Most of the techies have left Austin by SXSW Thursday. Film screenings continue, and the Music options ramp up. Bill and I saw an excellent documentary about Roberto Clemente and also the first of four episodes about the rock band Bon Jovi. The Black Keys keynote was interesting to me, especially since we watched This is a Movie about The Black Keys on Monday. In the evening, I listened to a few musicians at the sanctuary and the chapel inside St. David’s church.

An interview with astronauts on the International Space Station, a keynote by The Daniels, and Cheech & Chong…a fun SXSW day!

Bill and I got off to a late start, so this was a light SXSW day for us. We’ve attended many Austin City Limits TV tapings since they moved from the University of Texas campus to the downtown Moody Theater in 2011, so we enjoyed the discussion about this year’s 50th anniversary. The documentary about The Black Keys was interesting, especially since both band members attended the screening.

Daylight savings time can be a big disruptor during SXSW. Not much was offered in the morning, so I started exploring the Creative Industries Expo. A film premiere, Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience, kept me busy this afternoon.

The morning started out a bit cold, but temperatures eventually warmed up to the mid-60s. So far, so good, weather-wise. Somehow I chose mostly heavy topics for today’s sessions: online safety and privacy, antiracism, and homelessness. Even Amy Webb’s usually upbeat Trend Report held some ominous predictions. So, Conan O’Brien and Nick Kroll’s antics were a welcome mid-afternoon break.

SXSW 2024 opened on a lovely spring day in Austin. A thunderstorm had rolled through around 7 AM, but within an hour, the sun was out. Bill and I hustled to get to the Austin Convention Center by 9 AM, since that’s when the Express passes (for the following day) become available online. We can tell that this will be an ongoing challenge over the next few days. Anyhow, opening day was fun, even though I spent most of it in Ballroom D.

Another year has flown by: SXSW 2024 begins on Friday, March 8.