FIRE RIPS THROUGH AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL

On with the show was the motto at the Austin City Limits festival in Austin, Texas after a fire ripped through the festival grounds on Friday, September 14. Two were hurt in the blaze, performers had trouble getting in and out, and press activities were interrupted as fire officials raced to the scene to douse the blaze.

While the first day of the three day festival was hectic, we managed to grab Blue October the following day on Saturday. The band, who are out supporting their smash album Foiled, talked about playing the festival in the wake of the fire.

“It doesn’t effect us today, but I did hear about it. I was hoping everybody was alright. I didn’t hear anything about a fire (laughs). There was a fire during a Pete Yorn show. Wow. Did Pete Yorn survive? Everyone survived. Good. That’s awesome. Music lives on even with fire.”

The band recalled other rock-and-roll festival fires, and they hoped that their performance would be so hot to cause a different kind of fire.

“Except for Woodstock with Korn and Limp Bizkit a while back. I heard there was a fire in one of the speakers in the Bjork show last night too. My wife was here and she said something about fire and a speaker or something. I don’t know. Maybe we’ll rock so hard today we’ll set the stage on fayahhh (fire).”

Austin fire fighters extinguished the blaze so that Bjork, Joss Stone, Blue October, Queens Of The Stone Age, and other bands could continue on with the show. Stay tuned later this week for more Austin City Limits festival coverage.