The crowd at the front of the AMD Stage was mostly still collecting Pokemon cards when the Afghan Whigs released their final album in 1999.
And while the band inspires a fierce loyalty in those who adore their music, they haven't gone become a cult legend whose records have been passed along on burned CDs and external hard drives from teenaged fan to teenaged fan over the past thirteen years, the way that, say, the similarly-timelined At The Drive In has.
For its part, the band has settled into its reunion nicely. After over a decade off, any rust that may have gathered has shaken off well.
So the number of teenagers up front were probably mostly just there to hold a good spot for the closing set from AVICCI, but who really cares about that? The Afghan Whigs are an accessible rock band whose music translates well to listeners who are otherwise stuffed full of pills and waiting for a DJ to emerge.
That's mostly how things seemed to go for the Whigs' set on Friday (er, that is, the Afghan Whigs' set — a band called The Whigs, with no modifier, is on the bill for Saturday, leading to what's sure to be much confusion among fans of relatively straightforward, guitar-based rock bands). The crowd near the front was a mix of place-holding teenagers and die-hard fans in their 30s and 40s, who've been utterly devoted to the band's mix of guitar rock and classic soul since the heyday of Alternative Nation.
For its part, the band has settled into its reunion nicely. After over a decade off, any rust that may have gathered has shaken off well; while the Afghan Whigs have always been a night-time band, they were compelling even during a mid-day performance, loading up the set list with big rock-and-roll stompers like "Uptown Again," "What Jail Is Like," and "Crazy."
The band has also shaken off the reunion-show tendency to focus mostly on the hits (or at least the most beloved songs) in favor of a set that more accurately reflects the experience of seeing the Afghan Whigs in the pre-breakup days.
Back then, the Whigs were known for dropping in covers, both expected and not, throughout their set, interpolating other artists' songs into their own, and generally treating the performance as something of a revue. The ACL performance included pieces of "Who Do You Love" by Bo Diddley, "Little Red Corvette" by Prince, "See and Don't See" by Marie Queenie Lyons, and "Lovecrimes" by Frank Ocean.
In short, the Afghan Whigs' ACL set was a snapshot of what the band has been, and of where they are now (while "Who Do You Love" and "Little Red Corvette" were staples of the band's first run, "See And Don't See" and "Lovecrimes" are exclusive to this incarnation).
All that's really left for the band are some new songs of their own, and until that happens, the ACL set was at least proof that this reunion has their full attention.
The first half of June is loaded with a lot of great things – the start of summer, Spurs vs. Knicks in the NBA Finals, and the beginning of the World Cup — but don’t let all of that distract you from the many great local shows that will be happening as well. See here for recommendations.
Future Clouds & Radar at Hole In The Wall – Friday, June 5 Indie rockers Future Clouds & Radar will be throwing a vinyl release party for their recently released album, Big Weather, at Hole In The Wall this Friday, June 5. Support will be provided by Molecular Steve and Whalers. Tickets for the show are $12.76.
Armadillo Live at Central Machine Works – June 5-7 Armadillo Live, which is a three-day celebration benefiting KUTX, will take place at Central Machine works this weekend, June 5-7. Fans can expect performances from White Denim, Holy Wave, Annabelle Chairlegs, Gran Moreno, and others; plus, there will be Austin music memorabilia swaps, specialty drinks, immersive installations, local vendors, and more. Each day will have a suggested donation of $9.98 at the door.
Blues On The Green at Zilker Park – June 9-10 Local tradition Blues On The Green returns to Zilker Park on back-to back nights Tuesday, June 9, and Wednesday, June 10. Alejandro Escovdeo, Aaron Behrens, and Kylie Hernandez will play the first show; then the second one will feature Brownout, Mama Duke, and Nik Parr & The Selfless Lovers. This is a free event.
Magna Carda at the Mohawk – Friday, June 12 Hip hop standouts Magna Carda will ring in the release of their new album, INNINOUTCHEAMIND, at the Mohawk on Friday, June 12. The rest of the lineup for the evening includes Mike Melinoe, LLUVII, and DJ Cortez. Tickets for the show are $21.
CorMae at the 13th Floor – Friday, June 12 Everything Is So Great is the title of CorMae’s impending album, and the punk act will be celebrating its arrival at the 13th Floor on Friday, June 12. Topdown, Fifi Knifefight, and Heavy Velvet will play as well. Tickets for the show are $18.40.
Radio’s 12th Birthday at Radio East – Saturday, June 13 The team at Radio Coffee & Beer are throwing themselves a 12th birthday party at Radio East on Saturday, June 13. The psych-dipped Golden Dawn Arkestra will headline the bash, and they’ll be joined by Club Coma, who will be celebrating the release of a new single titled “These Days Are Over.” Tickets are $20.72.
The Afghan WhigsPhoto by Jessica Pages
Photo by Jessica Pages
Photo by Jessica Pages
Photo by Jessica Pages
