For the 23rd time, the Austin City Limits Music Festival kicked off its first weekend this past Friday, culminating in three days of music, vibes and community. The festival ran for its typical time range — Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. This year’s impressive lineup was sure to draw crowds, especially with the stacked Sunday bill at the American Express Stage, boasting new star Chappell Roan followed by headliner Tyler, The Creator.
Friday
Friday started slow at ACL, with gates opening at 11 a.m. and the first act, Asleep At The Wheel, performing at the Honda Stage at 12:55 p.m. Being the first day of the festival, the stages started off more sparse; attendees felt more inclined to check the various merch booths, food trucks and Tyler, The Creator’s Golf merchandise store. However, the action quickly picked up as the afternoon set in.
As 2 p.m. rolled around, the stages finally garnered worthy crowds for the festival. Chaperelle, an upcoming country artist, opened the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage, while indie-pop artist Sir Chloe opened the T-Mobile Stage. Both put on great performances, setting expectations high for all the later time slots throughout the night.
At 3:10 p.m., Mannequin Pussy had an impressive performance at the Miller Lite Stage. The vocalist, Missy, entranced crowds with her phenomenal stage presence. Performing their new poppier works and previous punk tracks, there was something for everyone. Halfway through the show, mosh pits erupted, and bodies began to fly overhead. The energy from both the band and the crowd was phenomenal; for performing early in the day, at a smaller stage and at a festival, they brought in the perfect demographic to enjoy their sound. They surely had one of the best performances of the day.
Skipping ahead, Foster the People performed at 6:10 p.m. at the Honda Stage. The indie-rock icons drew in a massive crowd, performing their impressive roster of smooth, danceable hits. The crowd was locked in on the performers the entire time, especially when they played their hit single, “Pumped Up Kicks.”
At 6:30 p.m., Leon Bridges came out on the American Express Stage, aptly wearing a University of Texas jersey — a sad sight for fans from San Antonio. His unique sound entranced those who were more so looking for a country experience, meshing R&B and soul into a smooth, loving experience. With Bridges’ hour-long set ending at 7:30 p.m., attendees could turn around and take a short trip to the T-Mobile Stage, where The Marias were starting up.
The Marias, returning to ACL for the second time since 2022, quickly drew in a large crowd. Performing their psychedelic pop tracks just as the sun had finished setting. Their visuals were memorable and the bright violet lighting perfectly contrasted the lights coming from the Austin skyline to the west.
Once The Marias ended, attendees had to make a huge choice — should they see country star Chris Stapleton at American Express, or should they head down to Honda to see pop-punk legends, Blink-182?
Both headlining acts put on phenomenal shows, evoking entirely different feelings. Chris Stapleton played as many songs as time allowed, saying he would speak as little as possible so he could deliver all his hits as well as his deep cuts. This was the opposite for Blink-182, whose antics, skits, jokes and crazy visuals carried the show. Every rest had bassist Mark Hoppus joking with guitarist Tom DeLong, while drummer Travis Barker sat in the back, acting cooler than he probably is; though, he is a superstar.
ACL had a phenomenal opening day on Friday, and it only got better over the next two days.
Saturday
Being the middle day of the weekend, expectations were high, luckily there was a great mix of small and large DJ sets, indie icons, pop stars and rappers to draw in a crowd.
Opening the day between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., artists like Godly The Ruler, Obed Padilla, PawPaw Rod, promqueen, SHXWNFRESH, The Criticals and Goldie Boutlier. Right off the bat, there was so much going on, leaving something for everyone — though stages were left somewhat empty while crowds still gathered outside in the entrance queue.
While the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage may be skipped over by many, it was packed later by 6:45 p.m. when Kenny Beats came out. Though he traditionally produces artists — working with musicians such as Joji, Vince Staples, Denzel Curry and Ed Sheeran — his DJ set was impressive. The crowd was bumping the entire time, even lining up outside the tent, because the entire space had been filled. While being overlooked by many, he definitely pulled in an engaging crowd alongside his excellent set.
