Whether you agree with the winners or enjoyed all of the performances, you have to give credit to the producers of the 51st Grammy Awards. The show produced performers from all genres and an age group ranging from 16 (Nick Jonas) to 83 (B.B. King), and while there were some audio issues (or was that just my TV?), the whole thing actually ended on time even after managing to cram in 25 (!) performances. Take that [Insert Award Show Here]!

I believe it’s safe to say that Robert Plant will not be reuniting with Led Zeppelin, after winning six Grammys with Allison Krauss for Raising Sand, including the coveted Album of the Year. It was an amazing feat, considering their album was released in 2007. When will the Grammys change their eligibility format? Maybe they could get some pointers from the Academy. The other big winners of the night were Weezy, a.k.a. Lil Wayne, who took home four Grammys including “Best Rap Album,” and Coldplay, who won three awards including “Best Rock Album.”

Oh, and Blink 182’s getting back together! A sincere YES!!!

Who cares about the awards, right? What about the performances? Well, the most poignant moment of the night came when Jennifer Hudson broke down at the end of her performance of “You Pulled Me Through”. The song that launched the show was the lifeless new song by U2, “Get on Your Boots”. I’ll be more than happy to get on my boots, if they will take me away from that performance (zing!) (crickets…).

Below, you’ll find a list of all of last nights’ winners – and I mean all the winners (“Cassandra” from Wayne’s World won a Grammy. I’m serious) – along with videos from the various performances (updated as we find them). For much, much, much more on performances and winners, please check out Alex and Michael’s Live Blog from last night.

Goodfry!

PERFORMANCES:

U2 – “Get on Your Boots”

Jennifer Hudson – “You Pulled Me Through”

Coldplay (w/ Jay-Z) – “Lost+” / “Viva La Vida”

CP Medley 09 GA Live –

Estelle (w/ Kanye West) - “American Boy”

American Boy GA Live –

Taylor Swift (w/ Miley Cyrus) - “Fifteen”

Katy Perry - “I Kissed a Girl”

The Jonas Brothers w/ Stevie Wonder – “Burnin’ Up” / “Superstition”

Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I., and Lil Wayne – “Swagga Like Us”

Paul McCartney (w/ Dave Grohl) – “I Saw Her Standing There”

Thom Yorke & Johnny Greenwood – “15 Step”

Lil’ Wayne (w/ Allen Toussaint and Robin Thicke) – “Tie My Hands”

T.I (w/Justin Timberlake) – “Dead and Gone”

Robert Plant & Allison Krauss - “Rich Woman” / “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)”

Al Green w/ Justin Timberlake, Boyz II Men, Keith Urban - “Let’s Stay Together”

Carrie Underwood - “Last Name”

Kid Rock - “Amen” / “All Summer Long” / “Rock n Roll Jesus”

Kenny Chesney - “Better as a Memory”

Sugarland - “Stay”

Adele w/ Sugarland - “Chasing Pavements”

Duke Fakir, Smokey Robinson, Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo - “Reach Out I’ll Be There” / “Standing in the Shadows of Love” / “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Punch)”

Neil Diamond - “Sweet Caroline”

Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer, Keith Urban - Blues Tribute

Allen Toussaint, Terence Blanchard, Lil’ Wayne, Robin Thicke - New Orleans Tribute

Stevie Wonder - “All About the Love Again”

WINNERS:

Album of the Year: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand

Best Rap Album: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: John Mayer, “Say”

Record of the Year: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Please Read This Letter”

Best New Artist: Adele

Best Rock Album: Coldplay, Viva la Vida

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Rich Woman”

Song of the Year: Coldplay, “Viva la Vida”

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group: Sugarland, “Stay”

Best R&B Album: Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

Industry Icon Award: Clive Davis

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Rick Rubin (Death Magnetic, Home Before Dark, Mercy, Seeing Things, Weezer)

Best Rock Song: Bruce Springsteen, “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”

Best Rock Instrumental Performance: Zappa Plays Zappa, Featuring Steve Vai & Napoleon Murphy Brock, “Peaches En Regalia”

Best Metal Performance: Metallica, “My Apocalypse”

