Treasure Island - Sunday

Posted by Campbell at Sunday, September 21, 2008

I didn't make it out Saturday, but given Sunday's experience, this festival has taken a major dip in its sophomore year. Not only was the lineup quite weak, but the small touches that made last year so wonderful were absent. Last year's VIP purchase brought you to a backstage area that included pool tables, a long and cozy bar, buckets of fruit and various games. In this year's VIP area you had a bar. Last year's concession stands were chock-full-of vegetarian and locally grown foods. This year my only option was a wrap filled with lettuce and tomatoes.

But there was one major highlight and that was Austin's Okkervil River. I've been a fan of Okkervil for some years, but their latest two records, The Stege Names and The Stand Ins (released last week), have placed this band among the most important acts making music today. And today's set in the middle of a Sunday on a small island in San Francisco, was one of the most inspired sets of music I've seen this year. And just when I thought the magic was over, following their set, I found myself standing next to Okkervil's lead singer Will Shelf at the bar. And just like that moment in 1995 when I found myself alongside Wilco's Jeff Tweedy on the outskirts of Boston, I had to seize the moment. Because regardless of age or circumstance, there's something about music that can turn some of us into starry-eyed kids.