Saturday = hot...burned by the Austin sun. Hurricane Rita a threat, my ass. I knew everyone in Austin was crazy. I'm glad I didn't add to the insanity. On Thursday most of the grocery stores were out of water and bread, even hot dog buns! Definitely a knee-jerk reaction to the storm that nearly destroyed New Orleans...

Getting to the music festival at 2:30 pm was probably a mistake, as I felt exhausted by 5. We were perhaps overzealous, but lessons were learned. The C. felt like barfing at one point, and my exposed skin was red and hot to the touch. We would have loved to leave this land of girls in practically bras and panties, white old dudes wearing the colors of Jamaica, unlimited marijuana smoke, and creeps wearing some new sort of backpack/water container device, but if we did give up, we would not see one of the better bands to come out of the mid-90s alternative scene. We saw it in the distance, through the swirling dust storms...a mirage? An Oasis!

These fellas from abroad really knew how to put on a show, even though Liam has a tendency to get under my skin. Even though they rocked the house, I couldn't help but feel that Liam was just "goin' through the motions". Noel was entertaining however, although he told a story about him calling up room service to kill a couple cockroaches. Quite pathetic, but I suppose stardom has a tendency to make one forget that they have an inner caveman deep inside capable of smashing bugs with shoes, or capture-and-release'n em, what have you...

We waded through a sea of other rocked-out festival-goers, and eventually boarded our shuttle after an hour of standing/walking/briskly walking.

Immediately upon our arrival at home, we showered, washing the hours of dirt and sweat off us like so much dirt and sweat..uh...

Slept in again on Sunday...even later than the Saturday sleep-in...

We decided to blow off the "smaller" bands like The Bravery, Wilco, Arcade Fire, others and opted for more sleep and "couple time" away from that damn boiling sun. Our exit was around 5:45 pm. It was still 105 degrees, however.

As we entered the park, Coldplay's fluffer band Franz Ferdinand was in the middle of their set. They weren't too bad, but they were the garden salad before the Prime Rib. If you ask me, they played an hour too long, and Coldplay started an hour too late.

The sun began to fall. The dirt began to rise.

After Franz's set, I embarked on a mission to get the C. a cup o' tea (I suppose she was inspired by the brits). The air surrounding me was filled with dust/dirt/dried grass particles. I took in air, along with sand. I grabbed some napkins from the tea stand. I opted to use the napkins to cover my lover's tea from the increasing cloud of dust. My nose was left exposed. Later I would cover my nose/mouth with my t-shirt. Moot point really since I'm certain the damage was already done.

Darkness entered.
Artificial light was born via the rather large video screen adjacent to the main stage.

Coldplay began its love affair with us (the thousands of us). The lighting was spectacular. The sound even better. There was never a moment of uncertainty...a moment where I lost interest or intensity.

It was the greatest show ever. Better than Oasis the night before. Better than the Pixies. Better than them all, and by miles and miles...

And even though I'm hacking up dirt, or dust, or glass, whatever it may be, it was an awesome experience overall, and I got to enjoy it with my lover...my soulmate...my girl.