Mud, Passion Pit, Girl Talk, Pearl Jam – ACL Day 3

After withstanding an entire day of rain, ACL fans showed up even more prepared for the third and final day of the music festival, wearing knee-high boots and carelessly stomping (and sliding, in some cases) through the 46-acre mud pit at Zilker Park. L.A.X started off the day performing to a small, yet energetic crowd. The local dance band was created in 2005 by electronic duo Andrew Collins and Erin Jantzen, and now includes Yadira Brown, Jon Oswald, Chris D’Annunzio and Rory Phillips. The group’s standout moment was when Austin rapper Zeale joined the band for “Pump to the Beat,” creating an energetic live show with catchy material and impressive freestyle. Out of the Sunday lineup, I was most looking forward to seeing Passion Pit, an electronic band from Massachusetts. Lead vocalist, Michael Angelakos, started off the group’s 5 p.m. set by asking the crowd, “Who here has seen us play live before?” After almost everyone in the crowd threw their hands up, Angelakos shouted, “We’re glad you’re here! We know you have other options, so enjoy the show!” When they performed hit song “Sleepyhead,” the group’s debut single, the crowd threw up their hands and started jumping up and down, shouting lyrics back at the stage. Passion Pit closed their set by telling the fans, “This is a very special day for us. Thank you for making it that much more special.” As the crowd made their way to other stages, covered head-to-toe in mud, it was obvious that Passion Pit put on one of the best shows of the day.
By the time Girl Talk’s 7 p.m.-set started, the Xbox 360 Stage was the muddiest venue at Zilker Park, which was fitting for the massive dance party that lasted throughout Gregg Gillis’ performance. Gillis, a Pennsylvania-native, is known for his unique mashups and digital samplings. Throughout the entire set, fans were pumping their fists and chanting along with profane rap lyrics. The most impressive part of the performance was when Gillis was joined by nearly 200 fans on stage, dancing and screaming to his well-known samples, while Gillis ripped off his shirt and jumped onto a table in front of him to entice the crowd (not that they needed to be encouraged by any means). The 2009 Austin City Limits Festival ended with an epic performance from Pearl Jam. The muddy masses moved toward the Livestrong Stage hours before Peal Jam was scheduled to appear, hoping to get a decent spot for the performance. During the two-hour set, the iconic group performed almost every song fans would want to hear: “Why Go?,” “Corduroy,” “Daughter,” “Got Some,” “The Fixer,” “Evenflow,” “Not For You,” “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town,” “Given To Fly,” “World Wide Suicide,” “Unthought Known,” “Hail Hail,” “Insignificance,” “Present Tense,” “State of Love And Trust,” and “Go.” The set also included a variety of covers, including Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World,” The Who’s “The Real Me,” and Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song” with Perry Farrell on vocals. “I don’t think we’ve played here since 1995. I just want to apologize,” Vedder told the crowd. “I don’t know what the (expletive) we were thinking.” Apology accepted. Pearl Jam’s larger-than-life performance was one of the best headlining acts in Austin City Limits Festival history. (By Emily Watkins / ABC News On Campus) (Photos by Kiah Collier / ABC News On Campus)