The first official weekend of fall hosted the seventh annual Austin City Limits Festival [ tickets ] along the banks of downtown's Town Lake, a successful endeavor with no cancellations or minor emergencies as in years past. More than 130 acts took the stage over the three-day period with capacity crowds thrilled by the mild temperatures and sunny skies.

Highlights from this year's festival included:

Day One: Friday, Sept. 26, 2008

Vampire Weekend [ tickets ]
The collegiate driven buzz band kicked off the day for many festivalgoers with an early afternoon set. Dressed as if they'd just finished up a class at their alma mater, Columbia University, the button-downed boys jumped right into a fan favorite, "Mansard Roof," followed by the aptly named "Campus," with lyrical references that might have resonated with the majority of the college-aged crowd. The breezy "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," one of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 best songs of 2007, was perfectly placed, firing up fans just in time for some new material ("White Sky," "Little Giant") that maintained their distinctive Afro-pop sound. Finishing up their set with "Oxford Comma" and "Walcott," both popular tracks from their 2008 eponymous debut, Vampire Weekend left thousands pumped and ready for the hours of music still to come.

N.E.R.D. [ tickets ]
The midday heat didn't stop the spastic hip-hop antics of super-producers Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shae Haley's not-so-side project, N.E.R.D. Nearly half of the hourlong set focused on their latest summertime release, "Seeing Sounds," with "Anti Matter" starting off the short-lived dance fest. Williams incited crowd participation with the bouncier "Kill Joy" before barreling into work from their 2002 debut, "In Search Of ..."; "Rock Star" and "Lapdance," both ass-shaking numbers, got the crowd riled up and led to dozens of dancing women onstage for "She Wants to Move." Before calling it a show with a cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," Williams reminded the tens of thousands sweating it out before him to cast a vote in the November election, regardless of political affiliation. How very democratic of him.

The Swell Season
It was obvious that Glen Hansard of The Frames takes his musicianship seriously. He played his Friday evening set in attire the average Joe wears to the office rather than a hot and humid Texas festival. Somehow, Hansard and Swell Season partner Marketa Irglova turned the massive throng of intent watchers into an intimate gathering with their soft, sweet tunes and mellow lighting. "The Moon" and "When Your Minds Made Up," from their 2006 self-titled release, eased the tiring crowd into the piano-drenched love song "Falling Slowly," the duo's most popular gem, which recently earned them an Academy Award for Best Original Song for its appearance in the sleeper hit "Once." Following a cover of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks," Hansard spoke candidly with the audience when introducing one of their final songs, "Go With Happiness," explaining his view that bidding adieu to someone with sincerely good intentions is the best way to go.

The Mars Volta [ tickets ]
If ever there was a dramatic ending to the festival's first day, The Mars Volta's 75-minute set was it. Known for theatrical performances incorporating an array of musical influences, the prog-rock geniuses and El Paso natives delivered a full show. With mile-high hair and a rock-star personality, founding member and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala jumped, screamed and thrashed his way through a handful of long-winded songs for tens of thousands of sweaty but eager fans. Culled mostly from the group's January release, "The Bedlam in Goliath," the seven-song setlist had Bixler-Zavala channeling Queen's Freddie Mercury on occasion while guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez played his skinny little heart out. A couple songs from albums past made the cut, including "Viscera Eyes" from 2006's "Amputechture" and "Cygnus ... Vismund Cygnus" from 2005's "Frances the Mute." Though engaging, the high-energy set was polarizing, with plenty falling in love while others were unable to keep up with the unfamiliar sound and often-incomprehensible lyrics.

Day Two: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008

City and Colour
Perhaps better known for his hardcore rock project, Alexisonfire, Dallas Green and his singer/songwriter outlet, City and Colour, packed one of the festival's smallest stages during the hottest part of Saturday. Looking a little like a tattooed younger brother of Trey Anastasio, Green delivered several songs from his early 2008 release, "Bring Me Your Love," but with an extra punch. Intense and talented, his backing band turned mellow album favorites like "Sleeping Sickness" into electrifying numbers that a majority of the crowd sang along with. When a fan passed out between songs, Green first called for medical attention before tossing his cold bottled water to the overheated but just-fine fan. These actions, though appropriate and simple, embody the magnetic, kind-hearted quality he possesses and that his music reflects, one that drew a satisfied crowd to his successful set.

MGMT [ tickets ]
Word spread about this East Coast duo well before they touched down in Austin, as virtually every festival attendee staked out a spot before a stage that wasn't quite big enough for the hype. Backed by a three-piece band for this outing, singer/guitarist Andrew Vanwyngarden and keyboardist Ben Goldwasser played their ever-popular debut album, "Oracular Spectacular," in its entirety, just in a different order. "Electric Feel" and "Weekend Wars" brought about guitar solos and fist pumping, while "Time To Pretend" invoked singing from the masses. The one surprise: a worthwhile cover of Jesus and Mary Chain's "Teenage Lust." Though the lack of new music was disappointing, the throng of fans appeared fulfilled.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Donning a worn suit, flavorless tie and a lackluster carnation boutonnière, Bright Eyes front man and prolific songwriter Conor Oberst took the stage as if he was commandeering the house band at a high school prom. He kicked off his sunset performance with "Sausalito," a breezy, country-tinged number from his recent self-titled release. With his Mystic Valley Band alongside him, the usually downtrodden musician pressed on through "Get-Well-Cards" and "Moab" before dedicating a new song, aptly titled "Ten Women," to fellow Austinite and Spoon frontman Britt Daniel. From the start, the energetic "NYC-Gone, Gone" invoked an immediate comparison to The Pogues, while the quiet, subdued "Milk Thistle" rounded out the set. Though he might have appeared drab, his early evening performance was anything but.

