ACL Fest: Manu Chao's not a George Bush fan

G. Love & Special Sauce faded out on the Dell stage, and Manu Chao and his band took the AT&T stage opposite, one-by-one bringing the group into focus. They played plenty of dance-inducing, powerful tunes which balanced on the edge between Spanish political punk and island jam, leaning one way then the other and back again seamlessly within the same song. It was a different kind of party than Gogol Bordello a few hours earlier, but it was just as ensnaring. As fans danced under the glow of the searchlight beams overhead bouncing off a sky full of disturbed dust particles, Chao stopped mid-song during “Politik Kills” to scream into the mic, “For you, Mr. Bush!” The crowd cheered him on. During the harder, faster, distorted segments of the song the crowd pumped their fists along with the band. Then, while the reggae guitar raked and the horn and organ blared in the more mellow parts glow sticks were tossed into the air like potentially dangerous confetti and everyone reached their arms around the beat and relaxed as the day came to a close.