Early October marked the second time I was able to make it to the Austin City Limits music festival, and visit my brother at the University of Texas in Austin.

I left Denton early in the morning on Friday and on the way to Austin made a quick stop for kolaches in West. I arrived on the UT Campus a little before noon to meet my brother and drop my belongings off at his dorm. Then I set off on my journey to ACL.

 We parked the car a few blocks from Zilker Park and walked in the blistering heat carrying chairs and sunscreen. We arrived at the park and stood in a line to get our bags checked. Once in the park, we found a spot to set up our chairs and dispersed among the crowds of people for the first of three days of watching people and experiencing all the music that six stages in one park had to offer.

 I saw many interesting shows and met many interesting people during my time. There wasn’t anything more noticeable when you walked in than the smell of drugs and the deafening sound of live music as the temperatures neared the 100 degree mark.

 Waiting for your new favorite band to go on stage with a throng of others who are also waiting for their new favorite band to go on stage has a way of temporarily bonding you with people you have never met before and will never see again. But there you are standing and waiting for Passion Pit, cracking jokes and holding each other’s backpacks while one of your newly formed group runs to the restroom quickly before the show starts. When you see one of your temporary best friends at the Arctic Monkeys later, he motions you to come stand near him closer to the stage, evoking the “I’ve been holding this spot for my friend” privilege. Front row against the rail. Score.

 During this time between bands you also see how crazy the event is as one college kid takes his “medicine” and runs for food. He then starts screaming about imagining dragons and then starts crying and running around shirtless. He was distraught at his apparent inability to “see his thoughts” and proceeded to empty a water bottle on several people passing by. Evidently, he was unaware that water bottles have a limited capacity, for even when it produced little more than a fine mist, he continued to violently gesture at people with it and giggle to himself.  In the end, he claimed that he had invented a new smell and fell asleep brandishing his somewhat crinkled weapon.

 Despite the many crazy people and some of the awkward situations I found myself in, I loved the many bands I saw including Savages, Kings Of Leon, Passion Pit, Portugal. The Man, Fun, Grimes, Kendrick Lamar, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, and Phoenix.

 The entire weekend had a very ecstatic feel to it, and I had a very exhilarating time. ACL was an exciting and intriguing experience, and I can’t wait to go next year.