Best Hard Rock Performance: The Mars Volta, “Wax Simulacra”

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Kings of Leon, “Sex on Fire”

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance: John Mayer, “Gravity”

Best Alternative Music Album: Radiohead, In Rainbows

Best Pop Vocal Album: Duffy, Rockferry

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Coldplay, “Viva la Vida”

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Adele, “Chasing Pavements”

Best Pop Instrumental Album: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Jingle All The Way

Best Pop Instrumental Performance: Eagles, “I Dreamed There Was No War”

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books): Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth

Best Contemporary R&B Album: Mary J. Blige, Growing Pains

Best R&B Song: Ne-Yo, “Miss Independent”

Best Urban/Alternative Performance: Chrisette Michele Featuring will.i.am, “Be OK”

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: Al Green Featuring Anthony Hamilton, “You’ve Got the Love I Need”

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Al Green Featuring John Legend, “Stay With Me (by the Sea)”

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Alicia Keys, “Superwoman”

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Ne-Yo, “Miss Independent”

Best Rap Song: Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major, “Lollipop”

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Estelle Featuring Kanye West, “American Boy”

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Jay-Z and T.I. Featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne, “Swagga Like Us”

Best Rap Solo Performance: Lil Wayne, “A Milli”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Natalie Cole, Still Unforgettable

Best Country Album: George Strait, Troubadour

Best Country Song: Sugarland, “Stay”

Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947

Best Country Instrumental Performance: Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner, “Cluster Pluck”

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Killing the Blues”

Best Male Country Vocal Performance: Brad Paisley, “Letter to Me”

Best Female Country Vocal Performance: Carrie Underwood, “Last Name”

Best Reggae Album: Burning Spear, Jah Is Real

Best Hawaiian Music Album: Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho, Ikena

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand

Best Traditional Folk Album: Pete Seeger, At 89

Best Traditional Blues Album: B.B. King, One Kind Favor

Best Contemporary Blues Album: Dr. John and the Lower 911, City That Care Forgot

Best Long Form Music Video: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Runnin’ Down a Dream”

Best Short Form Music Video: Weezer, “Pork and Beans”

Best Classical Album: Weill, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost

Best Classical Crossover Album: The King’s Singers, Simple Gifts

Best Classical Contemporary Composition: John Corigliano, composer, Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan

Best Classical Vocal Performance: John Corigliano, Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan

Best Small Ensemble Performance: Spotless Rose, Hymns to the Virgin Mary

Best Chamber Music Performance: Elliott Carter, Pacifica Quartet, String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): Gloria Cheng, Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutoslawski

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra): Hilary Hahn, Schoenberg, Sibelius: Violin Concertos

Best Choral Performance: Sir Simon Rattle, “Symphony of Psalms”

Best Opera Recording: Weill, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

Best Orchestral Performance: Shostakovich, “Symphony No. 4,”

Best Engineered Album, Classical: Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago

Best Electronic/Dance Album: Daft Punk, Alive 2007

Best Dance Recording: Daft Punk, “Harder Better Faster Stronger”

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: Kirk Franklin, The Fight of My Life

Best Traditional Gospel Album: The Blind Boys of Alabama, Down in New Orleans

Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Gaither Vocal Band, Lovin’ Life

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: CeCe Winans, Thy Kingdom Come

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: TobyMac, Alive and Transported

Best Gospel Song: Kirk Franklin, “Help Me Believe”

Best Gospel Performance: Mary Mary, “Get Up”

Best Latin Jazz Album: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Song for Chico

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: Chick Corea and Gary Burton, The New Crystal Silence

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo: Terence Blanchard, soloist, “Be-Bop”

Best Jazz Vocal Album: Cassandra Wilson, Loverly

Best Contemporary Jazz Album: Randy Brecker, Randy in Brasil

Best New Age Album: Jack DeJohnette, Peace Time

Best Comedy Album: George Carlin, It’s Bad For Ya

Best Polka Album: Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra, Let the Whole World Sing

Best Contemporary World Music Album: Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo, Global Drum Project

Best Traditional World Music Album: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu

Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Best Native American Music Album: Come to Me Great Mystery—Native American Healing Songs

Best Norteño Album: Los Tigres del Norte, Raíces

Best Banda Album: Joan Sebástian, No Es de Madera

Best Tejano Album: Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution, Viva la Revolucion

Best Regional Mexican Album: Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas: Música Ranchera

Best Tropical Latin Album: José Feliciano, Señor Bachata

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: 45, Jaguares

Best Latin Pop Album: Juanes, La Vida…Es un Ratico

Best Musical Show Album: In the Heights

Best Musical Album for Children: They Might Be Giants, Here Come The 123s

Best Spoken Word Album for Children: Bill Harley, Yes to Running!

