Austin City Limits festival comes to a relaxed end

The threat of rain and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion made for a slightly smaller crowd and a more laid-back vibe on the last day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which was expected to end Sunday night with a closing set by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Here are some of Sunday's highlights, followed by the best of the fest.

THE GREENCARDS: U.K. and Australian imports who settled in Austin a few years ago to play bluegrass, the members of this group are now trying to make it in Nashville. So Sunday's set on the Austin Ventures stage was a sort of homecoming for them. And they sure were glad to be here. Between intricate, gorgeous tunes, they chatted about such things as Austin's excellent radio offerings (KGSR-FM, specifically). Fiddler Eamon McLoughlin bragged that their CD had outsold Coldplay's last year at the Waterloo Records booth: "You guys have great taste!" he said. At times it was a little hard to hear the softer songs, thanks to close-by sets from headlining acts, but Mr. McLoughlin remained confident: "We can take you on, Ben Harper. We're not scared." RANDY ROGERS BAND: This New Braunfels group gave a rock-dominated festival a nice dose of Texas country, complete with insane fiddling and drinking puns. (A sample lyric: "I'm not gonna let you wear your Crown this time around.") "This is our big country and western hit," the lead singer said before playing "Tonight's Not the Night." "It went all the way to 43 on the Billboard chart ... sure beats 44."

KT TUNSTALL: The U.K. folk-rocker had the time of her life on stage, especially at the end of her set, during the single "Suddenly I See." Near the end of the song, she grabbed a pair of drumsticks and joined her other percussionists to create beats that had the hot, sweaty crowd moving for a change.

SON VOLT: The popularity of alt-country owes a lot to two guys: Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar. Together they were Uncle Tupelo, and apart they front Wilco and Son Volt. Mr. Tweedy and Wilco were a highlight of last year's fest, and the same can be said for Mr. Farrar and Son Volt this year. There's just something about that twangy, buzzing rock that fits the vibe at the ACL fest to a "T."

Best of the fest

Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) showed a new confidence and even had a little fun while performing her slow ballads. She was one of "The Greatest."

Ray Lamontagne cemented his status as one of the most inspired and pure soul singers around, at the same time making thousands of girls swoon. Pretty good for a scrawny guy with an out-of-control beard.

John Mayer wins the award for loudest set of the fest. We were told he could be heard a mile away on the Barton Springs Greenbelt. Good thing his playing was top-notch, especially new blues tune "Gravity" which has been in our head for two days now.

Van Morrison's set was a little disappointing, due to the lack of songs from classic album Moondance, but he redeemed himself by getting the entire park to sing along with "Brown Eyed Girl." And surprisingly, they were on key!

Ben Kweller has the newfound respect of thousands after playing for 20 minutes with an extreme nosebleed. We'll never forget the big-screen cameraman zooming in on that bloody guitar.

Source: http://www.wfaa.com