SXSW Through The Years: 24 of the Most Iconic Festival Moments
FEBRUARY 17, 2024
Every spring, thousands from all over the globe swarm my fair city to attend the infamous South by Southwest Festival. In 1986, the creators of SXSW began discussing how they could bring exposure to what was quickly becoming a community of creatives, specifically centered around music.
After much planning, the first festival was scheduled for March 1987 and has been going strong ever since. Eventually, including other aspects like interactive and film, this international and revolutionary week-long extravaganza now hosts a variety of categories for creatives, tech entrepreneurs, politicians, and many more.
With no shortage of iconic moments, SXSW remains a beloved staple of fans worldwide.
1. Johnny Cash Showcase (1994)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/SXSW.
Only a few years after the festival's inauguration, SXSW invited Johnny Cash to give the keynote address at the 1994 festival, where he relayed the wisdom of 40 years in the music business, sharing how he grew and adapted throughout his tumultuous career. Later, Cash gave an outstanding performance at Emo's with up-and-coming star Beck, who was supporting his unheard-of track, Loser, at the time, helping to launch his 30-year music career.
2. Courtney Love Keynote (2002)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/Trashbaby1991.
One of the most prominent female rock stars of the 1990s with her band Hole, Courtney Love, had also ventured into acting, starring in the Oscar-nominated The People vs. Larry Flynt, released in 1996. After a few ups and some very low lows, SXSW asked Love to speak, where she set the audience straight on many industry rumors and scandals, delivering it all in her usual candid, free spirit way.
3. Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe Conversation (2022)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/SXSW.
A colorful conversation about art and climate change between Roxy Music's Brian Eno and Indie rocker and all-around “music weirdo” Beatie Wolfe occurred in 2022 on the SXSW stage. Eno shared his knowledge of his music industry charity EarthPercent, and Wolfe shared “From Green to Red,” an environmental protest piece built using 800,000 years of NASA data to visualize rising CO2 levels.
4. Nadya Tolokonnikova of P. Riot (2022)
Pictured: Nadya Tolokonnika at TED. Image Credit: Steve Jurvetson – CCA 20./WikiCommons.
Nadya Tolokonnikova, former lead singer of the Russian protest and punk rock group P. Riot, performed at Cheer Up Charlies in 2022. Just a few short months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Nadya had some choice words for the Russian dictator whom her band has railed against since their inception, even landing her in prison in 2012 for her anti-Putin performance.
5. Barack Obama Keynote (2016)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/SXSW.
In the last year of his 2nd term, President Obama was a highly anticipated keynote speaker at 2016's SXSW. Sitting down with The Texas Tribune's CEO & Editor in Chief, Evan Smith, the former president discussed a variety of subjects surrounding voting access, feelings about his presidency, and his vision for the United States.
6. The Flaming Lips Showcase (1997)
Pictured: The Flaming Lips at Brixton Academy, London. Image Credit: Drew de F Fawkes – CCA 2.0/WikiCommons.
In 1997, The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne arranged his fourth “Parking Lot Experiment” at that year's SXSW. He had 30 cars play 30 different cassette tapes recorded by the band in an Austin parking lot for more than 1,000 attendees. This performance assisted the Lips in creating their 8th studio album, Zaireeka, solidifying their signature aesthetic.
7. The White Stripes Showcase (2001)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/La'Fleur RAAM.
Jack and Meg White, decked out in their signature red, white, and black attire, wowed the SXSW crowd with songs from what would become their breakout 3rd album, White Blood Cells, in 2001. Their raw and gritty performance threw them onto the national stage as one of rock's greatest bands.
8. Amy Winehouse Showcase (2007)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/Good Music.
The English crooner, known for her erratic and often drug-fueled lifestyle, performed a stripped-down version of her sophomore breakthrough album Back to Black‘s top singles–Rehab, Back to Black, and others, proving to the critics, who focused primarily on her lifestyle, that she did have the chops to back up the hype. Winehouse tragically succumbed to her addictions in 2011, but her smoky, strong voice lives on.
9. Death From Above 1979 Showcase (2011)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/SecretNoteProduction.
Fans of Death From Above 1979 were so overwhelmed and excited about the unexpected reunion of the duo at SXSW in 2011 that they started rioting. Spectators outside the fenced-in area of the venue began pushing the barriers, causing such a stir that the police ended up clashing with them. The duo stopped their performance mid-act until things settled down but ultimately returned to the stage and finished their set.
10. The Stooges Showcase (2013)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/TalkinSchmit.
Iggy Pop and the Stooges took the SXSW stage in 2013 ahead of their LP album Ready to Die release. This showcase marked the group's first collaboration with guitarist James Williamson since the release of their 1973's Raw Power, tearing up the set like the rock gods they are.
11. Lou Reed Tribute Showcase (2014)
Image Credit: Youtube.com/Getting Past The Static.