Despite the latest wave of inclement weather in the Houston area that has severely affected lots of undeserving Texans, the state's capital, Austin, continues to serve as an oasis of art, culture, and music. Next weekend, Austin's Zilker Park will be flooded with an estimated 65,000 people (per day) for the 3-day, 8-stage, 130-band mega-festival, Austin City Limits. As ACL has joined Bonnarroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza in the upper echelon of American festivals, it's safe to say that producers C3 will not put on an event without building up a lineup that makes Live Nation and Superfly Productions nervously tug at their collars.
This summer has been packed to the brim with music festivals, many of which have exceeded the lineup quality and ticket sales of their predecessors. There was Bonnaroo in Tennessee, Lollapalooza in Chicago, plus a group of brand new festivals that were launched, including SF's Outside Lands and Michigan's Rothbury. It's been a festival season of epic proportions and needless to say, next summer will have a hard act to follow. Festival-goers have been spoiled by the wealth of bands that have appeared at these events, making it likely that they'll turn their noses up at anything less than 
Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Rage Against the Machine all on the same bill, as they should. Fans pay good money and deserve to have their cake and eat it too. Especially since the summer season is pushing all the way through September, these big-name festivals had better start accumulating their lineups ASAP. It's sort of like London's fear of falling short in the 2012 Olympics after China's spectacular opening ceremony. Eventually, a wall will be hit and it simply can't get any better. But until then, music festivals continue to induce the dropping of thousands of jaws, and will continue to for at least another month. Read more »
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