Despite unforgiving Austin sunshine beating down all day Saturday, throngs of people packed the inside and outside of Cheer Up Charlies. The Lost Weekend day parties, pulled together by BrooklynVegan and the local Sound on Sound Fest – replacement for Fun Fun Fun Fest – closed its three-day for brave souls needing to squeeze in six more hours of music.

For nearly a decade, veteran music publicist Cary Baker has hosted a SXSW day party boasting the best Americana talent in the name of his L.A.-based firm Conqueroo, founded in 2004. Baker declared this year his final trek to the festival, ending a run that began in 1988, SXSW’s second year. He left on a high note with Saturday’s blowout at Threadgill’s.

It’s 2017 and the guitars have survived the apocalypse. Not only that, they’ve thrived in this brave new world of machines and humanoids. Or at least that’s what we gathered from Grandaddy’s set Friday night at Stubb’s.

“Not gonna happen, kid,” the doorman at Mohawk said plainly to a SXSW wristband holder asking hopefully about getting in before 11pm for UK electro R&B musician Sohn. The venue’s outdoor stage hit capacity a little after 10pm for independent record label 4AD’s showcase.

Ponder the mysteries of SXSW programming: Metallic notables Mastodon found themselves the penultimate act on a Friday night SXSW showcase at Empire otherwise dedicated to punk and alternative rock acts.

“Hi, we’re the Sandinistas,” grinned singer/guitarist Dan Hagerty at the 20 people gathered before the punk-pop trio two songs into their SXSW showcase at Javelina on Friday night. “We’re from South Wales in the UK. If you don’t know where that is,” he added, tongue firmly in cheek, “that’s where Tom Jones is from.”

Most punk bands fall prey to the eventual “inactive” hiatus or flame-out. No Brain’s different. Proving age is but a number, the veteran South Koreans attested to their international longevity to a packed house Friday night at the Belmont.

Even with sometimes-controversial rap legend Talib Kweli still spitting at absolute peak condition, it was D.R.A.M.’s unmitigated cheekiness that commanded Friday night at StubHub’s eclectic SXSW showcase at Banger’s.

If, like most of us, you didn’t make it into Prince’s marathon set at La Zona Rosa during SXSW 2013 – and you weren’t snacking inside IHOP when he popped in for a late-night breakfast – Friday night at Auditorium Shores may be the closest many of us will ever come to seeing the late Minneapolis legend perform live.