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The first rule of festivalgoing should be… leave yesterday at home. After a day facing tough crowds, we went into day two a little discouraged, but determined to make the most of this day full of awesome music.
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Arriving just after noon, we caught the tail end of the set from Brooklyn’s The Antlers. They performed right at the peak of the day’s heat, but that didn’t discourage fans from eating up their grandiose set, which included tracks from their latest album, ‘Burst Apart,’ as well as songs from their critically-acclaimed 2009 album ‘Hospice.’ The trio, headed by Peter Silberman, were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, beyond excited to be in Austin, and the crowd’s support was measurable.

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Next on the stage was Irvine, California’s own Young the Giant. Though the band have only recently gotten airplay in the Austin area, as well as nationwide fame, the crowd was huge. Easily the biggest of the day thus far. Frontman Sameer Gadhia’s excitement to be headlining such a huge show poured into the crowd, and as rain started to fall, the crowd didn’t seem to thin out at all. In fact, the sudden weather shift seemed to even make the crowd more enthusiastic. The rain, though, didn’t seem ready to relent. The Austin area was so thrilled to have even a few droplets of rain, that the fact that it disrupted a pleasant festival day wasn’t worth complaining about. After it finally let up, the drop in temperature was a pretty welcome shift in the day.
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From there, we headed to catch a set from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes frontman Alexander. For an act we initially missed on the lineup, the crowd for this folk act was shockingly vast. The singer sauntered onstage looking pretty jovial, with rainbow suspenders and a guitar that read “Thanks” on one side, and “Hello” on the other. Though humidity was at it’s peak during the set, it didn’t phase the crowd, most of whom seemed to be die-hard fans.
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An hour, and a much-needed dinner break later, we arrived to the jam-packed set from one of this summer’s biggest festival buzz bands, Fitz and the Tantrums. It was nearly impossible to navigate through the packed crowd, but we managed to get a decent vantage point, as they powered through hits like “Moneygrabber,” “L.O.V.” and “Rich Girls.” The highlight, though? Well it’s a tossup. The best crowd moment was hands-down the full crowd singalong to the band’s cover of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” The most “WTF?” moment? When the stage camera panned directly to Batman. Yes, actor Christian Bale has been making his rounds at the festival, alongside director Terrance Malick.
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Next on deck was “The Voice” judge, and “F*ck You” singer Cee-Lo, who came on stage dressed in a full Adidas track suit, looking like a portly, American American version of Sue Sylvester. He kicked off his set with “Bright Lights, Big City,” which really got the crowd going. After a few other hits (including one that sampled “Rock Lobster,” he belted out a version of The Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha,” which he penned. Later, he had “The Voice” contestant (and Austin local) Nakia join him onstage. The duo sang a hugely powerful duet of “F*ck You,” which was Nakia’s memorable audition song on the show. The matched wits in a big way, and it seemed like these two could make pretty beautiful music together, if given the chance. Is a Cee-Lo/Nakia collaboration in the works?
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There were other bands set to take the stage in the break, including hipster favorite TV on the Radio, but for us, it was all about Stevie Wonder, and if there’s anything to be learned, it’s that sometimes you have to give up a few sets in order to keep a good spot for the big headliner. It also has to be said that we don’t at all envy Jim James or My Morning Jacket. They’re unfortunate task of going head to head with Stevie Wonder meant that the MMJ crowd was a bit on the sparse side. It’s a shame, given that their latest album ‘Circuital,’ is so fantastic.
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Stevie finally took the stage, almost 20 minutes late, and the crowd was more than ready to get the show on the road. After a pretty hefty pro-Obama rant, Wonder wowed the crowd with “Higher Ground,” which sounded as good as the day it was recorded. After a pretty incredible sing-a-long to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Stevie brought it down a couple notches, going from “When I Fall In Love,” to another semi-sappy ballad. We made our way out of the crowd, to hear the rest of the set from the less crowded end of the field. It seemed we weren’t the only ones who had this thought, because as we enjoyed “Sir Duke,” and an incredible cover of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” there was a mass exodus of fans who apparently couldn’t hear the set at all. Unfortunately for them, the set was a real highlight for us, after a long day in the rain and heat.
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On to day 3! With Fleet Foxes, Airborne Toxic Event, and Arcade Fire, this is sure to be a jam-packed day at the fest.
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Watch some of our interviews below:
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Theophilus London @ Austin City Limits 2011

Myspace Music | Myspace Video

Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr @ Austin City Limits 2011

Myspace Music | Myspace Video

Young the Giant @ Austin City Limits 2011

Myspace Music | Myspace Video

Electric Touch @ Austin City Limits 2011

Myspace Music | Myspace Video