nothing better than to walk into a pancake joint with a kilt on. You quickly learn how to sit properly.
Afterwards, we hopped in our cars to go to the shuttle stop. We had to find which of the several parking garages marked on the "official" map, was actually open. We had thought we were lucky for a while, but realized that the State of Texas lots were still being used for the days business. We found the right lot, then walked the 5 blocks to the shuttles. There was already a line there, immediately foreshadowing the large crowds to come. I also enjoyed a first trip to the porta-john, finding how easy it was to piss with a kilt. There's one advantage.
The crowd was already growing at the festival site. The slowness of the shuttle through city traffic caused us to miss The Killers. The next act we wanted to see was Rosanne Cash, so we had an hour to get to know the lay of the land. It was a large park, it was lightly hilly, and the ground was really dry. There were few trees, and lots of open space, under the 95 degree sun. Already there was a mistake in how I started the day, no, not the kilt, it was breakfast.
Let's look at a few first-day mistakes. 1. Heavy Breakfast. 2. not bringing, and drinking enough water in the heat of the day. 3. Not having a blanket or chair to sit on. 4. Thinking this was going to be a lot easier.
Rosanne Cash was amazing. I'll admit that I wasn't really looking forward to her set, but I'm much more interested now. She gave a very touching tribute to her late parents. The good thing is this opened me to many other artists for the rest of the festival, more than just those I really wanted to see. During Cash's set, Scott (
xkot) popped up, completing our group.My legs were fine at this point, because i was sweating like hell. Natural lubricant, I guess.
Of course, if I could have it, everything would be perfectly in tune with the way I want it. It would be 20 degrees cooler, and each stage would move to me. We criss-crossed the fields a few times, and I grabbed a bite to eat, which quickly sank in my stomach. My mood dropped as I was trying to follow the others to seeing Patti Griffith. the crowd had risen a lot and it was starting to scare me. The place chosen was near the stage and in the middle of a sea of people, and my stomach was turning. When I was younger, and in band, I would pass out in the heat of a hot day. This was when I was more in shape and 100 pounds lighter. I felt bad, and when that happens, I end up making others miserable. I needed some shade, and I barked at Chris because of it.
Once I did find shade, Chris tried to calm me down, but I was having none of it. I was worn out and trying not to be nauseated. I told chris to go see Patti, and I stayed on the ground, over by the next stage. There were several stages, the two biggest, the Cingular and the SBC were flanked by two smaller ones, the Bank of America and Heineken. Shows would alternate each hour, so another would come later, here. the crowd would sample one act, but you had to decide where you wanted to be, so often half of the crowd would move on in the middle of a set to set up for the next artist.
I calmed down, went and refilled the water bottles, halfway across the park. Then I met with the gang after Patti's show, a little better than before. Still, The crowd again was growing. I was upset that my legs were covered with dirt, and realized just how pampered I've become in the last few years. I wanted a shower.
As we left the somewhat boring Ryan Adams set. He was much more stoned than the peoples that were just starting to toke up. It was time to move on to Franz Ferdinand, the band that I, and apparently the other 80,000 people wanted to see. As the sun fell, we came across the crowd that had already set up for the show...and it was a sea of people crowding the gently falling hill. When the band took the stage, it was a tiny group of guys, very, very far away. Being one of the smaller stages, the sound was very small. Every song sounded exactly the same.
Everyone was exhausted, and we waited for everyone to return to our meeting spot, the tag-a-kid tent. Sadly, they just put numbers on kids wristbands, and don't actually "tag" the kids. I'm thinking they could use those radio tags they put on kangaroos and such to follow them in the wild. Then they can track them throughout the park. We listened to a little of Los Lonely Boys, which not only suffered from the poor speakers on the Cingular stage, but really just sounded like old, recycled ZZTop. We skipped out on that night's headliner, Sheryl Crow, in order to get back to the hotel and shower.
I was walking very funny from the continued contact of my legs. I wasn't sweating as much, and the chaffing was making me very unhappy. It was a walk to the shuttle, and a walk to the car.
Once back in the hotel, I dropped the kilt, brushing off the dirt and grass. Refreshed from the shower, I wanted to go eat, but the others didn't. Matty, feeling exceptionally bad from a cold, wanted to stay in. I got miffed with the lack of direction, and bluntly said I was going out, and did anyone want to go with me? Chris felt obligated to come, but no one else did, not having as much energy.
Chris and I went to Chili's nearby, which was just the thing for me. We had a talk about my bad, controlling demeanor today, and Chris told me I needed to relax. I knew I did, but I also knew that sometimes when I get on a bad streak, it's hard for me to correct the bad mood, and my behavior. i even told him of another friend reccomending some therapy. Am I really that bad off? Maybe it just comes across in the journal this way, since I tend to focus on the bad in me (This is my therapy). I calmed down some, and at least knew more of what I would be in store for for day two. 97 degree heat for one. Leaving Chili's I was so tired I was shaking.
On Day Two: Hippies, Loops and Stars
no subject
I don't think you have a bad demeanor. The impression I get sometimes is that social situations make you a little tense, and then when other sources of stress are added (like being hungry and wanting to get out, or feeling sick, or whatever) you try to push them aside in order to avoid conflict. But that can't last forever, so eventually it builds up until you get frustrated and vent a little. Then you blame yourself for being frustrated, and then get more tense in future social situations, and you end up in a loop that feeds on itself.
What I'm getting at is that you're not a bad guy and you're not a jerk. Don't be hard on yourself. In fact, I think you need to do the opposite. Instead of letting your annoyances build up until you can't keep a lid on them, knock them out of the way right when they show up. Take them head on one at a time. You won't come across as being a bad guy - you'll just be more assertive when you're still relaxed enough not to get irritated.
no subject
One of Chris' biggest frustrations is that I won't always divuge what i want, so not only is he in the dark, we can't compromise, either. I should learn to let my feelings out, and not worry so much on how self-centered it makes me seem, unless I don't comprimise at times.
Thanks Scott!