SXSW 2013, the End

The last night of "South by," as the locals say it,* was an interesting one.  It started with dinner at Phil's Icehouse, maker of my favorite burger in Austin, and ended with The Smashing Pumpkins.  As you can see, it was book-ended by two good things.

Here's what happened in between, though:  I paid twenty bucks to see a band I didn't know I didn't like.  I forked over the cash because that's what you do when you're with a group of people and want to be friendly and try something new, right?  But I think I was wrong.  I should've just stayed outside and people-watched -- 'cause that's part of what makes this festival so interesting, anyway.  The streets are filled with thousands of people wearing bizarre clothing and doing bizarre things, but you can stroll along with your hands in your pockets and the breeze in your hair while you watch people spill out of bars or file in long lines to catch a good piece of music.  I love that.

That sounds lovely, right?  Well, instead of doing that, I stayed to listen to a band I wasn't fond of.  I can't pinpoint exactly what it was I didn't like nor can I explain why I wanted to be out of there so much, but that's how I felt.**

Thank goodness for The Smashing Pumpkins.  We didn't get inside the gates of the outdoor venue, but we were able to listen to them from across the street.  I saw Billy Corgan's bald head and the lights from the show reflecting off it, but that's all.  And I guess that's really all that mattered, anyway; it was just fun to go back to the sound of 1995 for an hour and a half.  I felt like my brother Blake was gonna pull up in his gray Nissan Stanza at any moment.  :)


*I refused to say it this way for a long time, but this year, I gave in.  It rolls off the tongue so much easier than "South by Southwest," especially when you say it several times a day.

**Carousel played first, though; they were alright.  Actually, I liked them pretty well.  They also reminded me of my brother Blake.  :)



Thing I'm thankful for: fun concert buddies