Most of the band we wanted to see this night were at Stubb's BBQ, which was a larger outdoor venue in the backyard of a restaurant. Like Emo's there was smoking, but at least the sound quality was much better. And the place was built on an incline, so it was easier to see. We got there about 7:30pm and there was a huge line outside. Since we were newbies, we thought maybe the place was just really small, and people were packing 4 hours early to see Nickel Creek. We didn't think the music had started yet, we just heard them playing a Beastie Boys CD inside. Then we wondered why people were watching from the parking deck across the street. Oh, it was actually the Beastie Boys, who had started a surprise show at 7pm.  And the place wasn't full, the line was just to get through the security.

• The Beastie Boys: Let me start off saying that I am not a fan of the secret shows. We really wanted to see The Flaming Lips, and apparently they played three times. Still, we never got to see them. It could have been worse, I know of someone that waited at a stage until 1:30am to see the Flaming Lips, based on a false rumor. The Beastie Boys were at the film festival part, promoting their new documentary. Anyway, we caught the BB's last 4 songs, including 3 I know. ("No Sleep 'til Brooklyn," "Body Movin'," and "Intergalactic.") I have to admit, age does not seem to slow these guys down. I also have to admit that seeing a white guy with a gray beard rap is fairly bizarre. I love seeing seasoned live acts like this. They've performed for so long, they they can entertain perfectly.

• Deadboy and the Elephantmen: This is a duo with a guy on vocals/guitar and a girl on drums. I think we played PalmPilot Scrabble through this show. They were OK, but not OK enough to motivate us to stop playing Scrabble.

• The Noisettes: This band rocked my socks off. The first two songs, I thought they sounded like Rush. Now I think there is something wrong with the SXSW sounds systems that make everybody sound like Rush. Anyway, this band was compelling enough to make us stand up and watch them. They are quite British with a punky/jazzy black female lead singer/bassist, some sort of undead zombie guy on guitar, and a human incarnation of Animal on drums. They looked like this:
     
  I couldn't find a pic that looked like the singer, so I just used a picture of her.
  They were sloppy and loud and chromatic and raucous and I loved them. I wonder if this is one of those career-launching SXSW performances I hear about.

• The Fiery Furnaces: For some reason, their Female lead singer also sounded like the singer for Rush. There was something seriously wrong with the speakers. Anyway, this band was offensive to our sensibilities. "Wankers" is a good way to describe them. I will also use the words "wasted talent." They were annoying and pretentious and the music grated on every last nerve I had. Actually, I shouldn't call them pretentious. I like the Dresden Dolls and the Decemberists, who make an enjoyable art out of pretense. The Fiery Furnaces are just plain annoying. Although they are not the most annoying band I've seen play before the Dolls. That honor still remains with Count Zero. (I DARE you to remain in the room when Count Zero is performing!)

• The Dresden Dolls: Ah, this is why we were here. They are one of my all-time favorite bands. If you've read my journal, you know that we love them and I've probably said enough about them in the past. The singer/pianist is one of the best hard rock songwriters who ever lived. The drummer is hands down the best percussionist I have ever seen in my life. Musically, they connect in a way that shouldn't be possible. It was interesting seeing them in a totally different setting than usual. There were no human statues  dressed up in Victorian dresses. Nobody was on stilts. There were no clumps of Goth kids lamenting being born in the wrong century. I was the dork singing along with all the unreleased songs from the upcoming album.
  The show was breathtaking (as usual), but they were so PERFECT. I love this stage in a band's career: you think they were great, but they are still getting better. You have to wonder just how good they will get. Through the whole show, I kept wondering 'If I was sitting in the back, would Amanda sound like Rush too?'

• The Like: We walked a block down to see this all-girl trio. I didn't know anything about this band, just that they had a pretty good song that I enjoyed. I didn't know they were all-girl, and I didn't know they were all 15. Actually, I think they are 18-20, but they look 15. They rock. I'm glad we caught them.

• Nickel Creek: A few years ago, they were battling Jump for my favorite band. Now they battle the Dresden Dolls. So it's kind of crazy to see them in one night. This is a bluegrass/rock/jazz/folk/whatever trio+bassist if you haven't heard of them. I saw them go through that awesome-but-getting-better stage, but now they have seemed to settle out. I love them, but they seem to be stagnating. The show was great, but this was a band that used to surprise me on a regular basis. The show lacked any surprises.  For the first time, I saw Sara actually glaring at Chris for his excesses. I don't know how much longer Nickel Creek will be around, but I plan on being a Chris Thile, Sean Watkins, and Sara Watkins fan my whole life.

• David Mead: This is one of the male singer-songwriters on Missy's Tool Belt. His show was fun, although I don't think I enjoy him as much as she does. He performed with a backup cellist and switched from piano to guitar to ukulele. I guess you can't go wrong without a ukulele.

• Field Music: This was a group of young Brits I can best describe as misguided. For some reason, they sounded like Rush to me, but that would be a continuing theme of SXSW. They had all these tempo and dynamic changes that were simply annoying and distracting. We saw them at Emo's, a smoky outdoor venue that was annoying and had bad acoustics. We stayed there most of the night.

• Laura Veirs: We went over to the much nicer Caribbean Nights venue and saw this chick rocker that we had just recently heard of. She seems to be a bit of a throwback to 10 years ago, but that's not completely a bad thing. Her band is made of large, monstrous men. I think they were all taller than me. I enjoyed the show a lot, and would see her again if she came to Jax. (but nobody ever does)

• Of Montreal: Back to Emo's for this unusual act. Don't be fooled by the name. They're actually of Georgia. I don't quite understand what they do, but I like it. The (male, Matt Bivins-like) lead singer came out a wedding dress and changed into a gold lame top. Like many bands today, they are channeling the 80's. The sugary pop and danceable drum machine beats were a lot of fun. Sadly, Emo's has bad acoustics, and I couldn't enjoy it too much. I'd like to see them in a better setting. I'd suggest listening to their song.

• ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead: Don't be put off by the name (or the bizarre website). They aren't as ridiculous as you think they would be. It's a bit of a joke, because they are a very straightforward, no frills, no nonsense hard rock band. It's alternative music for us old people who still remember it. I've always thought of them as my poor-man's Smashing Pumpkins. Again, bad acoustics and we were too sleepy to stay for more than a few songs. My biggest highlight was finally seeing how they work. They have two singer/guitarist/drummer and a singer/guitarist/keyboardist and a drummer/keyboardist that rotate out, depending on who is singing. My favorite singer is not my favorite songwriter, who is not my favorite drummer. I was glad to finally see how the logistics work, and who did what. Also, I was excited to read that Amanda of the Dresden Dolls recorded a song with them this week.

So, that is only one quarter of the rock experience. More is to come.