SXSW Rumor Update: Wood on the Fire Edition

Sometimes when you poke a fire with a stick and rearrange the logs you mess up the dynamics and the fire goes out, other times the fire grows and gets stronger.

In this instance, I stoked the rumor mill and information started pouring out of people.

Through special connections I learned that Phoenix -- not Bone Thugs-n-Harmony -- were originally intended to be the Saturday night headliner at the Levi's/FADER Fort, but the French rockers backed out two weeks ago after deciding they didn't want to fly in from Europe just for SXSW. This was immediately billed as the worst decision of all time because who wouldn't want to come to Austin during SXSW?

It's also rumored that the once-awesomely-90s Bone Thugs-n-Harmony performance is just a red herring and there will be an additional act by a super secret band. Granted, it's quite possible Fader Fort is just worried people won't stick around on Saturday, but it's also fun to think MGMT might pop out of nowhere. I spoke with a rep yesterday who would neither confirm nor deny MGMT was playing a show at SXSW this week.

Attention has also shifted to MTV's party at the Seaholm Power Plant where Snoop Dogg is practically confirmed as a performer. My RSVP researcher scoured the web and couldn't come up with any RSVP info so it's either super VIP or horribly marketed.

Snoop could be this year's special guest du jour. He has been confirmed as a performer at the Perez Hilton party that will apparently not take place in the pink and blue Target on the east side of I-35, and will be at a printing shop on West Fifth Street.

Still no word on who Wednesday's Fader Fort special guest will be but it might not matter, there are so many activities going on inside it's easy to forget about the stage. Mechanical bulls, milking cows, ring toss, t-shirt making and free beer is just a line's wait away.