Here We Go Again: 2008's ACL Lineup Revealed

spiritualizedddddddddddddddddddddddddd!!!

As the trash talker you're most likely referring to, let me respond. I just don't see much to be overly enthusiastic about. I mean the line up is OK, but compared to ACLs past, it's pretty light.

Beck's cool, but what's he done lately?

1/4 of CCR and 1/4 of Zeppelin? Meh. Past years have shown us the 60s/70s acts are pretty blah in this setting.

Don't get me wrong. There are some kick ass bands on that list, but this ACL is a repeat performance for many of them. And while you always remember your first time, the second can be a bit of a let down.

Is it just me, or does Radiohead seem to be missing from this list?

Radiohead is missing. My guess: too expensive to keep the ticket price at 170 bucks a person.

Worst major festival of the year. Now that C3 have Lollapalooza and Vineland, they've begun to shift ACL back to the roots and folk festival it used to be. No Radiohead, Coldplay, Doves, Death Cab, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis, Blur, Dr. Dre, Garbage, LL Cool J, The Verve or U2? Boooooooo!

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
(a.k.a. 3 hours of Going to California)

Lineup is decent, not their best, but a far cry from their worst. I'll buy a single-day pass once the daily schedules come out.

I have a ticket, and am underwhelmed, but excited about a few of the mid-tier acts.

Though, I am disappointed there's no Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Sufjan Stevens, Death Cab for Cutie, Lucinda Williams, My Morning Jacket, Black Crowes, Ryan Adams, Beirut, Islands, the Gossip, Weezer, Feist, Animal Collective, the Strokes, more alt-country, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, Miley Cyrus, or Barack Obama.

I find it funny when people complain about who is NOT playing. Ever notice those lists read like a who's who of radio play and mainstream music. There are a ton of great bands playing this year and no, unfortuantely the big headliners you want are all asking way too much money so they won't make it. We could have Radiohead or Pearl Jam, but would you pay the $250+ per ticket that they would have to charge? People need to look a little deeper than the Billboard top 10 or whatever Pitchfork is pushing.

Agreed, Grape Ape.

The funny thing is so many of the bands not as well known by the mainstream who are playing this year's fest will likely be wildly popular come fest time in 2009 and all the people bitching about this lineup will be going on and on about how awesome they are and how lame it is that they're not playing ACL 2009.

I guess people forget that one of the most beautiful things about a music fest is getting to wander about between the sets of bands you already love and discover new up and coming bands to love.

Music fests are for music lovers and true music lovers not only have open minds but pure unadulterated enthusiasm at being exposed to great stuff they haven't heard before.

Spiritualized might convince me to get a single day pass depending on the other artists on that day....

I wonder if the exclusion of Explosions in the Sky is due to their headlining @ last year's Fun!Fun!Fun! fest.....

As for ACL's trending towards folk (mentioned by Circumlocution's earlier comment)- C3 is booking a Fun!Fun!Fun! Fest-alike:

"CA: We're actually going to launch an indie festival next year. It's going to be a real cheap ticket and multiple stages. And it's going to be here in Austin. We're already working on that and booking it."

So they're probably moving more of the rock acts out of ACL and into the FFF Fest-alike!

Seth

"Music fests are for music lovers and true music lovers not only have open minds but pure unadulterated enthusiasm at being exposed to great stuff they haven't heard before."

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Ha...I wish, LoudMouth. But as a "true music lover", I save up for the things I want to spend my meager paycheck on such as festivals, tickets to local shows and either used or new CDs from local stores.

Those are my splurges that I scrimp in other areas to make but point taken for people who prefer to make other splurges or don't have the option for any splurges at all. Rent a canoe and hang on the lake perhaps? Or just stand on the trail behind the main stage? Not the ideal situation but better than nothing, right?

And hey, in my mind unadulterated enthusiasm for anything at all is pretty sweet but to each his own as they say.

You don't even have to volunteer. I know people who get hired every year to work slinging beer and they get to hear every band on the stage nearest to them while earning a little $$$.

LoudMouth, just give in and go to law school or something so you can bank. It is your destiny!

Generally underwhelming in my opinion...an even further step down from last year. They completely forgot to get some actually-good rock bands.

Seriously, does G. Love do anything else all year long? It sure seems like he's played every ACL Fest. Oh, and he sucks.

I remember when the "cool crowd" would have been willing to pay the $170 just to see Louis XIV or White Denim, now they are dismissed as lame. If ACL based their line up on what most of you think it would be, they'd have to change it again in August becasue you would have all decided what was the cool band in April has now become unworthy and not a good band. Hell, if they based it on who you guys think should be there for top tier acts, we wouldn't have another ACL as the cost of getting those acts is insane. Besides, ACL would then have to deal with you bastardizing them and calling them sellouts because they'd have to change $250+ per ticket to to stay afloat.

I'm definately on board with the notion that their is an air of music snobbery in this town now. Yes, I' refernce the good 'ol days when you would just hear something walk in and ask who it was playing. Usually you got the "I'm not sure" answer, but we all still at least listened to a couple of thier songs out of respect for what it is they do. Nowadays it's all about who's on the hipster playlist.

Most of the kids/people griping about not having Radiohead were most likely all listening to Limp Bizkit or Korn back when they should have actually been paying attention to Radiohead.

and anyone mad that radiohead is not playing is just upset because they forgot to buy tickets for the shows in may before they sold out

@mandenator: Some of us can't see the Radiohead shows in May because we're singing Beethoven's 9th with the Austin Symphony that weekend. Tickets on sale soon! http://www.austinsymphony.org/season/may/index.asp#bn

Turd,

That's where you're wrong. You're going to be standing in line with 64,999 other douchebags no matter what.

Bonaroo is $100 more per ticket, Lolla is $40 more and only has 20 bands as opposed to the 120 bands ACL will be showcasing. I think people are a little misguided in that they don't really understand what ACL Fest is supposed to be and there is a gross misunderstanding of costs associated with festivals. You can claim ACL isn't top-tier all you want, but I belive you are making that assumption because there are not the mainstream bands like Rage, Kayne, Radiohead playing. Some people might not want to see Metallica or Rage or Kayne. They would really rather see bands like Slightly Stoopid, Black Joe Lewis and Shooter Jennings. Maybe that's what makes a top-tier event to them, not just a who's who of national mainstream radio play.

Consider what demographic the promoters are trying to reach and remember in past years, the line-ups change.