SXSW summons new sounds, and a new strength
Music, diversity take the spotlight from tragedy
Musical genres get
AUSTIN mashed up at the annual South By Southwest festival, and that was no different this year with the presence of hip-hop royalty Kanye West and Jay Z, pop hitmakers Coldplay and Lady Gaga, and scores of up-and-comers.
This year, tragedy also infiltrated the tableau when two people were killed and 23 injured, hit by a driver who plowed into a crowd as he tried to evade police.
The 10-day film/interactive/ music extravaganza — which drew more than 2,000 musicians and tens of thousands of attendees — continued, but the incident remained on the minds of performers and festgoers alike.
People should preserve “the spirit of the terrible tragedy the other night,” Lady Gaga told the crowd at her keynote appearance Friday. “Let’s leave here inspired to be good to one another through technology, music and through our shows.”
Blondie was one of the big names Saturday on a 14-act bill at celebrity chef Rachael Ray’s Feedback event. The 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee played hits One Way or Another, Rapture and Call Me, as well as new songs from an upcoming album and a raucous rendition of the Beastie Boys’ Fight for Your Right (to Party).
Musicians’ rapport with the crowd often took on added signif- icance after the tragedy. In between songs, Blondie singer Deborah Harry told the crowd at Stubb’s that “we survived, too. We’ve survived for a long time.”
Closing the show, CeeLo Green did a cover of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, hugging Ray and lifting her into the air.
Before singing Don’t Cha, a hit that Green originally wrote and produced for the Pussycat Dolls, he urged the audience to have fun. “Let’s celebrate our lives.”
Later that night, hip-hop star Ludacris put on a bombastic midnight show at the Doritos #BoldStage downtown. Inside, he opened with hits such as Southern Fried Intro and Number One Spot before launching into crowd-pleasers Act a Fool and What’s Your Fantasy.
Friday highlights included British rocker Damon Albarn delivering hit tunes from his former musical animation creation, Gorillaz. And Sleigh Bells, the Brooklyn-based heavy pop duo of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss, staged a white-hot set at the Red Bull Sound Select showcase, sending the crowd into a dancing frenzy with its riffs Bitter Rivals and Infinity Guitars.
Also Friday, an all-star lineup including Lucinda Williams and Spandau Ballet paid tribute to Lou Reed, who died last year. Earlier in the week, Spandau Ballet gave its first U.S. performance in 28 years. “It’s been such a rush for us coming over here,” Tony Hadley said.
Apple brought a five-day iTunes Festival to Austin for the first time and teamed big names such as Coldplay, Soundgarden and Pitbull with others on the rise. Saturday night’s closing bill paired young singer/songwriter Mickey Guyton with Willie Nelson and Keith Urban.
Late Saturday, as the music began to wind down at the MidCoast Takeover, an unofficial showcase of bands from Kansas City, one of the organizers, Amy Farrand, reminded attendees to cherish music — and life. “You never know when you might be removed from this planet.”