South by Southwest, the ever-expanding 20-year-old music festival, convened again in beer-soaked, BBQ-scented Austin on March 14. For four days, the once-intimate gathering proved its industry mettle by drawing both fresh blood and living legends alike — not to mention big sponsors such as Microsoft and Toyota. Below, a recap of the rockin' events.
British Bird Migration
Gigs featuring U.K. acts like the outspoken Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse,
and the Pipettes were the talk of the fest. On stage, a Bud-swilling
Allen declared that she's ''so sick of this song'' before launching into
her single ''Smile,'' while Winehouse and the polka-dotted Pipettes saved
their small talk for the boys they've left behind with tunes like ''Me &
Mr. Jones'' and ''Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me.''
The Busy Bee Award Goes to...
The Who's Pete Townshend. He kicked off SXSW with a keynote speech about
the Net, then bluntly assessed his band's past tours: ''I got back with
the Who [in 1989] to help [late bassist] John Entwistle with money
problems.... I think he spent most of it on cocaine.'' The next night,
the axman jammed with glam-popster Mika and folkie Martha Wainwright for
his ''In the Attic'' webcast. Later, he popped up during a set by Scot
rockers the Fratellis for a charging version of the Who's ''The Seeker.''
The War on...Music
Mistaken identity derailed a show with Mexican duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela.
Turns out Rodrigo Sanchez, one half of the metal-meets-flamenco pair,
says he was denied entry to America because he shares the same name with
a man on a terrorist watch list. ''I feel frustrated,'' he said in a
statement. ''This is a policy that...[has] to be resolved by Americans
themselves.''
Reunited and It Feels So Good
Lucky soul fans caught Booker T. and the MGs and Isaac Hayes in a show
celebrating the golden anniversary of the genre-defining label Stax
Records. The Memphis all-stars sounded punchy on '60s classics like
''Knock on Wood,'' though they looked a bit paunchier. Can't say the same
for Iggy Pop, 59, whose Olympian physique and spastic dancing style
remain intact. Commanding an audience that included actress Kirsten
Dunst, Iggy led a cathartic closing-night set with his old band the
Stooges — his body seemingly impervious to years of rock & roll debauchery. (Additional reporting by Whitney Pastorek and Leah Greenblatt)
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