Aqualung: Saturday

By Paul Carter

As I had my head down looking at the schedule, I found myself looking up and wondering where the pleasant music was coming from. I followed the sounds to the AMD stage where I discovered Aqualung. Having never heard a song, seen a video, or even read a review on these guys, I wasn't quite sure what to expect at their ACL performance on Saturday.

Matt Hales (the mind behind the music) offers his fans a unique and smooth brand of rock while possessing very strong stage presence. Hales, along with his talented and energetic band was giving it their all from start to finish. In addition to exemplary musicianship, Hales' vocal style was full of passion and range.

Others at the ACL festival obviously experienced the same initial curiosity as me. By the end of Aqualung's set, the crowd had tripled in size and as I looked around I could see many people closing their eyes and getting into the music. The crowd was definitely sending the band an appreciative and overall positive vibe. Aqualung returned the favor by performing a truly solid set.

Hales remarked "How simple life is when your in love" before breaking into one of his many heart-felt ballads, and you could see smiles throughout the audience as people related to his sentiment making for an even more intimate experience.

I've been to many concerts and have unfortunately experienced a few shows that were dry due to the musicians' forgetting to acknowledge that they are playing in front of an audience. Aqualung certainly didn't just run through their set list with lackadaisical effort and proved that a performance can become alive for both the band and the crowd regardless of heat or dust.