HEAVY METAL ROAD TRIP, DAY 8: DAY THREE OF SXSW + EPIC BBQ
In which we ate epic BBQ and saw an epic headline set by Muse…
Every year at SXSW I make time for a trip down to the Salt Lick. It’s never easy; at 45 minutes outside the city limits it turns into a 3+ hour adventure, and the tricky part is getting a ride. Thankfully this year the dudes in East of the Wall and Goes Cube hooked it up big time and by noon me, Kip, and Rob from Metal Injection were on our way to Driftwood.
I know there are other great BBQ places, even inside Austin itself, but the Salt Lick is so fucking good I just can’t NOT go there. By the time we rolled up to the Salt Lick parking lot with Goes Cube, East of the Wall were ready and waiting with a case of beer (Salt Lick is BYOB). We quickly sucked down the two joints we’d rolled that morning and put our names on the list, and within 20 minutes we were sitting at a table ready to gorge ourselves on meat.
Salt Lick offers “all you can eat” meat platters for $15 per person. They include brisket, ribs and sausage, and they’ll just keep bringing you more platters until you say stop. Stoned, drunk and jubilated we tore into the meat as soon as our waiter set it down on the table. For some reason the question “Another round of meat, guys?” elicited constant laughs… there’s something about the concept of being able to order rounds of meat that tickled us silly.
While we mowed down on the constant supply of amazing meat, our beers sat idly on the table. East of the Wall’s Brett Bamberger nailed it perfectly: “This meat is so good it made me forget about beer.” Touche; that’s quite a feat. Every year I vacillate between which meat I like best. The brisket is always top notch, unlike anything I’ve had elsewhere, soft and tender and delicious. The ribs are so succulent and juicy… and the sausage is just so full of flavor. This year I think the winner for me was the sausage. East of the Wall guitarist Kevin Conway with another zinger: “I know this is gonna sound gay, but fuck it, I’m just gonna say it: I just can’t get enough of this sausage!”
Word had been circulating through the Interwebs that afternoon that Animals as Leaders were playing a surprise set at 4pm at Hoek’s Death Metal Pizza. We got back to Austin just in time and rushed over there only to find out that the band had canceled, probably due to the tiny size of the stage and lack of a decent PA. But we did get to see local brutal death-grind duo Consume the Fetus rock the fuck out of all 5 people there.
After a few beers with my good buddy Jason, I headed back to the hotel to catch up on some work and recharge.
Getting into the “secret” Muse show at Stubb’s was a priority for me because I’d missed their Madison Square Garden show in New York two weeks prior. Even with a badge, you never know whether you’ll be able to get into a hot show like that. Rob and I arrived at Stubb’s at 8:30 for a 10pm set, got on line, and miraculously we were inside within 15 minutes. Had we arrived only a few minutes later it probably wouldn’t have worked out.
I really dug opening band Metric. I first saw them maybe 6 or 7 years ago opening for Broken Social Scene in Detroit — they share members with that band — and I liked them way more than I liked BSS. Playing on a huge stage in front of thousands opening for one of the biggest bands in the world, I liked them once again; hard to believe they’ve come so far.
Muse are currently doing an arena tour with a ridiculous stage set up full of platforms, moving parts, multiple computer screens, pyro, lights, etc etc etc… the fucking works. Stubb’s is no arena so they couldn’t bring in all that production, but they did bring a formidable light show and, most importantly, they brought the fucking rock. Oh and did I mention LASERS??? Even though every band uses the same damned laser array they never cease to amaze and astonish! I’m convinced Muse are one of the only modern bands in the world that are true rock stars. They know how to put on a show and keep the audience absolutely entranced. Their set was light on old material but included hits from Absolution, Black Holes and their latest album, and it absolutely did not disappoint. When you’re watching a band like Muse play you really feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself that’s truly special. It was phenomenal.
Nothing could really top Muse. I went to check out The Atlas Moth at Headhunters for a little while; they were very good, but I just couldn’t muster enough energy to stay out. The last night is always the most metal, I was tired, and I wanted to save my fun juice up for the final rager of our trip.
-VN
Tomorrow: Bison B.C., East of the Wall, Goes Cube, Weedeater, working out deals with cops, and more.
The Story So Far:
Day 7: Day Two at SXSW
Day 6: Day One at SXSW
Day 5: A Crazy Night in Dallas with a Bunch of Horny Metal Dudes
Day 4: Memphis BBQ and The Walmart Parking Lot
Day 3: Louisville Sluggers and Nashville Honky-Tonk
Day 2: Scion Rock Fest
Day 1: The Calm Before the Storm
