photo by Colin Kerrigan
Even at a music festival, there are moments when music takes a back seat. Before 1 a.m. last night, my primary concern had been inching towards the front of the crowd at the NPR Showcase at Stubb's, so I could snag a good spot for Damon Albarn's headlining solo set. Eventually, success: During his soundcheck, I'd made it up close enough to the stage that the only other people around me were fellow Blur nerds sharing their credentials. We debated Parklife vs. 13; someone made a reference to a specific section of Alex James's memoir and a couple of people laughed knowingly. That kind of thing.
And then my phone started buzzing with a constant stream of texts from people asking if I was OK. In situations like that—the moment before you realize exactly what you are suddenly very grateful to be "OK" from—you fear the worst, and in this case something resembling the worst turned out to be true. Minutes before, a drunk driver had plowed through a crowd of people across the street from where I was then standing. As I scrolled through Twitter, more details emerged: At least two people dead, as many as 23 injured. Stunned and disoriented, I did something that minutes before would have seemed unfathomable: I gave up a front row spot to see a performance by the lead singer of one of my all-time favorite bands. I wanted to be with my friends.
As it was last night, the mood here in Austin this morning is uncertain and surreal. Everyone I've talked to is shaken up. It's unclear if events will go on today as planned; it's unclear if people feel like they even should. The idea of going to panels about "the future of brand-building" this morning feels a little absurd, but, as some of us just agreed, I can't think of anything much more cathartic than seeing a soul-cleansingly loud Fucked Up set right about now.
We'll continue to keep you updated all week on what's going on here, but for now, it feels appropriate to take a pause from the cycle of "post it by the morning or the set didn't happen!" I'll catch Albarn's show later in the week. There will be time—and for the moment I'm newly appreciative of that fact. I saw some great music last night. I'll tell you about it at some point.