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): Natalie Cole, “Here’s That Rainy Day”

Best Instrumental Arrangement: Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, “Define Dancing” (From Wall-E)

Best Instrumental Composition: “The Adventures of Mutt” (From Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

Best Surround Sound Album: Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on Bald Mountain; Prelude to Khovanshchina

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: MGMT, “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)”

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely

Best Historical Album: Art of Field Recording, Volume I: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music

Best Album Notes: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Radiohead, In Rainbows

Best Recording Package: Metallica, Death Magnetic

Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, “Down to Earth” (From Wall-E)

Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Juno

11:30 p.m.: Well, some three hours and thirty minutes later, the 2009 edition of The Grammys is officially over. Needless to say, tonight definitely had its highs and lows. Blink? Green Day? Robert Plant? Chris Martin losing? Hey, M.I.A. even made it in one piece. Check back tomorrow for a full recap. We’ll also be updating this post with videos from tonight as they pop up. Until then…

11:25 p.m.: I guess this means Robert Plant doesn’t need to fall back on his old bandmates anytime soon. Then again, got to give props to The Grammys for its choice of Plant & Krauss for “Album of the Year”. Never would have expected that.

11:20 p.m.: Krauss and Plant really know how to “rock it out.” Nice quaint performance. Too bad they’re overshadowed by the one…the only…Green Day! Oh, I really did win that $20 dollars. 21st Century Breakdown? Oh, I can’t wait. Hmm. Seems that “quaint” performance just won Album of the Year. It’s going to be a long night for Radiohead fans. A lo-o-o-ong night. On the plus side…Green Day and Blink-182 are back? nick, who posted below, said it best: Pop Disaster Tour 2? Here’s to my second concussion of the night!

11:13 p.m.: It’s good to know Jay-Z stood up and applauded for Lil Wayne. Some might have expected him to throw a fit, storm out of the room, and curse at the camera. Oh wait, that’s Kanye. Good sportsmanship, Jay-Z! On that note, who still thinks Lupe is going to “retire”?

11:09 p.m.: By the way, what time does Daft Punk come on?

11:08 p.m.: Was anyone else hoping Lil Wayne would have debuted “Prom Queen”?

11:03 p.m.: LT. DAN!!! YOU GOT NEW LEGS!!

11:00 p.m.: What’s that? Green Day to announce “Album of the Year”? I just won a $20 dollar bet. Nice.

10:52 p.m.: And we’ve reached the point of the evening when bed sounds awfully appealing. Thankfully, the anticipation for Green Day’s “special surprise” is keeping us going…

10:50 p.m.: Comingtoyaaaahaaaa!!!

10:47 p.m.: Well, I guess not even The Grammys can mess up a Neil Diamond performance. I can’t believe I just said that…

10:42 p.m.: Ray Charles or The Four Tops? Make up your mind Jamie! Admittedly, this is wild. God, I wish this music existed today.

10:36 p.m.: [Insert obligatory self righteous speech] Yawn!

10:33 p.m.: This song ain’t half bad. Good job, JT! I love the guitar solo…so “heroic.”

10:30 p.m.: Hey, it’s Mace Windu!

10:20 p.m.: Blue lights? Check. Wall of student marching band members? Double check. One wild and eccentric British band? Sort of. A kick ass Jonny Greenwood, though? You know it! It’s “15 Step”, folks. The performance Drew Litowitz has been waiting for all month! For those that didn’t attend any music festival last year, this should be a surprise for you. Oh, who am I kidding? This is pretty amazing.

