The 30th edition of SXSW’s Music Conference and Festival kicked off in full force yesterday (March 15). Billboard‘s team on the ground pulled together 11 things you missed down in Austin on Tuesday as things finally got under way.
3:05 p.m. — Though it was already scorching on the concrete in front of the stage, bearded Brit Jack Garratt came on hot, blasting through songs like his single “Sorry” while one-man-band-ing electro-rock with guitars, synths, and — most impressively — an electric drum sampler, his strong tenor rising above it all. “This is my first show this South By,” he told the growing audience — and with a slew of them left, it’s clear he wasn’t holding anything back. — Jeff Miller
5:05 p.m. — Mayer Hawthorne‘s new album, Man About Town, may not come out for another month, but 40 or so lucky contest winners and other friends of the artist (including Stones Throw’s Peanut Butter Wolf) got an early listen at an ultra-intimate meet-and-greet — and brief private show — at the Living Room at the W in Austin. Hawthorne’s manager collected all cell phones before the party started, both to inspire presence and dis-inspire bootlegging, but the album was packed with neo-retro soul grooves and one out-there reggae song, “Fancy Lady.” “How many of you don’t even like my music?” Hawthorne asked the small crowd before playing the record; no one raised their hands, obviously, but the crowd was definitely fully onboard as Hawthorne played his single, “Love Like That,” solo at a keyboard, and finished off the event taking selfies and sending Snapchats with the audience. —JM
5:40 p.m. — Such a big line emerged for D.R.A.M. at the Spotify House that even if fans got into the venue it was difficult to get into his show. But fans who did get out there were treated to one of the most joyous performers of the week, as the Atlanta singer ran through songs like “Fax” off his Gahdamn! EP last year. He has an almost CeeLo-esque ability to switch between singing and rapping — it may not be as smooth as the Goodie Mob MC, but it’s as full-bodied as you could get. His Chance The Rapper collab, “Caretaker,” was a great touch. —Dan Rys
6:16 p.m. — Vince Staples hit the sweltering Spotify stage and opened with “Lift Me Up” and “Birds & Bees” before pointing out some young kids he brought to the side of the stage with some of his particularly pointed humor. “That’s how you don’t get lynched in Texas — you keep a little white kid with you at all times.” Later, poking fun at the streaming service putting on his show, he added, “Thank y’all for feeding my family with that quarter of a dollar.” —DR
7:45 p.m. — Austin’s Peterson Brothers Band made some extra noise at the annual BMI Howdy Texas party inside Stubb’s BBQ. During a lengthy, set-closing version of “Got My Mojo Workin’,” the band’s two teenaged siblings, guitarist Glenn Jr. and bassist Alex, came off the stage, worked their way all the way to the bar on the first floor, then climbed the stairs and played for those seated above before returning to the stage. Dale Watson, who followed, watched appreciatively but kept himself in one place for his set. —Gary Graff
8:45 p.m. — Har Mar Superstar may have had the worst luck of any performer on the first day of this year’s music conference: the R&B singer, known for onstage antics and falsetto vocals, was having technical difficulties that forced him to start more than half an hour late. “This f—ing club broke my keyboards” he said, before launching his band into one punky song and one punky song only. Clearly disenfranchised, Har Mar (aka Sean Tillman) threw the mic down as he finished: “Thank you, we’re Har Mar Superstar, goodnight.” It may have been the shortest set in SXSW history, but at a festival full of rehearsed-to-death “rawness,” it was also the one that felt the most honest. —JM
10:01 p.m. — “My name is Jidenna, and you are Vevo!” said the “Classic Man” singer as he kicked off his set following a typically excellent Texas BBQ. And the politically inclined singer took his opportunity to make a statement while he had the stage: “This is my first time at SXSW. When I was driving here I was reminded that I was in Texas and while I did see a lot of Donald Trump posters along the way… What I do know is if Donald Trump was running for president in the ’60s I wouldn’t be here, because my father was from Nigeria.” He then launched into his epic “Long Live The Chief.” —DR
11:00 p.m. — “They always say, ‘What do you want to do on your birthday?’ I want to play music with people I love.” So said Ray Benson on Tuesday night, and fortunately he knows some pretty notable people — including country superstar George Strait, the Avett Brothers, Jimmie Vaughan and more, all of whom showed up to play at Benson’s mostly annual Birthday Bash, this year on the spacious grounds behind Austin’s GSD&M advertising agency offices. Strait — who also donated several items to a silent auction to benefit the Health Alliance For Austin Musicians fund — was the night’s big surprise, joining Benson and Asleep At The Wheel for favorites such as “Troubadour,” “Here For a Good Time,” “The Fireman” and “All My Exes Live in Texas.” Benson and company were also joined by Jason Boland, Dale Watson — who joked that Benson “used to back up this guy named Jesus Christ” — Sunny Sweeney, Bobbie Bishop and Carolyn Wonderland, while Asleep At The Wheel finished the night with a medley of the staples “Happy Trails,” “Yellow Rose of Texas” and “On The Road Again.” —GG
11:35 p.m. — At the MediaTemple party at Stubb’s, former OutKast member Big Boi sounded… well, like a member of OutKast: he certainly didn’t shy away from hits, giving the packed crowd “Ms. Jackson” and “Ghettomusik” among tons of others, backed by a crack band. Earlier, Biz Markie played a DJ set that essentially felt like a bar mitzvah: “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Take On Me” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” were all represented, at least by a chorus or two. —JM
1:32 a.m. — One of the great things about SXSW is the ability to see wild bands flex their absurdist muscles, which is why we hope Peelander Z never stops making their annual pilgrimage to Austin: the cartoonish New York-based Japanese metal band is as over-the-top as it gets, and tonight they went even further, running out onto Red River to give their instruments to unsuspecting passers-by and then bringing them onstage to “play.” Did it sound good? Nah. But it looked great, and the packed crowd at Valhalla ate it up. —JM
2:55 a.m. — A pile of WhataBurger, cut in quarters, sat on a table in East Austin as comics Iliza Shlesinger and Owen Benjamin, among others, took turns posing in front of a step-and-repeat that had been erected in the Airbnb one of their producers rented for the week. It’s theoretically a victory party after a killer show at Esther’s Folly, but really it’s an excuse to invite Austin representatives of the sharing economy into the house: at various points in time, an Uber driver, a Postmates delivery woman, and one of the bikers hauling Austin’s ubiquitous rickshaw end up inside for some burgers, fries, and beer. It’s definitively South By: unexpected, absurd, and probably in many ways wholly unhealthy. —JM
