Following a widely reported fire that sent thick clouds of black smoke into the air and severely injured a handful of people, Bjork, Queens Of The Stone Age and Kaiser Chiefs helped open the sixth annual Austin City Limits Festival on Friday (Sept. 14) amid scorching heat in the Texas capital's Zilker Park.
Bjork hopped around the stage amid a vibrantly clothed backing band throughout her headlining set, despite the largely mellow song choice. The Icelandic vocalist turned in eerie, dark versions of "Hidden Place," "Army of Me" and an appropriately spacey "Earth Intruders."
Earlier, the Kaiser Chiefs delivered one of the higher energy sets of the day by mixing material from their two albums. The hits "I Predict a Riot" and "Ruby" were predictable favorites, but the band was also visibly pumped during "Angry Mob" and "Modern Way," with lead singer Ricky Wilson running back and forth on stage.
Queens Of The Stone Age also brought their rock A-game, playing mostly material from the recent "Era Vulgaris" like "3's & 7's" and "Sick, Sick, Sick." Their Interscope labelmate M.I.A. caused a brief security nightmare when she invited the audience to join her on the Dell Stage, which was quickly overrun with fans.
The London rapper was in chatty form, telling the crowd about her censored performance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" the night before because of the gunshot samples used in "Paper Planes." In Austin, the cut was dedicated to Letterman.
Peter Bjorn & John's set during the afternoon was plagued by sound issues, but relief was found in the WaMu tent with the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, who got the crowd moving with a James Brown-inspired set of R&B.
Austin City Limits continues today with Muse, the Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys and more. For additional coverage, visit the Billboard blog at JadedInsider.com.
Bjork hopped around the stage amid a vibrantly clothed backing band throughout her headlining set, despite the largely mellow song choice. The Icelandic vocalist turned in eerie, dark versions of "Hidden Place," "Army of Me" and an appropriately spacey "Earth Intruders."
Earlier, the Kaiser Chiefs delivered one of the higher energy sets of the day by mixing material from their two albums. The hits "I Predict a Riot" and "Ruby" were predictable favorites, but the band was also visibly pumped during "Angry Mob" and "Modern Way," with lead singer Ricky Wilson running back and forth on stage.
Queens Of The Stone Age also brought their rock A-game, playing mostly material from the recent "Era Vulgaris" like "3's & 7's" and "Sick, Sick, Sick." Their Interscope labelmate M.I.A. caused a brief security nightmare when she invited the audience to join her on the Dell Stage, which was quickly overrun with fans.
The London rapper was in chatty form, telling the crowd about her censored performance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" the night before because of the gunshot samples used in "Paper Planes." In Austin, the cut was dedicated to Letterman.
Peter Bjorn & John's set during the afternoon was plagued by sound issues, but relief was found in the WaMu tent with the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, who got the crowd moving with a James Brown-inspired set of R&B.
Austin City Limits continues today with Muse, the Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys and more. For additional coverage, visit the Billboard blog at JadedInsider.com.
Comments