Carl Atiya Swanson

Before taking the stage at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Canadian indie-folk rockers Tegan and Sara visited St. Paul for a performance at MPR's UBS Forum. The twin sisters played four songs in front of an intimate crowd of about a hundred in between telling stories and fielding questions from 89.3 The Current DJ Mark Wheat.

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Some days are perfect for big names, when stars align to bring out an array of shows that run from soul to rock to whatever-that-was and personal styles that run from the finest of classic tailoring to barely there. Friday was mostly spent at two of the big-ticket events at South By Southwest; the exclusive party that Spin magazine sponsors every year and the much anticipated AOL/Spinner Soul Revue. Both had highly anticipated comeback performances—the return of rock band Hole at the Spin party and Smokey Robinson at the Soul Revue—as well as a stellar line-up of lead-in acts.

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Rock and roll, and live performance in general, operates on a disaster principle. This perverse variation of Murphy's Law posits that anything that can go wrong will, and that we want it to go terribly wrong, making for thrilling moments when everything does go wrong and the performers nonetheless pull through amidst the chaos. Some musicians introduce this chaos on principle (Stravinsky, any band with extended jams) or by personal proclivity (the Replacements, Guns n' Roses; in fact, a lot of bands in the 80s). The most common disasters, though, are logistical, and with exponential exacerbations of crowds, cramped stages, and hectic schedules, South By Southwest offers plenty of opportunities for logistical disaster.