Ah, ACL. Three days of music, sun, and walking. My story of ACL will sound kind of like Pajama Grrl's, but different, and longer, and more guy-oriented. Would you expect anything less?

First of all, I have to thank all of the beautiful women prancing around in minimal clothing. Thank you. You totally made the weekend. The music was great and all, but the scenery was what kept me going when I thought I just couldn't stand in a hot, sweaty crowd for one more minute. Because at that exact moment, some bikini-top wearing hottie would show up next to me and make everything ok.

Second of all, I must disagree with what Pajama Grrl said about Regina. She was very entertaining and certainly not boring. Though PG is entitled to her opinion (as misinformed as it may be), I think PG is forgetting that Regina is a solo pianist. There is no band. And she's not Ben Folds - ie, she will not pound on the piano (too much) and scream. I'm not sure if PG has seen performances like those of Tori Amos, but a solo-piano performance isn't necessarily designed to be exciting in the same way as a rock band. I thought Regina was great. Granted, I like her anyway. But I was excited to see her reproducing the songs, the vocal inflections, the emotion, and the vibe that she transmits on her records. She drew the audience into her world, and that is what makes a good performance. She also played some lesser-known songs, so I was glad to see her avoiding a set that consisted of only her pop singles.

One last thing about Regina. She held a one-hour autograph session that I got to 45 minutes early just to make sure I didn't have to wait in line forever. It was a good plan. The line was HUGE. It had to have been two hundred people. All I wanted was a picture with her, but since there were too many people, we were only allowed to give her one item to sign and then we had to move along. No posing for pictures with her, no conversations, no holding up the line. Because all i wanted was a picture, I did not have my album covers with me, and thus had nothing for her to sign. So I did what any self-respecting male would do. I took my clothes off. Before I got to the signing table, I took my shirt off for Regina to sign. It was my favorite shirt, and now it is now my extra-favorite shirt. You can check out the pic below. Thank you, Regina, for signing my sweaty Batman shirt. I guess I can't wash it ever again. And since I will be seeing Regina in Dallas in November, maybe I can get her to sign my chest too. But I'd have to shave a spot for her first. (Sorry, TMI).

The other highlights of the weekend included Muse, Ghostland Observatory, and Common. Muse, as usual, was jaw-droppingly awesome. They are so awesome that any effort at describing their awesomeness is utterly useless. I thought they were good ACL last year, but since the White Stripes canceled, Muse took over the top spot on Saturday night. Their show was intense and flawless. They gave it everything. I can't believe that the singer, who is not a big guy at all, can produce a voice like that. I don't know where it comes from.

The singer also switched between guitar and piano mid-song, showing us his mad piano skills. Their set spanned all of their records and each song was performed as if they had just written it and it was fresh on their minds. I really can't recall the last band that performed with such fury. Muse rocks. Comparisons to Radiohead are totally inaccurate. If any comparisons must be made, make one to Nirvana. This band rocks like no other band I've seen in a long time, and it's not a punk-rock rock or metal rock - there is no punk-rock frustration or metal negativity. It's the perfect kind of rock.

Ghostland Observatory was a total surprise. I didn't know what to expect. I still don't know what to expect. I'm speechless. It's a crazy mix of dance, electronica, disco, and hip hop. You have to hear to believe it. Better yet, you have to SEE it to believe. Their light show was ridiculous. Check out the vids below.

Common was a last minute sub for Rodrigo y Gabriela. They owned their time slot. The crowd went wild for them. They took a volunteer woman from the audience and basically serenaded her. She melted on stage. Literally, we saw her quiver in her sandals when the singer held her and sang to her. It was great.

On the not-so-cool side, The Killers were a total let down. I opted to see them instead of Bjork, and what a mistake that was. The Killers were all flash and no substance. The songs sounded mechanical and the musicians stood around and didn't move. I think the bass player might have been sleeping. Only the drummer showed signs of life, but that comes with the territory. And I reconfirmed my dislike of the new album. Verdict: if you're thinking of shelling out $30-40 for a Killers show, go see Muse instead. The Muse show (lighting, video screen, etc) was just as cool, and they rock so much more and the music is so much more intricate.

The National were also not impressive. The songs sounded the same, and the singer didn't sing so much as moan. But I can see where they found their niche, and I'm happy they found it. It's just not my niche.

And no, I did not see Bob Dylan. I know he changed the face of music and that skipping his show might be seen as sacrilegious by many musicians and music fans. But I don't like him. Never have, even though he influenced almost all of the bands I like from that era. I was tired, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, my head hurt. I had just come from an awesome Ghostland Observatory show, and I still had to make the three-hour drive back to Dallas. I decided to end the weekend on high note and skip out a little early. So off I drove, still shirtless from my Regina encounter, and covered in a lawyer of dirt and sweat. But happy. Very, very happy.

Pics are here. I only took my camera on the last day because I'm too lazy to take pictures, which means the only pics I got are of Regina Spektor and Ghostland Observatory.

Ghostland Observatory - video 1 (3.8 MB)
Ghostland Observatory - video 2 (5.4 MB)
Ghostland Observatory - video 3 (3.0 MB)