Let’s face it; bands often skip the Rio Grande Valley during tours.
We’re getting more big acts – Shwayze, Stone Temple Pilots, anyone? But still, many major label and independent artists still skip right past South Texas as they hit San Antonio, Houston or Dallas.
So what’s a music fan to do? Two words – road trip.
Yes, the great American road trip. And while the roughly five hour trek from Mac town to the Mecca of hipness that is Austin may not rank as the lengthiest trip, it’s still no quick Sunday drive.
In other words, you have to be prepared for a trip of this magnitude. Prepared to drive, prepared for adversity, and above all, prepared to rock. But worry not, journey-minded music fan. Festiva loves you, and we’ll gladly lend you our expertise as you journey north.
The Drive, before you can begin to rock, you must get there. This cruise from the Valley to the state capital isn’t so bad. It can be made by the over ambitious in a little over four hours, but we wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, take your time. Maybe stop for lunch in George West, which features one of the finest Dairy Queens on the planet.
Or, if you’re in a real rush, take the cooler route. Before you head north, make some simple lunch meat sandwiches. Buy some fruit, chill some bottles of water. A cooler takes up the space of an extra person, so beware the room. But if you haul it all up, you won’t have to stop for food and you can save some cash.
Tickets, a valuable component to any concert. It’s Friday morning when this issue hits stands, so we hope you’ve already bought yours if you’re making the trip. In fact, we hope you bought them three months ago, when the three day passes were still on sale. If not, single day passes are still available for both Saturday and Sunday. So go online, and buy yours before leaving home. You never know, it could sell out the day of the show.
The Good Stuff, aka the Bands, now we’re talking. Now here’s the reason you’re going. Here’s the reason you’re paying these outrageous gas costs. Here’s the reason you’re sleeping on a friends floor, or splitting a hotel room with buddies, or camping at a nearby forest preserve. You have to see the biggest collection of bands assembled in the Lone Star State this year.
Some prefer to wing it. To drift from stage to stage listening to what pulls them in. But we highly recommend scheduling your day ahead of time. Take into account stage placement, walking time and how likely a band is to rock the bejesus out of you. Here are some of our expert recommendations for don’t miss acts.
Friday, headliner Manu Chao is a don’t miss. He’s a French national born to Spanish parents. He’s traveled the world, and many fans say his music sounds like it comes from Mexico. That’s probably because he’s written half a dozen songs about our neighbors to the south. Don’t miss this set. He’s always high energy and if you don’t believe us, check him out on Youtube.com. Earlier in the day, Hot Chip is a must see with their brand of catchy, poppy, dance tunes. They put on an intense set, so you’ll likely find yourself dancing with complete strangers even if you don’t want to. And finally, check out Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. He’s an underground MC from Oakland, Ice Cube’s cousin and a musician with about 15 years of experience. You might remember him from rapping a verse on Gorrilaz hit “Clint Eastwood.”
Saturday, this day’s headliner set is all about Beck, and his eclectic sounds of mixed genre music. Check out Man Man earlier in the day. It’s a group of percussionists from Philadelphia, and they put on a primal show completely with face paint and primate-like hooping. Probably one of the fest’s most unique acts. Right after them, come Erykah Badu, whose been making fantastic music with her beautiful voice for some time.
Sunday, wraps things up with a headlining set from the Foo Fighters. Attend that at your discretion. You might just want to duck out early and hit the road home, especially if you have work or class Monday morning. Instead make sure to hit as many acts as you can earlier this day. We’re recommending the bluesy hip hop sounds of Galactic, who always bring guests to live shows. Gnarles Barkley is another fun set, which could be a good close to your weekend if you skip out on Dave Grohl and his boys. Finally, earlier in the day do not miss The Kills, they’re like a British version of the White Stripes, if Jack and Meg had amped up their intensity by 10.
So there you have it. Travel well, rock hard and make sure to share your tales online at www.myspace.com/festivarocks. We’ll be blogging on there with info and pics all weekend.
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Miles by car from McAllen to Austin: 318
Estimated drive time from McAllen to Austin: 5 hours and 26 minutes
Cost of a three day pass to Austin City Limits: $170
Days of music: 3
Stages: 8
Number of bands: 136
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Zack Quaintance covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.
