ACL Fest Turns into Longhorns Tailgate Party

If you moseyed into the Austin City Limits Music Festival after 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, you might've thought you'd walked into a Texas Longhorns tailgate instead of a music festival. The biggest crowd wasn't at any of the stages, but under the Big Tent next to the Miller Lite stage. The top-ranked Texas Longhorns were taking on their arch-nemeses, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the fest turned into a massive sports bar.

The Red River Rivalry, a monster of a game in college football, just had to overlap with Austin's biggest music fest, like it always does. So, in classic Texan fashion, fans crowded around giant TVs to cheer on their team.

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While some might scratch their heads at festival-goers watching TV in the park, true fans know it's just good ol' Texas multitasking. Plus, it's a darn good excuse to take a break and catch up with pals.

Mac Smith, a die-hard Longhorn fan, said watching the game at ACL is a no-brainer. "Every year I come to ACL, I also watch the UT game here. It just makes money sense for me, because I can either spend $350 to go see UT-Oklahoma in Dallas or I can spend that money to come here and watch the game with fellow fans," he said.

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Robert and Karin Foster, Texas alums, agreed. They said the early bands ain't much to write home about, so why not watch the game while waiting for the good stuff?

"Being around the comradery and the occasional commiseration is just a really good time. So we also walk over here just to check in on the game and make sure Texas is winning," Robert said.

Then there was the power couple, Adriana Jimenez and Matias Fragoso. Jimenez wasn't thrilled about watching the game, but she's a good sport. Fragoso, a UT alum, was over the moon.

"This is a big year and I think if we can win this game, then we are getting a lot closer to hopefully winning the championship this year," he said.

Jimenez chimed in, "I support him always and it's fun when they are playing good, and not as much when they are playing bad, but he did watch '90-day Fiancé' with me so that is the same I guess."

And that, folks, is how you turn a music fest into a football frenzy. Hook 'em!