10:18 p.m.: Neil Diamond coming next? Let’s see how they screw this performance up. My guess is that they’ll throw in Taylor Hicks. Then the two of ‘em can croon out some rawk.

10:12 p.m.: Sugarland? Time to add some YouTube videos. Scroll down…

10:07 p.m.: Jay Mohr? Wow. Now it’s 1996!

10:06 p.m.: John Mayer should get a tattoo on his face. Then, he’d be cool.

10:05 p.m.: If Kid Rock wins this [Best Male Pop Vocalist], I’m going to die….oh, thank god! John Mayer! So much better.

9:57 p.m.: Well, it’s not Led Zeppelin but Dave Grohl certainly has peaked in his career at this moment. Talk about a high point! Wow. Macca! Grohl! Coachella ’09! I’m going to go take a cold shower.

9:54 p.m.: On a side note, watching M.I.A. dance around stage made me feel all awkward inside.

9:50 p.m.: Kanye? A pregnant and trashy lookin’ M.I.A.? Lil’ Wayne? Jay-Z? Talk about a real “Superjam”! Bonnaroo, take down some notes.

9:42 p.m.: LED ZEPPELIN!!!

9:40 p.m.: Sigh, the obligatory P. Diddy appearance. Hey, at least it’s for a big nomination. Nice, the “Record of the Year” award goes to Alison Krauss & Robert Plant. I’d be excited if it didn’t mean the lack of a Led Zeppelin reunion. If these two don’t wed, they’re bound for another record. Cool…I guess. Oh, Slash is coming up soon. Maybe he’ll snag a Jonas Brother for Velvet Revolver 2.0.

9:38 p.m.: Was anyone else hoping Morgan Freeman was talking about Christian Bale? Time for another drink…

9:33 p.m.: For those interested, blink182.com is officially updated:

9:30 p.m.: And we have our first Kanye West sighting of the day. Seriously, does the man ever disappoint? His rendition of “American Boy” with Estelle was actually solid and if you combine the fact that he appears to be gunning for a Michael Jackson look these days, well, I think it’s safe to say the man single-handedly made up for the dribble that preceded him.

9:25 p.m.: There might not be a category for this, but what the hell: Most Idiotic Song of 2008. Who’s the winner? You guessed it! Katy Perry! And what better way to celebrate than with an equally idiotic performance. Here’s to 2009′s nominations!

9:21 p.m.: So I did a search for “grammys” on YouTube. This is the only thing worthwhile to come up…

9:17 p.m.: Coldplay beats The Raconteurs for “Best Rock Album”? Jeez, that jacket must be lucky…

9:16 p.m.: Let’s just reiterate. Blink-182 is back!!!!!!

9:15 p.m.: “Together again…Blink-182″? I just passed out.

9:10 p.m.: Oh wait, nevermind. Stevie Wonder using autotune? With The Jonas Brothers? Mother of God!

9:09 p.m.: Just when this night couldn’t get any better…Jason Mraz!

9:06 p.m.: Well, it might be up for argument as to whether or not she deserved the award over Al Green, but her performance was certainly splendid. Kudos Jennifer Hudson! Sigh, another commercial break. Ouch, that Guitar Hero commercial is hot.

9:01 p.m.: Yay! Robert Plant and Alison Krauss score big! Best Pop Collaboration! Now they just need to get hitched. Hey Robert, do you remember that one band you were in?

8:58 p.m.: I think it’s safe to say hour #1 was officially a train wreck.

8:57 p.m.: Oh, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift…perfect time to go and make a drink.

8:51 p.m.: Does anyone else think the music that plays over the “Coming Up” segue sounds like “Give It Away”? Or is that just me? And why do they keep lying to us? They just said Kanye and Estelle were coming up. Instead, we got a shoddy Kid Rock medley and a bullshit award win. I’m pouting. Oh yes, I’m pouting.

