SXSW Day 1: Mess with Texas

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SXSW Day 1: Mess with Texas

POSTED: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 4:30 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Music Stand-up

Okay. I'm a SXSW noob. So I gotta ask: Is every night this nuts or was everything just amped up by a St. Patrick's Day contact high? There was a distinct Mardi Gras (without the riots) vibe, with traffic blocked and the streets overrun with drunken revelers. Didn't see any boobs, but I did watch a guy get decked outside a pizza truck. Made me homesick for Second Street. Yeah, I also went to some shows, thanks to my magic lanyard.

I haven't been a Big Star fan as long as a lot of people I know, but I was still bummed to hear Alex Chilton had passed away. Big Star was supposed to play here on Saturday. Looking to switch the mood, I headed over to a place called Esther's Follies where Comedy Central was putting on a quick showcase of stand-ups, each doing 10-15 minutes sets. Doug Benson was funny and told pot jokes. Hannibal Burress was funny and delivered the line of the night: "Don't talk to me like you don't have a handlebar mustache." It's possible you had to be there. Maria Bamford was kinda brilliant and Todd Barry was funny in his usual, awkward way.

Photos | Patrick Rapa

Doug Benson likes pot.

After that I headed over to the Relapse showcase at a big, vaguely communist-themed club called Red 7. The second Trash Talk played their first adrenaline rush riff, bald dudes and bald dude sympathizers decided to clear the area by pushing unsuspecting crowd members around. A kind of mosh pit was formed. So people still do that.

Trash Talk

In the adjoining outdoor patio, comedian Brian Posehn took forever to take the stage then did a short set that was funny and weird. He praised Relapse out the ass, though, as the metal label is putting out his next comedy CD. Then good old Voivod came on right away and rocked crazy loud. Three songs in and you kinda got the point.

Brian Posehn

Voivod

From there I made my way to the big, unexpectedly empty-ish Galaxy Room to see Everybody Was In the French Resistance... Now, a fun and infectious Art Brut offshoot. According to crowdwalking singer Eddie Argos, every song had a backstory concerning revisionism and plagiarism. Great way to end the night.

Everybody Was In The French Resistance ... Now

Jesse D

Posted 2010-03-18 13:23:39

I applaud your decision to hit up the metal showcase.

Jimmy Mac

Posted 2010-03-25 16:26:17

Hey Patrick,

I've been attending SxSW for some 12 or so years, and I have to say this years' opening day was by far the craziest. The only thing we could attribute this to was St. Patty's day, which usually doesn't fall on the opening day. We were wading through the crowds outside on 6th street, but didn't see the same kind of prescense inside the various gigs during the night.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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