Le sigh. Another spectacular year of the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival has come and gone. After last year’s event – the 10th anniversary – I distinctly remember saying that it was probably the best edition yet. Ends up I lied … sort of.
Allow me to briefly summarize the greatness of Sunday: Iggy Pop & the Stooges.
If that name means nothing to youIf that name means nothing to you, stop reading this immediately. You’re dead to me until you go listen to “Raw Power,” “Search and Destroy,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” at eardrum-exploding volume so you can understand the majesty of what went down this final ACL evening.
Plus that mid-encore cover of Robert Berry’s “Louie Louie”? Fuuuck.
Truthfully, though, Sunday’s success was owed equally to the fact that each successive performer rose to the occasion fantastically, keeping the wave of awesome from breaking until the Stooges’ final thundering notes.
On that note, it was appropriate that it all began with British buzzband, Alt-J (∆), whose debut album, An Awesome Wave – which got a nearly complete, albeit shuffled, run – resounded terrifically beneath the early afternoon sun. That show concluded with an undeniable shared sense of electric elation between the band and its (mostly newfound) fans.
Same story for Kiwi singer, Kimbra, who – after drawing thousands of curious onlookers into her modest-Austin-debut-turned-high-energy-dance-party – giddily exclaimed that this show “(had) been really special.”
And after those two kick-starters, a streak of stand-out sets from Stars, Gary Clark Jr. (most crushing guitar riffs EVAR?!?), Poliça and Two Door Cinema Club?!
‘Nough said. Peep the slideshows below for further evidence of ACL 2012’s impressive wrap-up …
Photos and words by David Hall.

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