The amount of good will Fiona Apple receives from the press is no secret, but when your second comeback performance is as strong as it was at the Pitchfork showcase, one is left with little choice but to sing praises. Those lucky enough to make their way inside Central Presbyterian Church, many of whom waited close to two hours for a chance to get in, were treated to an intimate show that will no doubt be seen as one of the highlights of this year’s festival. The church was a perfect setting for Apple to test her new material in, and the space’s excellent acoustics made both the arrangements and her booming voice positively soar.

NPR’s annual SXSW showcase was one of the hottest tickets last night, with an impressive array of acts including Andrew Bird, Alabama Shakes, Dan Deacon (who single-handidly turned the evening into an interactive dance competition), Sharon Van Etten, and the long-awaited return of Fiona Apple to the stage. Both Apple and Van Etten delivered memorable performances and drew hordes of devoted fans to Stubb’s. Apple’s set was moody, electrifying and easily one of the most anticipated shows of the festival. She performed tracks off her new album due out this summer, as well as a torrent of favorites, including “Carrion” and a blistering version of “Criminal” to close the night. Following Apple’s set, Sharon Van Etten and her band performed a set of quiet intensity, ranging from haunting and ethereal acoustic balladry to feedback drenched rockers. Opening with the rising crescendo of “All I Can”, Van Etten, along with vocalist Heather Broderick, mesmerized the crowd with their captivating and gorgeous harmonies.

Aside from the gathering of industry professionals, artists, and media, SXSW has been a magnet for music fans, largely due to the influx, and exponential growth of free day party events. With many artists playing as many as half dozen or more showcases, the average music fan has countless opportunities to see their artist of choice. In a vicious cycle, the growing base of music fans inspires more events, which in turn attracts more people to Austin. So while the industry continues to genuflect over big picture issues, while fuming over the ongoing disappearance of revenue streams, day parties provide an informal opportunity for fans to interact with some of their favorite artists, while enjoying swag, booze, and treats courtesy of corporate and media sponsors, national music industry councils and labels. Here’s a sampling of some of the best day party events:

All right, readers. It’s confession time. Before I get into my latest coverage of SXSW, I have a secret I need to share. I would prefer to keep it to myself, as I have for a few years now, but I feel it’s necessary to reveal for the purposes of this article. If any of you stop reading and click over to Faith’s unbiased (and, let’s be honest, probably better) coverage, I completely understand. Wow. This isn’t easy. I’ve only told a few close friends, and they were less than understanding. Okay. Here goes nothing:

I’m writing this from the Skillshare party in the casual backyard of a bar. Twenty or so people in t-shirts and shorts, festooned with badges and pins, listen while a bearded Etsy employee scribbles about start-ups on a sticky pad. Beyond the bar area with a gaggle of drinkers conversing, another such session is in full swing. This isn’t part of the official conference; it’s just one of many events spinning off on interactivity and using learning as a social tool.

The official SXSW interactive conference is the epicenter of learning about interactive anything for five days a year. This year more than 2,600 official presenters flooded the four floors of the Austin convention center, ranging from Arrested Development‘s Jeffrey Tambor to the head of MIT’s Media Lab to the CTO of a three-person three-month-old startup.