That week in March where Longhorns leave the Forty Acres and out-of-towners descend upon Austin is also known as South by Southwest. The ultimate culmination of film, music and interactive took over the capitol city from March 8-17 with appearances from Selena Gomez, Zac Efron, The Flaming Lips, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Prince (yes, THE Prince) and Justin Timberlake. There were so many acts to catch that if you overplanned or didn’t plan enough, you may have missed something. As usual, Her Campus Texas was there to report the highlights back to you.
SPIN at Stubb’s
Live music and barbecue are the makings of Austin, so it makes perfect sense that SPIN magazine had their mega showcase at the iconic Stubb’s BBQ. CHVRCHES, Solange, Kendrick Lamar and so many more rocked out with the huge crowd. Solange looked super stylish in a breezy, jeweled, salmon short suit and sky high heels. The crowd went crazy for Lamar and from where I was standing, not a single vibe was killed.
mtvU Woodie Awards
This award show made for, attended by and pretty much ruled by college students was even bigger and better this year. The crowd was especially huge for SXSW darling Macklemore, and something tells me that the thrift stores will be unusually crowded throughout the spring.
The Virgin Mobile House
If you didn’t get enough Tito’s Vodka in your system throughout the festival, hopefully you stopped by the best all day party in Austin. Literally located right across the street from Stubb’s (formerly a sweet old lady’s house, apparently), the cell phone company offered an open bar, an eclectic mix, sounds from new bands during the day and tunes from the likes of Diplo after sundown. When your show let out and you didn’t want to brave the traffic of leaving downtown until the next, or just wanted a chill place to be without sacrificing excitement, this was the place to be.
FADER Fort
Surprise guests make this the place to be every single year. This year Diddy shocked the crowd, Macklemore made an appearance, and perhaps most notably, Usher set the audience ablaze when he came out to a rock and roll rendition of “Climax” with The Afghan Whigs. If ever there was a moment in which fangirling was unanimously approved, it was this one.
Myspace Secret Shows
These concerts were possibly the most anticipated of the entire festival. The first night featured Hit-Boy, Diplo and the ever raging Kid Cudi and his new, freshly shaved head. The second night was hosted by Theophilus London and headlined by Sleigh Bells. The third night however, was an animal all its own. Mr. Childhood Crush himself, Justin Timberlake graced the stage in a fantastical world somewhere between 5th street and Trinity. Surprisingly, Austin didn’t explode considering the simultaneous performance by Prince that was happening across downtown at La Zona Rosa.
As always, South by Southwest had lots of surprises and thankfully, some familiar routine. HCTX encourages everyone to rest up before the next festival and please, cut off your wristbands.
Wristband Image: Melements by Moyo Oyelola