I slept on a pillow once.

So the pillows played in Austin at SXSW last night.

THE PILLOWS PLAYED IN AUSTIN. Ahem. So we got there 4 hours early, as originally planned, but there was exactly NO activity out in front of the Elysium, so we popped next door to grab a beer and listen to live music. Every so often we ventured outside (you could come and go if you were over 21) and wandered the streets of downtown Austin. There were more men than women in tight pants. This is a problem.

Anyway! We ended up going to stand in line at the Elysium about an hour and a half or so early. At some point, I bought falafel for myself and Frye. THEN, a PR lady for the pillows came out with a video camera and asked Frye and me some questions.

FINALLY, we got to go inside. The bands were all very good, but the Emeralds and the pillows rocked the hardest. Of those two, the pillows were the best, of course.

In the hours preceding the pillows' performance, we saw several bands play. During the set a couple of hours before the pillows went on, I turned and surveyed the crowd to see how many people were there. As I turned, I spotted Manabe (that's right, Manabe) leaning against a pillar RIGHT BEHIND ME!!!!!!!11111one

I did what any self-respecting fan would do. I bought him a beer. He laughed and thanked me for it. I didn't go all fangirly and squealy. That doesn't do any good for anyone. I simply gave him the beer, and went to reclaim my own pillar. Inside, I was repeating "oh my god oh my god oh my god" for about 15 minutes. Then, after Frye disappeared to go sit down for a bit, Sawao stood next to me for almost an entire set. Again with the inside "omgomgomgomg." At the end, as everyone was cheering for an encore, I moved to the back so i could see, but lean against the wall and get some air. Standing right in front of me was Kazuya, lead singer of the Emeralds. I took a moment to shake his hand, bow, and say "anata no ongaku wa sugoi desu. arigatou gozaimasu." He smiled, clasped my hand in both of his, and gave me a quick head bow before the pillows again graced us with their presence on stage. I'm still reeling from the energy of that night. Oh man. Too bad I didn't have more cash to buy more music from the other bands, though. There were some really good ones!

Suffice it to say, for now, that it was an awesome show in every way, and well worth the time and money spent.