Michael Corcoran's ACL Fest history

Thursday, September 16, 2010

1 of 81

<b>ACL Fest 2002</b>

The story line: First-year jitters and logistical bumps were soon forgiven; a new Austin music tradition was born.

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(Taylor Johnson AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2002

The story line: First-year jitters and logistical bumps were soon forgiven; a new Austin music tradition was born.

Full ACL Fest coverage

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(AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2002

Attendance: 42,000 on Saturday (organizers were praying to break even with 30,000) and about 33,000 on Sunday.

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(Sung Park AMERICAN-STATESMAN )

ACL Fest 2002

Biggest hiccups: Hourlong waits for buses, food and double that to exchange tickets for wristbands. A lot of hotheads coming in were soothed by the cool vibe, however.

Note: One-day tix to the inaugural ACL Fest were $25.

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(Sung Park AMERICAN-STATESMAN )

ACL Fest 2002

String Cheese Incident was among the headliners for the first year of the fest.

The Arc Angels reunion, Pat Green, Wilco and Emmylou Harris also headlined.

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(Larry Kolvoord AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2002

Breakout acts: Robert Randolph (pictured here at the 2003 fest), Ryan Adams.

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(Sung Park AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2003

The storyline: Now a three-day event, ACL Fest has arrived!

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(Sung Park AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2003

R.E.M. was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2003

Al Green was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

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(Larry Kolvoord AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2003

Dwight Yoakam was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

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(Larry Kolvoord AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2003

Attendance: About 150,000 total over three days.

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(Larry Kolvoord AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2003

When pigs fly: String Cheese Incident, with the help of a local seamstress, relaunches the Pink Floyd pig while they played "The Wall."

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

The Storyline: 75,000 people came Saturday night and they all wanted to see the Pixies. This is the year the crowds got out of hand.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

Attendance was 200,000 or more over three days. (Neighborhood groups demanded that a cap of 65,000 per day be implemented, which is the current capacity.)

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(Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

Ben Harper was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

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(Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

Sheryl Crow was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

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(Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

Wilco was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

My Morning Jacket, Franz Ferdinand (pictured) and the Greencards were all breakout acts in the third year of the fest.

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(Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2004

Put it in perspective: How can you complain about the heat when the 80-somethings in Blind Boys of Alabama were up there vamping in suits?

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(Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

The story line: Will the show go on with Hurricane Rita about to strike? But instead of a hurricane we got a heat storm (108 degrees on Sunday) that turned Zilker Park into a dust bowl.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Attendance: About 170,000 for all three days.

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(Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Coldplay was a headliner in the fest's fourth year.

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(Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Widespread Panic was among the headliners in the fests fourth year.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Oasis was among the headliners in the fest's fourth year.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Lyle Lovett was among the headliners in the fest's fourth year.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Death Cab for Cutie was among the breakout acts at the 2005 fest.

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(Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

The Arcade Fire was among the breakout acts at the 2005 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Thievery Corporation was among the breakout artists in the fest's fourth year.

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(Kelly West AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2005

Gwyneth Paltrow was among the celebs sighted at the 2005 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

The story line: Organizers helped pay for a new irrigation system at Zilker and wisely didn't cut the grass for two weeks, resulting in no dust. But it was still hot as Satan's car seat.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Attendance: About 180,000 for three days.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Van Morrison was one of the headliners at the 2006 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Tom Petty was among the headliners at the 2006 fest.

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(Ricardo Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Massive Attack was one of the headliners at the 2006 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Willie Nelson was among the headliners at the 2006 fest.

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(Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Ghostland Observatory was one of the breakout acts at the 2006 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Gnarls Barkley was one of the breakout acts at the 2006 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

KT Tunstall was one of the breakout acts of the 2006 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Celeb sightings included Matthew McConaughey (pictured) and Jake Gyllenhaal

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

A nice touch: After Ben Kweller's famous nosebleed, Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips covered his face in fake blood and asked the audience to throw tampons onstage (which Kweller had to resort to using).

