The greatest weekend of the year has come and gone, and Rockouts was there to witness all of it. We had our men on the scene in San Francisco (Treasure Island Music Festival), Denver (Monolith Festival), and Austin (ACL Music Festival). Check back here all week as we stagger back to reality and tell you what went down around the country. First up, a little ACL recap from jon.g…

What can you say about a weekend that started off with a port-o-potty fire and ended with Ghostland tearin’ the mother-flippin’ stage down? Zilker Park was once again transformed into the mecca of indie music, and if you were unable to make it (anxiety attack, anyone?), here’s the good, the bad, and the sad of the weekend.

The Good

1) Arcade Fire – Like you need me to tell you that Arcade Fire is incredible live. Maybe they didn’t exactly put on a take away show, but for the 10,000 people who surged forward after the Arctic Monkeys show finished (and had to miss Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), Win and the gang left us positively giddy.

2) LCD Soundsystem – We had a feeling going in that this one was going to be special, and we were not disappointed. James Murphy and his hot-pants-wearing drummer set the tone for the weekend with a rousing set featuring “North American Scum”, “All My Friends”, and of course, “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”.

3) Gotan Project – I honestly had no idea what to expect from the Gotaners, but catching them Friday night was one of the highlights of the weekend. Classic accordion matched with Mariachi-style guitars and two DJs spinning. Just beautiful. Only critique was that the rapper for “Mi Confesion” wasn’t present, instead they played video of him on the backdrop. I was kinda looking forward to that…

4) Arctic Monkeys/Bloc Party – Two of my all-time favorite bands put on pretty good shows. The Monkeys seem to be growing into their status as rock ‘n roll superstars, playing an energetic set on Saturday night. For Bloc Party, the time slot was tougher than two years ago and Russell Lissack’s guitar could hardly be heard throughout much of the show, but they still brought it. Kele seemed to be especially enjoying it, commenting numerous times on the heat, jumping up into the crowd to sing, and rockin’ the jorts:

5) Ghostland Observatory – The festival ended on the highest of highs, with a mesmerizing performance from Ghostland. There’s really nothing left to be said about them; they’ve hit the big time and are going to take over the world.

6) Tacos in a bag – No, that’s not a band name (though it sounds kinda catchy), but rather one of the many incredible perks of having a VIP pass. Take a small bag of Fritos, empty half of it, then fill with chili, pico, cheese, and sauce. For free. Seriously, if you have the chance to secure yourself a VIP pass next year, by all means do it. Free beer, food, and handouts, not to mention air-conditioned (and supposedly flame-retardant) bathrooms. It’s a no-brainer.

The Bad

1) Cold War Kids – I’m not sure if it was the heat, the distance from the stage, or just the general nonchalance of the crowd, but Cold War Kids were downright boring. There, I said it.

2) Dax Riggs – I’ve never heard of this guy, and I hope I never do again. I caught most of his show while holed up underneath a sound stage across the field and wanted to rip my ears off. Eesh.

The Sad

1) Sound Team – Their last show ever was nothing if not bittersweet. Compared to their effort at Mohawk a month ago, they killed. Matt Oliver was in perfect form, belting out all the hits that they apparently forgot to play last time, and managing to stay on the stage. Even better was bassist Bill Baird in the strapping orange jumpsuit:

So there you are, the good, the bad, and the sad of ACL Festival 2007. I have a few regrets (namely, missing Heartless Bastards and Midlake/DeVotchKa), but all in all it’s tough to complain. I managed to see 11 shows that’ll stick with me for a long time (at least, until SXSW rolls around again), and all I got was this stupid sunburn.