ACL Fest Live Shots

The Stills

It wasn't too hard to get a bunch of drowned rats – the drenched, devout fans that braved Sunday's late-morning rain – excited when the Stills took the stage. "Are you ready to watch us get electrocuted?" they hollered as they strapped on their guitars. The Montrealers then launched into the rollicking, confident "It Takes Time," off their sophomore success, Without Feathers (Vice). It was the outset of a simply perfect performance by the Canadian quintet: The sound was perfectly mixed, the energy level on both sides of the fourth wall was high, and the weather finally cooperated. The set list was evenly distributed between old and new, "Lola Stars and Stripes" from 2003 debut Logic Will Break Your Heart followed by "The Mountain" and "Helicopters." Those who grumbled about the band's stylistic shift from moody Joy Division musings to hooky alt-rock were likely brought around to the Stills' new way of thinking after this show, because there simply was not a sour note to be heard. The group ended their set a tad early on "Love and Death," but not before ripping out a guitar solo in homage to SRV himself.