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2006

Whine, spo-dee-o-dee, let 'em whine: When this lineup was announced, it was soundly panned in cyberspace as not adventurous enough. Then folks complained that Tom Petty, who played through a rainstorm, was not loud enough.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

The story line: The year of the big fire. An overfilled propane tank ignited outside an RV, burning four employees of Brown Distributing beer suppliers and sending flames 75 feet in the air. All four survived.

This was also the year of the big cancelations, with Amy Winehouse pulling out early and co-headliner the White Stripes scrapping the date just days before the fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

Attendance: About 190,000 for three days.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

Bjork was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

The Arcade Fire was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

Wilco was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

Queens of the Stone Age was one of the headliners of the 2007 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

LCD Soundsystem was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

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(Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

M.I.A. was one of the breakout acts of the 2007 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

The National was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

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(Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

The Gotan Project was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2007

Anti-climax: Sunday's headliner Bob Dylan not only sounded like he gargled with anti-freeze, but he refused to allow any closeups on the Jumbotron.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

The Storyline: Ninety degrees never felt so balmy: best ACL weather since year one.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

Attendance: 65,000 per day (sold out).

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(Erich Schlegel FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN )

ACL Fest 2008

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss were headliners at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

David Byrne was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

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(Erich Schlegel FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN )

ACL Fest 2008

John Fogerty was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

Beck was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

Foo Fighters were a headliner at the 2008 fest.

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(Erich Schlegel FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN )

ACL Fest 2008

Manu Chao was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

MGMT was a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

Fleet Foxes were a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

Band of Horses was a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2008

C3 Presents pledged $2.5 million to level and irrigate Zilker soccer fields and not a moment too soon, as dust was a demon once again.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2009

The story line: For the first time in its history, ACL Fest takes place in October. But promoters worst fears come true when, after a perfect opening day, the autumn rains come heavy the Saturday, turning the freshly restored Zilker Park into a mud pit. What's worse, some fans freak out when it turns out that most of the mud is Dillo Dirt, made from compost.

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(Ricardo B. Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2009

Headliner Dave Matthews Band was DMB.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2009

Headliner Yeah Yeah Yeahs replaced Beastie Boys, who had to drop out when co-founder Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2009:

Avett Brothers (pictured) and Girl Talk were breakout artists at the 2009 festival.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2009

Headliner Pearl Jam (pictured) puts on a stunning set, but Kings of Leon were kind of a bore.

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(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

ACL Fest 2009:

Phoenix and Zac Brown Band (pictured) were break out acts at the 2009 festival.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2009:

Attendance: 65,000 per day.

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(Alberto Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010:

Attendance: 75,000 per day

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(Alberto Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010:

The Storyline: Three days of perfect October weather and a 10,000 increase in attendance made the crowds almost as unbearable as September heat of previous years. On opening night, a potentionally dangerous situation happened when Miike Snow's set ended ten minutes before Black Keys set was to start at a neighboring stage and fans got caught in the crush. The unmoveable "chair people" get the blame.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: The Eagles were a headliner.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: Phish was a headliner.

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(Ricardo B. Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: Muse was a headliner.

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(Contributed item)

ACL Fest 2010: The Strokes were a headliner.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: LCD Soundsystem was a headliner. M.I.A. (not pictured) was also a headliner.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: Lissie was a breakout act.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were a breakout act.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010: Miike Snow was a breakout act. Two Door Cinema Club and Foals (not pictured) were also breakout acts.

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(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

ACL Fest 2010

Biggest bummer: Gayngs were unable to play when their tour bus driver left the night before with the band's equipment in a payment dispute. Gayngs eventually won their case in court and were awarded their $15,000 fee, plus damages, from the bus company.

Full ACL Fest coverage

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Michael Corcoran's ACL Fest history

ACL Fest 2002 The story line: First-year jitters and logistical bumps were soon forgiven; a new Austin music tradition was born.

ACL Fest 2002 Attendance: 42,000 on Saturday (organizers were praying to break even with 30,000) and about 33,000 on Sunday.