Beck [ tickets ]
Beck's mainstream appeal over the last two decades made his Saturday night headlining gig an easy success as he plunged through songs from six of his eight studio albums. Kicking the 90-minute set off with "Loser," one of his most popular songs to date, the fairly soft-spoken musician stuck to performing rather than fraternizing. Keeping the pulsating crowd on its toes, the alt rocker transitioned from the more recent "Que Onda Guero" to "Nicotine & Gravy" and "Mixed Bizness," back-to-back tracks from 1999's "Midnite Vultures." "Devil's Haircut," another sing-along favorite, paved the way for a handful of songs from the most recent LP, "Modern Guilt," including the title track. Audibly comparable to the professionalism of his recordings, the vivacious live versions easily impressed, all with the help of an obviously well versed backing band. "Hell Yes" and "Black Tambourine," both from 2005's "Guero," and "Where It's At," another gem from his early work with 1996's "Odelay," led to the finale, a twangy cover of Bob Dylan's 1966 song, "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," and his own "na-na" filled "E-Pro."

Day Three: Sunday, September 28, 2008

Against Me! [ tickets ]
Delivering their unique blend of punk rock and pseudo-metal to an otherwise indie-rock crowd, Against Me! bared their black-clothed souls to tmasses who showed up for their afternoon set. Though their recent work, last year's "New Wave," received a substantial portion of performance time (including the anthem "Stop!," which couldn't have come at a better time with all the pre-election twitter throughout the grounds), frontman and band mastermind Tom Gabel infused the show with a healthy dose of older work, as well. Songs like "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" from 2002's "Reinventing Axl Rose" and several from 2005's "Search for a Former Clarity" won over new fans with their raw energy. Another highlight: Tegan Quin of fellow festival act Tegan and Sara joined Gabel on vocals for the surprisingly sweet-sounding "Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart." It's safe to say the duet earned Tegan and Sara, who played later in the evening, an extra helping of fans.

Colour Revolt [ tickets ]
Visibly passionate and musically intense, the Oxford, MS-based quintet turned a relatively small stage into a sea of awestruck onlookers as they worked their way through a healthy portion of their recent release, "Plunder, Beg and Curse." Though the album received less than stellar reviews by several media outlets upon its release in April, the live performance proved hard to nitpick, with their intent and talent tangible. "Naked and Red" brought about intricate guitar manipulation among the three players: lead singer/guitarist Jesse Coppenbarger, lead guitarist Jimmy Cajoleas and guitarist/keyboardist Sean Kirkpatrick. Head-banging, jumping and thrashing were constants among the five throughout the set, as if playing the instruments and wailing the lyrics weren't enough to get the music out.

Band of Horses [ tickets ]
The masses might have chosen to catch this Seattle indie-rock group because of their close proximity to festival closers Foo Fighters [ tickets ], scheduled to take the stage right as Band of Horses finished. Regardless of the reason, lead singer Ben Bridwell took advantage of the massive audience, humbly thanking everyone for checking them out before jumping into tracks that showed what the band was all about. "Is There A Ghost," the most easily identifiable BOH track and well-known for its placement in various TV shows including "Grey's Anatomy," became a crowd sing-along, clenching the attention of many and building momentum for the remainder of the set. A hodgepodge of selections drawn from their two albums, the hour of music accentuated why Bridwell in particular draws loose comparisons to My Morning Jacket's Jim James with his airy but high-pitched croon. Though there were no onstage antics or extra special moments, Bridwell and his five-piece band delivered a worthwhile performance.

Foo Fighters
There are festival headliners who complement their sets with impressive stage graphics, special effects or costumes, while others rely simply on their performance to entertain. This year, the capacity crowd of 65,000 witnessed a true rock show, sans high-dollar frills. Dave Grohl took the stage a couple minutes ahead of schedule, overshadowing the final moments of the Band of Horses set just a couple football fields away. He head banged his way through the pulsating "All My Life," giving the eager audience a first taste of what the next hour and a half would bring. The snarky, shaggy-headed singer made it clear from the beginning that he and his crew--with the perpetually smiling Taylor Hawkins manning the drum kit--were here to work, explaining that they wouldn't be getting off stage until the cops showed up to escort them off. Time flew as the 13-year-old band played one hit after another, including "Times Like These," "Learn to Fly" and "My Hero," along with several tracks from their most recent album, the chart-topping "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace." When time came for the alt rockers to say their goodbyes, Grohl decided to play one more, then another, until three songs later, fans began their trek out of the successful festival singing along with an emotional rendition of "Best of You." No cops, just a powerful anthem to end a perfectly played rock show.