8:44 p.m.: So, Al Green comes out again and they can’t find another tune to play other than the song he just performed? Way to reach in the back catalog team! Whoa, we’re at the Song of the Year category already. Wait for it, wait for it…Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”? Wow. I’m stunned. I need to find another band’s demo, some ol’ guitarists instrumental, and throw my own lyrics over it. There’s hope in this world! Hah, the band apologizes for copying Macca’s former Sgt. Pepper‘s look, but still takes credit for the song. Wow. That’s somewhat ballsy. Oh, to top it off: Kid Rock! Coldplay should take note from this guy…he just blatantly takes songs. Warren Zevon, I apologize for this.

8:35 p.m.: Whoa, Sheryl Crow and LeAnn Rimes? What is this? 1999? Oh, an actual award! Best Country Duo/ Performance? And the winner is…Sugarland? For “Stay”? Hmm. No opinion there. Good for them though. Jennifer Nettles seems pretty happy in that, “Hey, I’ll sell a million more records to soccer moms!” sort of way. Well, Kanye and Estelle up ahead. This I can’t wait for!

8:30 p.m.: Do they actually give awards out at this thing? Oh right…it’s American Idol’s Greatest Hits tonight. Wake me up when an actual musician comes out.

8:24 p.m.: And we have our first OMFG moment of the evening. Jay-Z emerges from wherever for a rendition of “Lost+”. Unfortunately, the duet lasts only seconds before Chris Martin realizes he is Chris Martin and shouldn’t be sharing the vocals with anyone. Cue “Viva La Vida”.

CP Medley 09 GA Live –

8:22 p.m.: What the hell! Where is the jacket? Forgive me, but this new denim get up just doesn’t do it for me. Though the British flag on the sleeve is a night touch…

8:20 p.m.: Alright, we’re at the first commercial break. While that performance kind of tripped over itself, it’s good to know that Green can come in anytime and save the day. The man’s voice is like fine wine. Yeah, that’s a totally cliche metaphor, so sue me. Can I say…Bonnaroo? Fingers crossed for a Sunday sermon! And I’m a Jew!

8:15 p.m.: Serious question. Does anyone think Katy Perry knows who Al Green is?

8:13 p.m.: Oh my! The star of Witch Mountain? It’s good to know Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is finding killer work after Southland Tales. Speaking of which, hey, it’s Justin Timberlake! He was in that movie too! He’s not doing too hot either. I blame the writers! Who writes these monologues? They’re horrible…and could these stars try and freeball it some? Oh wait, what’s this? Al Green loses and he’s forced to play with Keith Urban. Way to go Grammys! C’mon JT, save this!

8:07 p.m.: Jennifer Hudson wins best R&B album. Poor Al Green…

8:05 p.m.: Kick off! What better way to start than with the supremely lackluster U2 single, “Get On Your Boots”. For everyone unfamiliar with the song, which is just about anyone in attendance or watching, lyrics are provided via digital screens to sing along. What’s tragic about the song itself is that it’s really not that horrible a tune, it’s just that damn bridge/chorus, “You don’t know how beautiful you are.” Ugh. Well, the crowd started off strong…now they’re just confused. Hmm, better luck with the next single. Oh, Whitney!

5:30 p.m.: The prime time festivities haven’t even start yet and there’s already tons of news, perhaps the biggest being reports of Rihanna scratching her appearance after being involved in a car accident. As for early winners, The Dark Knight took home best soundtrack, Metallica’s Death Magnetic won best packaging, Radiohead’s In Rainbows earned best box set, and Justice’s remix of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” was crowned best remix.

———

If everything that is supposed to happen during The Grammys tonight does happen, we’re in for one hell of a ride. After all, Thom Yorke will lead a marching band on “15 Step”, Blink 182 will reunite and present an award, Green Day will offer a “special surprise,” Chris Martin will wear his jacket and maybe get served, and M.I.A. will attempt to perform, while holding in her first child. And that’s only the beginning; did we mention Kanye West, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, T.I., Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Katy Perry, The Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Kid Rock, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, John Mayer, U2, and Paul McCartney (WITH DAVE GROHL) are among those set to perform sometime tonight? Yeah, and we’re probably still missing something.