ACL Fest 2002 Biggest hiccups: Hourlong waits for buses, food and double that to exchange tickets for wristbands. A lot of hotheads coming in were soothed by the cool vibe, however. Note: One-day tix to the inaugural ACL Fest were $25.

ACL Fest 2002 String Cheese Incident was among the headliners for the first year of the fest. The Arc Angels reunion, Pat Green, Wilco and Emmylou Harris also headlined.

ACL Fest 2002 Breakout acts: Robert Randolph (pictured here at the 2003 fest), Ryan Adams.

ACL Fest 2003 The storyline: Now a three-day event, ACL Fest has arrived!

ACL Fest 2003 R.E.M. was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

ACL Fest 2003 Al Green was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

ACL Fest 2003 Dwight Yoakam was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

ACL Fest 2003 Attendance: About 150,000 total over three days.

ACL Fest 2003 When pigs fly: String Cheese Incident, with the help of a local seamstress, relaunches the Pink Floyd pig while they played "The Wall."

ACL Fest 2004 The Storyline: 75,000 people came Saturday night and they all wanted to see the Pixies. This is the year the crowds got out of hand.

ACL Fest 2004 Attendance was 200,000 or more over three days. (Neighborhood groups demanded that a cap of 65,000 per day be implemented, which is the current capacity.)

ACL Fest 2004 Ben Harper was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

ACL Fest 2004 Sheryl Crow was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

ACL Fest 2004 Wilco was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

ACL Fest 2004 My Morning Jacket, Franz Ferdinand (pictured) and the Greencards were all breakout acts in the third year of the fest.

ACL Fest 2004 Put it in perspective: How can you complain about the heat when the 80-somethings in Blind Boys of Alabama were up there vamping in suits?

ACL Fest 2005 The story line: Will the show go on with Hurricane Rita about to strike? But instead of a hurricane we got a heat storm (108 degrees on Sunday) that turned Zilker Park into a dust bowl.

ACL Fest 2005 Attendance: About 170,000 for all three days.

ACL Fest 2005 Coldplay was a headliner in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005 Widespread Panic was among the headliners in the fests fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005 Oasis was among the headliners in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005 Lyle Lovett was among the headliners in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005 Death Cab for Cutie was among the breakout acts at the 2005 fest.

ACL Fest 2005 The Arcade Fire was among the breakout acts at the 2005 fest.

ACL Fest 2005 Thievery Corporation was among the breakout artists in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005 Gwyneth Paltrow was among the celebs sighted at the 2005 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 The story line: Organizers helped pay for a new irrigation system at Zilker and wisely didn't cut the grass for two weeks, resulting in no dust. But it was still hot as Satan's car seat.

ACL Fest 2006 Attendance: About 180,000 for three days.

ACL Fest 2006 Van Morrison was one of the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 Tom Petty was among the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 Massive Attack was one of the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006Willie Nelson was among the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 Ghostland Observatory was one of the breakout acts at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 Gnarls Barkley was one of the breakout acts at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 KT Tunstall was one of the breakout acts of the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006 Celeb sightings included Matthew McConaughey (pictured) and Jake Gyllenhaal

ACL Fest 2006 A nice touch: After Ben Kweller's famous nosebleed, Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips covered his face in fake blood and asked the audience to throw tampons onstage (which Kweller had to resort to using).

ACL Fest 2006 Whine, spo-dee-o-dee, let 'em whine: When this lineup was announced, it was soundly panned in cyberspace as not adventurous enough. Then folks complained that Tom Petty, who played through a rainstorm, was not loud enough.

ACL Fest 2007 Attendance: About 190,000 for three days.

ACL Fest 2007 Bjork was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 The Arcade Fire was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 Wilco was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 Queens of the Stone Age was one of the headliners of the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 LCD Soundsystem was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 M.I.A. was one of the breakout acts of the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 The National was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007The Gotan Project was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007 Anti-climax: Sunday's headliner Bob Dylan not only sounded like he gargled with anti-freeze, but he refused to allow any closeups on the Jumbotron.

