Old 97's, Stubbs, Oct. 17, 2014

I just love these guys so much, even after seeing them countless times over the years. Always a rockin' high energy show. There was a big crowd of sing-a-long fans at Stubbs, and I had a fabulous time. Opening Sarah Jaffe was rockin' cool too.

Used the new iPhone 6 for the photos and videos, still getting used to it, so the images aren't great. But I think the videos came out pretty well.

ACL Fest 2014, Sunday

And just like that, ACL Fest 2014 (the first weekend) is over. The good thing about this two-weekend festival is that I can check out some of the shows I missed next weekend on the live stream - some of the big headliners where it was too packed to get close, and Spoon, who was sacrificed so I could see The Replacements. Fingers crossed that the ACL TV taping fairy will once again shine favor upon me for Thursday's show.

Sunday was a fun day of exploration and legends. The highlight was The Replacements, a band I have loved since I was first introduced to "indie" and "alternative" music and one that has influenced all my favorite bands since. I'll Be You and Alex Chilton still hold up, and at an increasingly EDM festival, those old rockers were a breath of fresh air for this old rock fan. Finally getting to see them live was a wonderful, full-circle kind of thing.

So, that's it. Thanks, friends, for another awesome Basecamp. Three days out in the sun in Austin with good music... can't think of anything better.

Gaslight Anthem brought the Jersey rock.

Jenny Lewis looked adorable and sounded great.

Kongos has some fun songs.

MO was a breakout, high energy Danish pop act.

Real Estate had some nice songs, too.

The Replacements were the legendary rockers I always thought them to be.

Stage before Pearl Jam.

ACL Fest 2014, Saturday

Saturday at ACL Fest drew big crowds. I only got close enough at a few shows to get decent pictures and video. Broken Bells were the highlight. I was at the back of the crowds for Iggy Azalea and Eminem.

It's been a great fest so far. Good weather and good times.

Iggy Azalea was booked on a side stage, and she was a crowd favorite. But she caused quite the late afternoon traffic jam with people coming across the park.

Broken Bells put on a great show, played everything I wanted to hear.

Strong vocals by Polica.

The Rosebuds are a cute pop band from North Carolina

Someone unleashed these beach balls which made for an interesting visual effect.

ACL Festival Kicks Off On a Beautiful Austin Day

The annual tradition of ACL Festival with my friends and our Basecamp, established with the first festival in 2002, continues. We purchased our badges only weeks after last year's fest ended, didn't know the lineup or much else about where we'd all be in the coming year. But we manage to get the core gang together year after year for great music, fun and friendship.

This year's fest has a good lineup, not of band's I love, but those I want to check out. Here are a few shots from Friday. The biggest anticipation is for The Replacements on Sunday, so stay tuned.

Headliner Beck put on a stellar show.

Bleachers was a fun crowd-pleaser.

I first saw Capital Cities at SXSW. Always a party.

There aren't many artists like St. Vincent, a rockin' guitarist with an interesting visual aesthetic.