End of Silence

We’re only three days out from the “relly big shew” and it’s time to go over what we’ve learned, class. First, let’s examine history lest we be doomed to repeat it. I had two posts last year recapping my first ACL. The tone is a bit cranky. I made good on my threat and only bought a pass for Sunday this year. On the other hand, I’m still paying more that I would have if I’d gotten a 3-Day Pass when they were first released, so that shows you how smart I am. I did try that first morning, but even with a cable modem connection, I was unable to get through.

I dredged up a few more recap and tips posts from Jon and Adam and some good advice here. ACL Festival has their own here.

As I mentioned last year, if you’re trying to meet someone there, you’re best bet is to agree on a predetermined landmark and time. Cell phone usage was impossible last year. I was able text message though. The other tradition is come up with some sort of flag or totem that stretches at least 10 feet into the air. The problem is coming up with something sufficiently original so as not to be confused with another group. Yes, there are that many of them.

It looks to be almost certain that Rita will make Saturday a wet affair You can bring an umbrella and I’d recommend bringing the allotted two factory-sealed water bottles no larger than 16 oz. You can check out the list of stuff you can and can’t bring here. It looks like they’re allowing chairs again, but only in designated areas. I didn’t have as much of a problem with the chairs as some people did. We’ll see how that goes.

As far as the food, it looks like many of the same vendors. It’s nice to see that they’re sticking with the locals. I’ll be camped at the Hudson’s On The Bend booth. The Hot & Crunchy Chicken Cone and the Venison Sausage Wrap are the shit. If you’re from out of town, try a cheesesteak from Texadelphia, but you have to get it with the mustard blend sauce, trust me. Amy’s Ice Cream is also not to be missed. Go with the Mexican Vanilla.

Anybody else have anything they want to add?

Andy and I along with my wife and son checked out the Foo Fighters/Weezer show tonight at the Frank Erwin Center. It was good for the rock. They allow cameras into the shows, so check out the ones that actually came out on my flickr page. We were a little late, so we only caught two or three songs of the opening band, Mae. Each headliner played about an hour and a half. Weezer rotated singers a few times with the drummer singing “Photograph” from the Green Album, while Rivers played drums. Rivers also appeared at the back of the floor halfway through the set for a solo version of “Island In The Sun”. They played a good mix of songs from all of the albums. I was glad they included “Why Bother?” from Pinkerton. They pulled somebody from the crowd to help with “Undone” and finished with “Surfwax America” and “Hash Pipe”. Let’s see what else? “Beverly Hills”, “Peace”, “Such a Pity” and “Perfect Situation” from Make Believe. They opened with “My Name is Jonas”. They showered the audience with confetti near the end of the show.

Foo Fighters followed after I took The Boy up to the mezzanine to get a Weezer shirt. The Foo opened with “In Your Honor”. They played “This is a Call”. We got a solo performance of “Everlong” from Dave Grohl. They covered “Born on a Bayou” as they did at the recent Katrina benefit concert. As with Weezer, we got a song where the frontman and the drummer switched places for “Cold Day in the Sun” from In Your Honor. We also got “All My Life”, “Breakout”, “The Last Song”, “Learn To Fly” and “Stacked Actors” where Grohl enters the audience for a little meet and greet. They ended with “Monkeywrench”.

Update: Andy’s photos from last night are here.

With a title like “Free Money”, I’m guessing this post will get a little more traffic than my usual. What I’m talking about is not really free, but more like found money. A friend recently discovered that her husband had some money waiting for him via the Texas Unclaimed Property website. All you need is a first and last name or business name and a city and you can check to see what’s out there. Of course, to claim it, you’ll need to print out a claim form, sign it, and supply other proof that you’re the dumbass who’s leaving money around so long that the state has claimed it. It’s ok. I’m a dumbass too. I had a rebate check that I lost and the found again several months later. Since it said that it was only good for 90 days, I assumed that I was screwed. I guess I wasn’t screwed and the money somehow ended up at the state comptroller’s office.

Administaff, a company based in Houston that handles HR for many smaller firms in Texas and other states, is apparently no good at giving you money that you’re supposed to have either. I reclaimed some from them just before it went to the comptroller a couple of years ago and my friend had a decent amount of Administaff cash sitting at the comptroller as well. I’m not sure if it’s Administaff’s fault or the firm that we both worked for several years back, but they’re clearly not in any hurry to give you your money because I’ve been at the same address for years.