ACL Fest 2008The Storyline: Ninety degrees never felt so balmy: best ACL weather since year one.

ACL Fest 2008 Attendance: 65,000 per day (sold out).

ACL Fest 2008 Robert Plant and Allison Krauss were headliners at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 David Byrne was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 John Fogerty was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 Beck was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 Foo Fighters were a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 Manu Chao was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 MGMT was a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 Fleet Foxes were a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008 Band of Horses was a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008C3 Presents pledged $2.5 million to level and irrigate Zilker soccer fields and not a moment too soon, as dust was a demon once again.

ACL Fest 2009Headliner Dave Matthews Band was DMB.

ACL Fest 2009Headliner Yeah Yeah Yeahs replaced Beastie Boys, who had to drop out when co-founder Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer.

ACL Fest 2009:Avett Brothers (pictured) and Girl Talk were breakout artists at the 2009 festival.

ACL Fest 2009Headliner Pearl Jam (pictured) puts on a stunning set, but Kings of Leon were kind of a bore.

ACL Fest 2009:Phoenix and Zac Brown Band (pictured) were break out acts at the 2009 festival.

ACL Fest 2009:Attendance: 65,000 per day.

ACL Fest 2010:Attendance: 75,000 per day

ACL Fest 2010: The Eagles were a headliner.

ACL Fest 2010: Phish was a headliner.

ACL Fest 2010: Muse was a headliner.

ACL Fest 2010: The Strokes were a headliner.

ACL Fest 2010: LCD Soundsystem was a headliner. M.I.A. (not pictured) was also a headliner.

ACL Fest 2010: Lissie was a breakout act.

ACL Fest 2010: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were a breakout act.

ACL Fest 2010: Miike Snow was a breakout act. Two Door Cinema Club and Foals (not pictured) were also breakout acts.

ACL Fest 2010Biggest bummer: Gayngs were unable to play when their tour bus driver left the night before with the band's equipment in a payment dispute. Gayngs eventually won their case in court and were awarded their $15,000 fee, plus damages, from the bus company.

ACL Fest 2002

The story line: First-year jitters and logistical bumps were soon forgiven; a new Austin music tradition was born.

ACL Fest 2002

Attendance: 42,000 on Saturday (organizers were praying to break even with 30,000) and about 33,000 on Sunday.

ACL Fest 2002

Biggest hiccups: Hourlong waits for buses, food and double that to exchange tickets for wristbands. A lot of hotheads coming in were soothed by the cool vibe, however.

Note: One-day tix to the inaugural ACL Fest were $25.

ACL Fest 2002

String Cheese Incident was among the headliners for the first year of the fest.

The Arc Angels reunion, Pat Green, Wilco and Emmylou Harris also headlined.

ACL Fest 2002

Breakout acts: Robert Randolph (pictured here at the 2003 fest), Ryan Adams.

ACL Fest 2003

The storyline: Now a three-day event, ACL Fest has arrived!

ACL Fest 2003

R.E.M. was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

ACL Fest 2003

Al Green was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

ACL Fest 2003

Dwight Yoakam was among the headliners in the fest's second year.

ACL Fest 2003

Attendance: About 150,000 total over three days.

ACL Fest 2003

When pigs fly: String Cheese Incident, with the help of a local seamstress, relaunches the Pink Floyd pig while they played "The Wall."

ACL Fest 2004

The Storyline: 75,000 people came Saturday night and they all wanted to see the Pixies. This is the year the crowds got out of hand.

ACL Fest 2004

Attendance was 200,000 or more over three days. (Neighborhood groups demanded that a cap of 65,000 per day be implemented, which is the current capacity.)

ACL Fest 2004

Ben Harper was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

ACL Fest 2004

Sheryl Crow was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

ACL Fest 2004

Wilco was among the headliners in the fest's third year.

ACL Fest 2004

My Morning Jacket, Franz Ferdinand (pictured) and the Greencards were all breakout acts in the third year of the fest.

ACL Fest 2004

Put it in perspective: How can you complain about the heat when the 80-somethings in Blind Boys of Alabama were up there vamping in suits?

