ACL 2020 - the Virtual Year

 Well, better something than nothing, right?  ACL Fest has announced a virtual lineup of shows that will be streamed through YouTube for free - mostly made up of classic shows from the past twenty years.  Looks like the oldest show is the 2003 String Cheese Incident one on Sunday.  A few fun items on here - My Morning Jacket is one I've never gotten to see, but have always wanted to.  The 2015 Alabama Shakes show was one of my favorite things ever.  While a few of these I would avoid, but such is the way with the festival made to satisfy everyone!

A lot of these shows, I already wrote the review for, so that is convenient!  But this will maybe give me an excuse to go hunt down some new music, which is always my favorite part of this blog and ACL.  Let's get amongst it!

Friday, October 9:

• 7:05pm - Durand Jones & the Indications.  Show from 2018.  Here is my preview of that show: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2018/06/durand-jones-and-indications.html.  Pretty cool dose of retro soul stuff.  I did not actually watch the show back then.
• 7:45pm - Melat.  New show.  Looks like it will be five minutes long?  Seems odd.  She played in 2017, and here was my writeup at the time (I have no recollection of her): https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2017/06/melat.html
• 7:50pm - Paul Cauthen.  New show.  Twenty minutes long.  He played the Tito's tent in 2017, and I wandered into there with my lunch and my family, before the Grace Vanderwall show.  This guy is good - in that outlaw country of guitar-heavy country.
• 8:10pm - looks to be an advertisement for 20 minutes?
• 8:30pm - Spoon.  Show from 2017 (but only 20 minutes of it?).  Here is my preview before they came in 2014: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2014/04/spoon.html; I failed to do a new preview before the 2017 show.  I also missed the show, just because I wanted to get up close for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  But I dig them, so I'd check this out.
• 8:50pm - Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.  2016 show.  This show was freaking awesome.  High energy and fun as hell.  Sadly, another 20 minute slot.  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2016/07/nathaniel-rateliff-night-sweats.html
• 9:10pm - something from Texas Monthly for 5 minutes.  Probably a shirtless Matthew McConaughey playing bongos and whispering the names of all 185 of Willie's albums.
• 9:15pm - Willie!  Hell yeah!  2016 show.  Weird, looks like I didn't do a preview for him - I guess this was back when I was only doing weekend one artists and ignoring the second weekend.  Shame on me.  I'd love to see this set though.
• 10:20pm Twenty One Pilots.  Blurg. 2015 show.  A lot of people talked this show up as being amazing, but I don't care for these dudes at all, so I'll maybe just watch Willie and let the rest go for today.  Here is my less-than-excited preview from 2015:  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2015/06/twenty-one-pilots.html
• 10:50pm - Billie Eilish.  2019 show.  Saw this one from pretty close.  I'm glad I did that because my girls loved it.  Have zero need to ever see it again.  Here is my preview: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2019/04/billie-eilish.html

Saturday, October 10:

• 7:05pm - Sylvan Esso.  2018 show.  I think this is the one I tried to go see, disliked immediately, and then was very pleased when their laptop crapped out and they had to stop the show.  I guess that is why this set is only 15 minutes.  Here is my 2018 preview of this show: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2018/08/sylvan-esso.html
• 7:20pm - ZHU.  2017 show.  EDM.  No recollection of this group, here is my preview for 2017: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2017/06/zhu.html
• 7:50pm - Phoenix.  2018 show.  I missed this show to sacrifice for my children, but I dug them a few years before this one.  This show only existed because Childish Gambino was a punk that year.  But I'm glad: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2018/10/phoenix.html
• 8:05pm - another commercial about having a good workforce?
• 8:20pm - Otis the Destroyer.  New show.  Missed their show last year, but liked their sound.  Too bad this one is only 5 minutes.  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2019/07/otis-destroyer.html
• 8:25pm - Black Pumas.  New show.  Far as I am concerned, they should make this one an hour long - these guys rule and are having their moment.  They were my prediction for being a part of ACL this year for sure - so I WAS RIGHT!!!  Here is a review of their album (but I never wrote up a full post about them): https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2020/02/quick-hits-vol-249-boogie-wit-da-hoodie.html
• 9:15pm - Juanes.  2014 show.  Can't say this band or person rings a bell in the slightest.  But I wrote him up in 2014 and, while I think I was trying to be jokey and sarcastic, that post makes me cringe a little.  Bummer.  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2014/04/juanes.html
• 9:50pm - St. Vincent.  2018 show.  Bummed to have missed this show, although I just wanted to get close for Metallica more.  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2018/09/st-vincent-2018_8.html
• 10:10pm - LCD Soundsystem.  2010 show.  This one interests me because I saw them play several years after this, and didn't love it, so I'm curious if they old school show would have appealed more?  This was my 2016 preview (I wasn't writing this stuff in 2010): https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2016/08/lcd-soundsystem.html
• 10:30pm - Radiohead.  2016 show.  Was very disappointed in this show, but I wonder what it would be like in the comfort of my own home?
• 11:30pm - Queens of the Stone Age.  2012 show.  Hell yeah.  I saw their ACL taping this year, but missed their show at the Fest, so I'd love to check it out.

Sunday, October 11:

• 7:05 - Alabama Shakes.  2015 show.  Not even kidding, I loved this show.  Went back so I could see it again the second weekend.  2015 had an amazing lineup of this level of bands - the guys on rows 2-4 who crushed it.  Here was my preview: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2015/05/alabama-shakes.html
• 7:20pm - String Cheese Incident.  2013 show.  My wife hates this band SO much that it would be entertaining to blare this show through the house on Sunday night, just to get a rise out of her.  I did not see this show back in the day, but here is my review of a show I saw at Red Rocks with these dudes a few years ago: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2017/07/string-cheese-incident-red-rocks.html
• 7:50pm - Los Coast.  New show.  Ten minutes.  Here is my preview when they came in 2016: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2016/07/los-coast.html
• 8:00pm - Mobley.  New show.  Here is my preview from 2017: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2017/05/mobley.html
• 8:55pm - Jackie Venson.  New show, sadly only 5 minutes.  Here is my preview from 2018: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2018/05/jackie-venson.html
• 9:00pm - Gary Clark, Jr.  2019 show.  Saw this one from way back in the crowd.  Here is my preview: https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2019/04/gary-clark-jr-2019.html
• 9:30 - Paul McCartney.  2018 show.  Very fun show - you should go watch this one.  I got to do it both weekends and it was worth it.  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2018/09/paul-mccartney.html
• 10:15pm - The XX.  2017 show.  Here is my preview. I did not go watch this show.  https://dulljack.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-xx.html
• 10:45pm - My Morning Jacket.  2011 show.  I have no preview, as I have actually never gotten to see them play live.  Which is a major loss for me - I love these guys.  I've seen their drummer play, when he was with Spanish Gold, but that is as close as I've gotten.  Defintiely would like to watch this one.
• 11:20pm - Phish.  2010 show.  Also never seen these dudes, but I'm less sad about that.  My sister tried to get me into them at one point, and it just never took.  They're fine, but I'm not in love.

What I would love to do is buy a screen and a projector, set this up in my front yard with a cooler of beer, and proceed to just get after it each of these three evenings.  But, I sincerely doubt that I actually will go to all of that trouble - it would be worth it if I could invite a crowd of folks over to jam with it, but less so if I have to keep any gathering at less than 10 people.  Stupid COVID.  But, I definitely want to try to tune in for a few of these shows.