NO LIMIT TO TALENT AT AUSTIN MUSIC FEST.

Byline: Story and Photo by David Sprague Staff Photographer

AUSTIN, Texas - The three-day Austin City Limits Music Festival, which ended Sunday, could have been called the Austin City Limits Sweat Festival, but those brave enough to take on the Texas heat for three days were rewarded with an unbeatable musical smorgasbord. The bonanza of bands offered much more than the traditional country fare that occasional viewers of the venerable 30-year-old PBS show have come to expect. The line going around about the event was that it was ``about the most fun you could have with half your clothes on.''

With 120 acts performing on seven stages over three days, anyone with a heartbeat could find something to like. The problem for many was deciding between two or three favorites performing at the same time hundreds of yards apart in Zilker Park, Austin's 45-acre crown jewel.

Featuring all genres from blues to folk to country to gospel to rock to reggae, it was easy to get a year's worth of a live music diet in three days. And a year's worth of regret over who you didn't get to see.

Highlights the first day included hearing Beatles-esque screams from teenage girls skipping school to hear the Killers, as well as the beautiful harmonizing of the Pierces, the Blind Boys of Alabama belting out ``Amazing Grace'' to the tune of ``House of the Rising Sun,'' the wonderful voices of Neko Case and Patty Griffin, the psychedelic fun of Broken Social Scene, the absolutely frantic Franz Ferdinand of Scotland, and heirs to the Santana blues throne Los Lonely Boys from West Texas.

Day two had the easy grooving of Josh Rouse, Austin local faves the Old 97's, the Gourds, Reckless Kelly, Marcia Ball, Bruce Robison and - probably the highlight of the festival - a headlining set by the reunited post-punk Pixies.

By Sunday, everyone was in a more mellow wind-down mood, with help from the chill-out vibe of Austin's American Analog Set, Kelly Willis' wonderful honey-coated country voice and the next generation's James Taylor - surfer-songwriter Jack Johnson. Someone even dropped on his knee and proposed to his girl during Johnson's set.

Other highlights the final day included Calexico's tight mariachi-influenced set, Ollabelle's gospel set for people who don't really like gospel, a fine performance by Wilco, and a crowd-pleasing set by Sacramento's Cake. Of course the above-named bands only represent about 15 percent of the available music. But it is literally impossible to see everyone at a festival like this one.

With the eclectic musical lineup, the friendly people, the food booths and the general good vibe, folks had little to complain about. There was the occasional soundboard hiccup but, with seven stages running 10 hours a day, that was to be expected.

More than 210,000 people, half from outside of Austin and a quarter hailing from beyond Texas, attended the festival. The weather was hot enough for even native Texans to complain, but with Barton Springs Pool, a 68-degree swimming hole, just a block away, anytime festival-goers needed to cool off, they just jumped in.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

The Blind Boys of Alabama perform their unique brand of gospel at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which featured 120 acts performing on seven stages over three days.