Needless to say, tonight is going to be entertaining and overwhelming. So what better way to spend the evening then by checking out Consequence of Sound as we blog about the evening as it happens. Plus, we’ll open it up to you just in case you want to share your thoughts on how Bono sounds live on “Get on Your Boots” or how cute M.I.A.’s baby looks…

In what was already a jaw dropping schedule, which includes Paul McCartney (w/ Dave Grohl on drums), Radiohead, Kanye West, and Jay-Z to name a few, the Grammys just upped the ante with some larger than life additions. Now performing at the celebrated event are U2, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Rihanna, and, unfortunately, Kid Rock. Naturally, anyone can do without the latter addition, but U2 alone should have a few more tuning in.

All this goes down Sunday, February 8th, at the Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Not to discredit my own opinion, but this might actually be a decent show. If you recall the nominations, there are some oddball choices this year around, some that seem to level with what’s “in” rather than what’s “not really in.” In other words, if you’re not with the mainstream, you’re not excluded here, folks.

Fingers crossed for Radiohead? You betcha!

Austin City Limits only sold out one day entirely this year, and that was Saturday, September 27th. With headliners like Beck and Robert Plant, along with buzz acts like MGMT and Fleet Foxes, which secured some of the biggest crowds of the festival, it was truly a fight to get through any of the crowds at the four big stages. But with great local acts on the smaller Austin Ventures stage all day, the main fare wasn’t the only choice.

Mugison, who came all the way from Iceland for his first U.S. tour, woke up early to perform on the AT&T Blueroom Stage at 11:45 AM. Usually a solo performer, Mugison brought a second member along with him to help perform their intriguing psych-rock for an evergrowing crowd. Serving as preparation for their late night aftershow later at Stubb’s, Mugison sure made a lot of new fans who would later see similar eccentric artists such as Man Man, MGMT, and Beck during the day.

Following the Mugiboogie, the AMD Stage hosted the harmonizing Fleet Foxes, a late addition following the cancellation of Ingrid Michaelson. The attendees didn’t seem to notice, as the field swelled for one of the largest early crowds of the entire weekend. Vocalist Robin Pecknold was humbled, and humanized the band with the stage banter, which included several comments about the WaMu bank crisis (jokingly proposed renaming it to WaMu Memorial). The band played mostly music from its outstanding self-titled release, and the middle-set back-to-back beauty of singalongs “White Water Hymnal” and “Ragged Wood” was probably my favorite of the weekend. The two led into each other beautifully.

The soft sounds of Jose Gonzalez soothed the crowd over at the Dell Stage. A repeat performer from two years ago, Gonzalez serenaded everyone with a haunting rendition of “In Our Nature”, and as the performance progressed, the crowd grew larger and larger. Each song gained a deeper meaning and respect, and he ended the set with a beautiful cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”.

Over on the Austin Ventures Stage, Bavu Blakes and the Extra Plairs got the crowd jumping and waving their arms wildly as they ripped through tracks from the fantastic 2003 self-release Create & Hustle, including a passionate performance of “Overnight”. Highly-respected in the Austin hip hop scene, Blakes was gracious and humble as he integrated the crowd and brought out guests such as Austin blues musician Gary Clark, Jr. and the energetic multi-talented Dallas rapper Pikahsso.

The strangest conflict of the weekend, in my eyes, was Drive-By Truckers, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, and the young blues musicians from the Isle of Man. I chose Back Door Slam, who delivered a solid set, if not forgettable, on the Ventures Stage. Playing the usual cuts from its debut album, as well as covers like “Riding With the King”, the group should probably start doing something a little different. Its show is getting rather monotonous.

Another big conflict was for two eccentric indie buzz bands, Man Man and CSS. Despite complaining about the heat, the Brazilian outfit did deliver a raucous, wild, and energetic set under the blistering sun. Wearing a purple-and-blue printed jumpsuit, vocalist Lovefoxxx was all over the stage, which was decorated with balloons. You couldn’t help but smile.

And over on Dell, Philadelphia’s Man Man put on a percussion-driven quirky math rock set that at one point was reminiscent of a New Orleans funeral procession.  The music hit from all styles, focusing on precision timing for each of its oddball moments. The band themselves looked as if they were ready for war with electro-tribal face paint and white outfits that seemed more fitting for a black light show than an outdoor event.

