So breakfast was a non-event on the final day, as we knew we’d be hitting one of our favorite Tex-Mex joints for lunch: the Iron Cactus. Though it’s right on 6th street, and is a tourist-laden spot, we still try to go there each year we attend South-By. For the life of me, I do not understand why Tex-Mex hasn’t caught on in other parts of the country. It is truly amazing, folks.
One of the strangest parts of our SXSW experience this year has been the fact that Mister has worked every day. All day. He’s gotten up earlier than he’d probably like and he’s hit the computer. It’s just made our time here a bit different for us, and we haven’t spent our days doing the usual-for-us stuff. And I cannot deny it, this has caused a bit of stress, for us both.
In planning our final night out, it occurred to me that maybe we should chill. Our M.O. has always been to get to a venue early and secure our space by the stage. It takes commitment, all the way around. And we have been committed. But it seemed like maybe we could use a break from all that “work.” I suggested we just go to the night’s chosen show and find a casual spot to hang, somewhere in the back. We could take our time getting there and we wouldn’t have to fight for that primo, stage-side real estate. That Mister – he surprises me still. He thought my idea was great.
We chose to spend the evening at Stubb’s. Though we’d been there the night before, the final night’s lineup spoke to us and we opted to go there again. We started with a killer BBQ dinner (sorry – no pic). I can’t believe it, but I ordered the smoked turkey and it was awesome. Who knew? The other white meat!
After dining at our leisure, we moseyed out to the stage area and found a restful place to enjoy the music. We were about mid-way back, to the left. Our last night began…
Michael Kiwanuka…
This English fellow was all acoustic, singer-songwriter. He did have a bassist along and that added a nice dimension to the sound. But I wasn’t there for singer-songwriter stuff, so I mostly zoned out and enjoyed watching the crowd. (When you’re at the front of the stage, you can’t see anyone but the players.) I wish I could tell you more about his work, but it didn’t register with me.
Justin Townes Earle…
JTE has gotten a lot of press, and though I hadn’t heard him, I was curious. He was certainly gentlemanly on stage, and he had me chuckling each time he said, “Alright, alright, alright,” as he reminded me of Matthew McConaughey’s character, “Wooderson,” from Dazed and Confused. His music was much more honky-tonk than I expected, but it wasn’t revelatory honky-tonk. I hate to say it, but I think he may be getting more attention than he deserves (based on his father, Steve Earle).
Blitzen Trapper…
This is another band getting a lot of press. These guys have a major ‘70’s vibe going. There’s a little jam-band mixed in there, too. The crowd was into them and their energy was nice. A lot of chicks were screaming their names, so they must’ve been hot (I guess I just missed that somehow). I saw the musical appeal. Really, I did. But the highlight for me was when Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Ken Stringfellow came out to do a Big Star song. So what does that tell you?
Keane…
This was the band I came to see. I’ve been a Keane fan for years, but have never had the opportunity to catch them live. (All last week, I was singing one of their songs, anticipating their show.) What had been a trio is now a quartet, as they’ve added a bassist. The thing about Keane is they don’t have any guitars! They’re keyboard heavy, with drums, vocals and now bass. Mister told me he’d read somewhere that Chris Martin had asked the lead singer to join Coldplay, back when that band was in its beginning stages…
But Keane was starting to roll and that didn’t come to pass. I told Mister I thought that even if that dude had joined Coldplay, it wouldn’t have worked, as he’s actually a superior vocalist to Chris Martin. But don’t tell Gwyneth I said that – she might kick my ass.
Anyway, their show was just fab-o. They seemed so happy to be there, so joyous. They were also darling lads and showered the crowd with gratitude. They set a lovely tone that trickled out to all of us. And I was quite happy to see such support for them in the crowd. Personally, I couldn’t stop smiling.
John Mayer had originally been scheduled to close the night, but canceled days earlier. I think there was a DJ set instead, but I didn’t stick around to hear it. Instead, Mister and I headed over to the madness of 6th Street…
We were on a mission. One of our little traditions at South-By is getting a late-night dose of “Street Meat.” And there’s only one stand that will do: The Best Wurst.
All the years we’ve been going to SXSW, we’ve been lining up for a Best Wurst.
Mister orders a Bratwurst with everything.
I can’t tell you how good it is, but trust me when I say that there’s no finer street meat to be had in the wee hours of the morning.
After surviving the mayhem, we walked and noshed, arriving at our hotel around 1:30 am. It was another early night. And it was the last night.
Still riding the love of the Keane show, we shut it all down. Tomorrow would be a day of much-needed decompression, and travel. But more on that in the next post…