ACL Fest 2005

The story line: Will the show go on with Hurricane Rita about to strike? But instead of a hurricane we got a heat storm (108 degrees on Sunday) that turned Zilker Park into a dust bowl.

ACL Fest 2005

Attendance: About 170,000 for all three days.

ACL Fest 2005

Coldplay was a headliner in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005

Widespread Panic was among the headliners in the fests fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005

Oasis was among the headliners in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005

Lyle Lovett was among the headliners in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005

Death Cab for Cutie was among the breakout acts at the 2005 fest.

ACL Fest 2005

The Arcade Fire was among the breakout acts at the 2005 fest.

ACL Fest 2005

Thievery Corporation was among the breakout artists in the fest's fourth year.

ACL Fest 2005

Gwyneth Paltrow was among the celebs sighted at the 2005 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

The story line: Organizers helped pay for a new irrigation system at Zilker and wisely didn't cut the grass for two weeks, resulting in no dust. But it was still hot as Satan's car seat.

ACL Fest 2006

Attendance: About 180,000 for three days.

ACL Fest 2006

Van Morrison was one of the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

Tom Petty was among the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

Massive Attack was one of the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

Willie Nelson was among the headliners at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

Ghostland Observatory was one of the breakout acts at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

Gnarls Barkley was one of the breakout acts at the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

KT Tunstall was one of the breakout acts of the 2006 fest.

ACL Fest 2006

Celeb sightings included Matthew McConaughey (pictured) and Jake Gyllenhaal

ACL Fest 2006

A nice touch: After Ben Kweller's famous nosebleed, Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips covered his face in fake blood and asked the audience to throw tampons onstage (which Kweller had to resort to using).

ACL Fest 2006

Whine, spo-dee-o-dee, let 'em whine: When this lineup was announced, it was soundly panned in cyberspace as not adventurous enough. Then folks complained that Tom Petty, who played through a rainstorm, was not loud enough.

ACL Fest 2007

Attendance: About 190,000 for three days.

ACL Fest 2007

Bjork was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

The Arcade Fire was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

Wilco was among the headliners at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

Queens of the Stone Age was one of the headliners of the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

LCD Soundsystem was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

M.I.A. was one of the breakout acts of the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

The National was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

The Gotan Project was one of the breakout acts at the 2007 fest.

ACL Fest 2007

Anti-climax: Sunday's headliner Bob Dylan not only sounded like he gargled with anti-freeze, but he refused to allow any closeups on the Jumbotron.

ACL Fest 2008

The Storyline: Ninety degrees never felt so balmy: best ACL weather since year one.

ACL Fest 2008

Attendance: 65,000 per day (sold out).

ACL Fest 2008

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss were headliners at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

David Byrne was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

John Fogerty was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

Beck was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

Foo Fighters were a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

Manu Chao was a headliner at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

MGMT was a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

Fleet Foxes were a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

Band of Horses was a breakout act at the 2008 fest.

ACL Fest 2008

C3 Presents pledged $2.5 million to level and irrigate Zilker soccer fields and not a moment too soon, as dust was a demon once again.

ACL Fest 2009

Headliner Dave Matthews Band was DMB.

ACL Fest 2009

Headliner Yeah Yeah Yeahs replaced Beastie Boys, who had to drop out when co-founder Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer.

ACL Fest 2009:

Avett Brothers (pictured) and Girl Talk were breakout artists at the 2009 festival.

ACL Fest 2009

Headliner Pearl Jam (pictured) puts on a stunning set, but Kings of Leon were kind of a bore.

ACL Fest 2009:

Phoenix and Zac Brown Band (pictured) were break out acts at the 2009 festival.

ACL Fest 2009:

Attendance: 65,000 per day.

ACL Fest 2010:

Attendance: 75,000 per day

ACL Fest 2010

Biggest bummer: Gayngs were unable to play when their tour bus driver left the night before with the band's equipment in a payment dispute. Gayngs eventually won their case in court and were awarded their $15,000 fee, plus damages, from the bus company.