Day 1: Friday, September 17

The Killers [ tickets ]

One of the first big bands to hit the festival, The Killers--Las Vegas' contribution to the hipster-rock-band movement--came in strong, playing the majority of the songs from its debut album, "Hot Fuss." Led by dynamic singer Brandon Flowers, the band stormed through its singles "Somebody Told Me," "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," and "Mr. Brightside," and tossed in a lengthy version of "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll," a tune that strangely appears only on the UK version of the new album. Interesting to see a band so close to getting huge repeat over and over the lyric, "Indie rock and roll is what I want."

Neko Case

As Ryan Adams [ tickets ] would point out later, Austin City Limits this year boasts a wealth of female artists--a trait that's unfortunately unusual for a major festival. Neko Case, the hugely gifted songwriter (on stage just before another, Patty Griffin), drew an early, large crowd with her textured ballads and gorgeous, echoed vocals. Though she comes from the Pacific Northwest, her songs felt fully Texan: aching laments about love, heartbreak and the toughness of life. Playing at the peak of the afternoon's heat, causing most listeners to just lay back and take it in, her lyrics floated out with the afternoon dragonflies: "You'll be my guest/and I'll let you stay/Leave me a check/I'll pay with the rest of my life."

Ryan Adams

Happy to return to playing after sitting out shows since January due to a broken wrist (leading to the jokes: "I was just on a short break" and "I should have stayed in the set wrist"), Ryan Adams was back in full force, with strong guitar and a stable of alt-country/folk-rock ballads (especially "When the Stars go Blue" and "Oh My Sweet Carolina") that fit the festival's mellow mood perfectly.

Franz Ferdinand

Probably the most hyped show of the day, the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand--riding on the hit from its self-titled debut album, "Take Me Out," and its recent Mercury Prize win--built an overwhelmingly large crowd, all head-bopping patiently through the retro-pop tunes for the one song they knew. The band delivered with a voracious performance full of syncopated moves and fist pumping, and most likely snagged a new group of fans who might now actually go out and buy the whole album.

Gomez [ tickets ]

On the other side of the field, Franz Ferdinand's only British brethren at the show today, Gomez, were unfortunately slated to play at the same time. But the tight band--edging somewhere between rock, blues and experimental music--made the most of its smaller stage with a blending of sounds that shows why it,too, won the Mercury Prize just a few years ago. Utilizing three vocalists, and featuring many songs from its recent album, "Split the Difference," the band proved that, unlike its countrymen across the park, there's nothing derivative about this group.

Sheryl Crow

Headlining the day, Sheryl Crow closed things out with a solid, if predictable, collection of her greatest hits and recent tunes. Every word and move so practiced you could easily think you were watching a show on tape, she still made good work of songs like "There Goes the Neighborhood," "Favorite Mistake," and a lengthy version of "You're an Original."

Other highlights: Patty Griffin proving her small, sweet songs can work on a huge stage; Roseanne Cash pulling off a moving version of "September When it Comes" without the duet vocals of her late father; Toots & the Maytals getting everyone dancing when the sun finally went down; and Broken Social Scene demonstrating there's no limit to how many vocalists, guitars, drums, keyboards and horn sections you can get on one stage.

Click here to read liveDaily's review of Saturday's (9/18) action at the Austin City Limits Festival.

Click here to read liveDaily's review of Sunday's (9/19) action at the Austin City Limits Festival.