Austin’s Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears were up next, bringing its groovy garage soul music to the Austin Ventures stage. A newly-assembled eight-piece band led by the charismatic Joe Lewis excited the crowd, and fans took in the overpowering sounds of different instruments. Lewis’ James Brown-esque voice and movements proved that he is a star-powered frontman capable of making dancers out of anyone.

But the soul music truly wasn’t done for the day. Eccentric Dallas R&B singer Erykah Badu took the AT&T stage and, backed by identically-dressed background singers, delivered her silk and enriched voice over groovy beats with tracks from her latest release New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). However, the true fan-favorite was Grammy-winning single “On and On/… & On”. She then introduced her amazing new single “Soldier,” prefaced with heartfelt banter about the current election. After shouting out My Morning Jacket, she led a crowd sing-a-long for “Tyrone” and closed off with “Honey”, before exiting to the soundbite of Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli”. Erykah is a star, and she left everyone with a smile on their face.

One of the more anticipated performances of the weekend, MGMT played to an overwhelmingly large crowd and started things off slow with “Pieces of What”, but built the late afternoon up into an electro pop frenzy by the time “Electric Feel” was played. The addition of a second guitarist added depth to the songs as improvised solos were welcomed on favorites such as “Kids”. A frenzy of electro beats and glitter is a good way to describe the hour long set. It seems that the road has done this group some good as its stage presence was more confident, and experimentation began to make its way into the songs which could have otherwise been just carbon copies off their records.

Over on other end of Zilker Park, fans of Beck were speckled in with the devout fans of Bright Eyes as Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley took the stage and jumped right into a fist-pumping rendition of “Sausalito”. Oberst didn’t stray too much from the recently released self-titled album, but he did perform a new one called “Ten Women” and covered Paul Simon for a great version of “KodaChrome”. Never failing to please his fans as one of the more emotionally-driven performers in the business, the Omaha native also went intimate with songs like the closer “Milk Thistle”, which seemingly stole the show. The rest of the set was heavy-hitting and countrified, and he was bound to make new fans as well as please those who didn’t know who he was and why he had such a prime set time.

Over on AT&T Blueroom, the Black Keys were up next. The duo from Akron brought the dirty blues to Austin with a rousing set that did not hold back. Starting with tracks from its latest album Attack & Release, such as “Psychotic Girl”, the Keys were quick to dive into its strong back catalogue with cuts such as “Stack Shot Billy” and “10 a.m. Automatic”, both from Rubber Factory. With the sun now set, the addition of simple lighting turned Carney and Auerbach into the rock stars they were destined to become. The Black Keys made it look easy as they were with out a doubt one of the top highlights from the weekend.

“It’s freakin’ Robert Plant, man,” I heard someone say. And I’m sure that was a sentiment expressed by most attendees who chose this set over it’s opposition. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss were the first headliner of the night, and they began with the beautiful “Rich Woman”. Plant didn’t hold anything back as the two ripped into the Zeppelin tune “Black Dog”, but that’s about when they began to get overpowered by the sound on the opposite park. Krauss sounded wonderful on the exceptional “Wildwood Flower”, and special guest T-Bone Burnett sat in for a song mid-set. While sound problems marred some people’s first and only experience with Robert Plant, it was still overwhelming to see him on stage with one of country’s biggest stars.

The crowd seemed to be evenly split on this evening as Beck opened up the night with “Loser”. This set the pace and tone as a bit heavier than he has been before. Each of the tracks played from Odelay, including “Devil’s Hair Cut” and “Where It’s At”, had a distorted edge to them while later selections from Modern Guilt conveyed a folksier side to him. At one point the conventional instruments were ditched for handheld drum machines and synthesizers, including an iPod touch that had been converted to a turntable for selections form Guiro and The Information. “Hell Yes” was the first of the songs that saw Beck go from distant folk hero to nerdy emcee. It only proved Beck to be one of the many reluctant musical heroes born out of Generation-X. His performance solidified his longevity and his influence on most of the bands today, many of which were at the festival this past weekend.

Saturday of ACL 2008 was one of the most stacked days in history. But even though it was tough day to get through, it was off to Sunset Rubdown’s late night aftershow.