REPORT FROM AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL 2005
Like past installments of the Austin City Limits Festival, this year's bill boasted the most eclectic lineup of any major North American fest. Steve Earle shared stage space with Death Cab For Cutie, and Widespread Panic headlined one of the festival's eight stages the night before Coldplay laid down a gorgeous run through of "Fix You" on the same platform. But this year was less notable for the performances (though that's not to say that many of them, from Arcade Fire to Buddy Guy, were any less than incendiary): this year was all about heat.

The third and final day of the festival – and one of the hottest days in Austin history. It hit 108 degrees at its high point point, and performances suffered: soon after singing from the rafters at the Heineken stage, Kaiser Cheifs' singer Ricky Wilson was spotted backstage being helped by paramedics. Non-Brits couldn't take the heat, either; as members of the Arcade Fire laid down on stage during their Fest-stealing set.

Organizers had lined up Franz Ferdinand against Wilco, Rilo Kiley against the Doves, and Spoon against Theivery Corporation. Here's hoping that next year's DVD/CD release gives us a little bit of each of those sets, since it was near-impossible to get across the field in time to split time between each of them.

Jet proved they had range with a mid-afternoon set that found them tearing through hits like "Cold Hard Bitch" alongside new, Beatles-esque acoustic dittys. And speaking of Beatleseque, Oasis were either the weekend's highlight or world-class bores, depending on where you stand on the are-they-or-are-they not past their prime debate.

I say past-their-prime. But that's the great thing about Austin City Limits. When one thing doesn't rub you the right way, there's always another option. -- JEFF MILLER