Austin City Limits 2005 Music Festival

Austin City Limits 2005 Music Festival

(Image Entertainment)

With 2006's ACL Music Fest lineup officially on the books, this 2-DVD set takes a fond, heat-exhausted look back at 24 of last year's performances. It's a shame more memorable acts weren't included (Wilco? Fiery Furnaces?), rendering this collection a bit sterile. Standouts include East Texas quintet Eisley's sweet country pop harmonies; the Decemberists' colorful tramps-and-thieves rendering of "July, July!"; the Black Keys' sweaty soul; and the Allman Brothers Band's "One Way Out," where Greg shreds behind the keys and guitarist Derek Trucks jams on an oriental rug. The band descends into a funk blues life jam complete with a bongo vs. drum solo, which makes waves of pot smoke appear immediately. Another thing that stands out in a lot of crowd shots this year: texting. The bonus disc's odds and sods feature interviews and minidocumentaries, including a featurette following Roky Erickson around backstage, chatting with Kinky Friedman, and archival footage of the 13th Floor Elevators. The best extra is the Allman's bus tour, introduced by the band "magician," a leprechaun-ish fellow who takes us through their "$300,000 mobile home," pointing out areas of interest, such as a collection of dashikis and leopard-print sheets. The worst extra is "Movin' and Shakin'" – a montage of fans dancing. The 2-CD aural component flows better: modern on disc one (Tortoise), classic on second (Black Crowes), both bands (and others) missing from the DVD. There's always next year's audio/visual souvenirs.