SXSW Kicks Off Energetic Weekend One

AUSTIN – SXSW kicked off weekend one with a fun and fast-paced environment for SXSW badge holders and residents alike.

While the forecast called for rain, festival-goers were treated with warm weather and on some days rain.

The annual festival is filled with interactive, film, and music events meant to last an entire week. Kicking off weekend one is the film and interactive portion while the music events start out during the middle of the week.

With many red carpets rolling out and artists traveling into town to showcase their music, SXSW is a one-stop shop for entertainment, music, and culture.

“It’s controlled chaos,” said a Film Producer Milan Chakraborty based out of Los Angeles visiting for the film festival.

SXSW WEEKEND ONE HIGHLIGHTS:

Duncan Fellows at Capital House Day One:
Austin natives The Duncan Fellows put on a charismatic and fun set at Antone’s for the Capital House Day One. Performances by Bishop Briggs and CHVRCHES rounded off Monday evening. The lines were wrapped around the street and fans excited to get a taste of music before the music portion of SXSW kicks off. Duncan Fellows put on an energetic set getting everyone prepared for the week ahead.

Miracle-Gro HQ on Rainey:
Plant lovers, garden enthusiasts, and vegans rejoice. The Miracle-Gro Harvest HQ experience was a fun and memorable delight. They recently announced their Miracle-Gro Twelve in-door growing system. It caught my eye because of how cool the design was. I did enjoy having some delicious tacos and awesome drinks while there and listening to some good music while I was there.

“One of the coolest things, in addition to growing anything in your backyard, is being able to grow 12 months out of the year. It’s an indoor growing system that allows you to grow flowers, food, and anything you want 12 months out of the year,” said VP of Marketing John Sass.

So that means more peppers and tomatoes for me to grow, which means more homemade salsa (one of my favorite things to make).

Good Omens Garden of Delight:
Amazon really went out of their way to promote their new show, ‘Good Omens.’ Over the weekend participants of the ‘Garden of Delight’ were treated to bite-sized eats, free drinks, live music, and more.

On both nights, Amazon partnered with Buzzfeed and Entertainment Weekly to host two evening parties that treated selected guests to special performances by Dan Deacon and Questlove. A variety of actors and actresses walked the grounds during the party including Good Omen’s cast Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Neil Gaiman, and more.

It was a neat experience with a live interactive experience of actors inviting you to participate as if you were a member of the show.

Nelly Performance at VEVO House:

One of the most fun experiences was seeing Nelly live at Pelon’s Tex-Mex aka the VEVO House. With a fly DJ spinning groovy sounds in their outdoor area, guests were treated to an intimate experience of free food and drinks, with a performance by rapper Nelly.

Nelly brought down the VEVO House on its first day and performed many of his hits including E.I, Country Grammar, Airforce Ones, and more.

Neil Gaiman and Good Omen’s Cast Panel:

One of the most fun experiences and panel discussions was the Good Omen’s Cast  Panel. In attendance was Neil Gaiman co-author of the book the show is based on, Director Douglas Mackinnon, and actors, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and Jon Hamm. The panel was a really neat inside look at how the show came to fruition and also how the characters on-screen could portray some delightful performances.

Michael Sheen and David Tennant’ shared some words about their on-screen duality and personalities.

Michael Sheen said, “Intellectually, yes, but on a very basic level it felt like we were short of one unit.” David Tennant interjected, “It’s a buddy movie really, they complete each other,” when speaking about their roles as Aziraphale and Crowley respectively.

The cast previewed exclusive clips of the show and they were a delight.  The show is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video in May.

We weathered the trenches on the first day and chugged along, so now we look forward to the endless music showcases coming up.

The festival is already breaming with fresh faces, new people, secret shows, and more. There is always something fun to do and get into as well.

In three words New York Native Farhana Begum described the festival as, “Fun, adventurous, and a challenge.” A first timer who is visiting for the entire week.

I wholeheartedly agree. SXSW can be overwhelming when not planned correctly. Luckily, I made it a point to plan ahead and eat as much free food as possible. More to come.

This article was originally published on News 4 San Antonio.