ACL Band Clash, Round 1: Spoon Vs. Queens Of The Stone Age

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Every fall, Austin looks forward to ACL Fest, and each year, there's always a point where two of your favorite bands are playing on different sides of the park at the exact same time. ACL Band Clash is a new, theoretically weekly series in which Austinist scribes Paige Maguire and Tom Thornton examine the worst ACL scheduling clashes, and try to provide good advice on finding a resolution. Well, good advice might be a stretch, but advice, anyhow. This week's entry looks at the Friday clash between local heroes Spoon and hard rockers Queens Of The Stone Age.

Tom: I think Spoon is the better band of the two. And Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is a great album. But why would any self-respecting Austinite give away a prime ACL Fest slot for a band they can see four times a year? I mean, Spoon played at Fun Fun Fun Fest in December, then at SXSW, and recently they did a secret gig at Mohawk and an in-store at Waterloo. So that's four appearances in the last eight months! They're also playing the Thursday night of ACL at La Zona Rosa, so anyone in Austin that likes Spoon should have seen them at least once in the last year or two. So, why not see the out of town band, even if it's not as much my bag?

Paige: I hear you, and given the fact that Spoon is still perfecting a truly stadium-ready live performance, I'd be tempted to agree. Do you remember last year, waiting for The Flaming Lips amidst a sea of Tom Petty fans? I was sandwiched in between a couple of grandmas in straw bonnets with ice chests (no clue how they got those inside, I couldn't even bring a Nalgene through the gate) and a quartet of burned out hippies in lawn chairs, seemingly unaware of their location. I imagine waiting for Queens of the Stone Age would feel almost as alien: a sea of roid-raged dudes with their girlfriends on their shoulders, waves of people with lower back tattoos, people who are there to see QOTSA and White Stripes, and...that's about it. I can't even fathom trying to enjoy that shit when I can go to a less crowded stage (I'm assuming here, but I think your argument backs me up) and watch local favorites play a set full of songs I know and love. That being said, "No One Knows" is a pretty fantastic fucking song, and might be worth getting a little moshed. Nah, no way. Hey, doesn't he look a lot like Craig Kilborn?

Tom: Well, it'd be far more interesting if the QOTSA guy resembled Jon Stewart, but I digress. Yes, fighting the metal crowd sounds a little scary, but given that it's $145 to go this year, will that crowd actually be there? I'm figuring it'll be more UT-fratty and such. It's nice that both of these groups are playing La Zona Rosa for people who view this as a big conflict. Why there's no Arcade Fire or My Morning Jacket aftershow is beyond me. I agree with you on "No One Knows," and would raise you "Another Love Song" as well. I'm not really into the QOTSA genre, but they do have a knack for being memorable and interesting when you hear them. But the more we talk about this, the more I'm tempted to go see Spoon again anyway. I suppose this festival gig will be Spoon's 'rockstar' coming out party in a way: they sold almost 50,000 records in Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga's first week! In the pirated music era! That's pretty cool, and the out-of-town contingent will likely be excited to check them out and eager to love them. Plus, maybe they'll hire mariachis for those new songs with horns since it's a big rock festival in their hometown. I'm not exactly making a strong case for my original point, am I?

Paige: Maybe I'm being too harsh on the QOTSA fans, but the crowds at ACL aren't necessarily indicative of the entire range of fans that follow certain bands, clearly. Turns out, those grandmas waiting for Petty immensely enjoyed Flaming Lips last year. That being said, consider the "I'm Waiting Here During This Band Because I Want a Good Spot for the Next Band" factor: The Killers follow QOTSA, which means you're fighting that UT jock type you were referring to earlier plus mascara'd Killers fans. If you're watching Spoon, you're dealing with throngs of girlfriends and Icelandic fetishists eager for Bjork. I do tend to generalize, eh? Regardless, I'll be watching Britt & Co., hopefully witnessing some new fans becoming attached and singing along with those of us who are still hoping to hear "Advance Cassette" one more time. As for The Killers and Bjork, well, we'll get to that next time.

Both Spoon and Queens Of The Stone Age play the Austin City Limits Festival on Friday, September 14th at 6:30pm. Both acts are playing official ACL aftershows at La Zona Rosa: Spoon plays Thursday the 13th, while QOTSA plays on Saturday the 15th.

[Spoon MySpace]
[Queens Of The Stone Age MySpace]
[ACL Tickets - Friday 9/14]
[Aftershow Tickets]