Another great artist on a smaller stage was Vince Staples, who performed at the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage at 7:20 p.m. He pulled in a loyal crowd, who when asked if they had seen him perform before a resounding, “Yes,” erupted through the ever-growing crowd. Staples’ unique flow and subjective commentary were impressive.
After the later artists ended, crowds once again flocked to American Express to see day headliner, Dua Lipa.
The pop powerhouse lived up to the hype set by the amazing headliners the day prior, playing banger after banger nonstop. With such a large catalog of radio hits and TikTok blow-ups, there was at least one recognizable song for everyone in attendance.
She downright stole the show Saturday night, her powerful vocals never straining and the downright incredible video effects and choreography from her dancers showed that she is not just a music artist, but a stage performer.
Sunday
Finally came Sunday, the last day of the first weekend and surely the most memorable day. It was surely a mistake not to stay at the American Express Stage with its star studded lineup.
The day was set from the start to be memorable, with Chappel Roan’s rise to stardom drawing in thousands of fans who purchased tickets just to see her. These fans were ready, at 11 a.m. sharp you could see cowboy boots and pink-attired attendees rushing to the stage to grab their spot at the barricade. It would be a long wait, but surely worth it.
Opening the stage was Empress Of at 1:15 p.m. Her club pop, drum-heavy sound was reminiscent of Dua Lipa’s performance the night prior. She drew in a decent crowd for such an early slot, especially with many fans gearing up to camp for spots during Chappel Roan.
Following Empress Of was indie-rock band, flipturn. The band came out swinging, with what is probably one of the best, if not the best, performances out of all the non-headlining artists. The band’s summery, backyard indie sound carried across the crowd, dragging those into their sound for the next hour. They are heavily reminiscent of The Backseat Lovers and Two Door Cinema Club, a sound perfect for a memorable outdoor festival experience. Their melodic riffs and powerful vocals really sold the show; the stage presence was apparent. If you cannot make it to their ACL set next week, be sure to make it to their headlining show at Scoot Inn, on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
Next came Cannons at 4:45 p.m., their indie-pop sound and catchy, repeating chorus helped them live up to the expectations set by flipturn. Vocalist Michelle Joy and the keyboardist Paul Davis truly carried their show, her captivating vocals complimented by the enchanting synth work were magnetic. Their track, “Fire for You,” from their 2019 album “Shadows,” made their show, with the stage monitor repeating the lyrics “on fire” for the crowd to sing the whole show. It was as if an angler fish swam through and ensnared the audience into their music.
After hours of waiting, Chappell Roan finally made her entrance alongside her band at 6:45 p.m. The crowd then hit its peak, filling up almost half of Zilker Park’s 351 acres of land just to see her perform. With such a large crowd, the expectations were set unrealistically high — and yet Chappell rose above them. There was not a moment where the performance lacked, from her Y2K-inspired graphics on the monitors, her stunning cowgirl-inspired stage costume and her talented band and absurd vocal range. Every song was sung by the crowd, there was not a single person in attendance who did not know her lyrics. Even more impressive was the sheer amount of people doing the “HOT TO GO!” dance, so much so that fans could hardly raise their arms to dance. Chappell also had a surprise in store, she performed a shocking cover of “Barracuda” by Heart, overall killing the performance — indeed making ACL “hot like Papa John.”
Finally, ending the weekend came Tyler, The Creator at 8:45 p.m. This is Tyler’s second time headlining Sunday for ACL, with his first being in 2021. He immediately came out swinging, especially so with such a stellar performance an hour before his. The stage was decorated with a Wild West aesthetic, old barrels, cacti and a large rocky hill for him to climb. Behind him was a backroads country backdrop that tied the look together. Tyler has always had a phenomenal stage presence, taunting the crowd and cracking jokes, but this was something more. With so many people in the crowd, it felt even more special when he chose sides of the stage to sing parts of the songs or teased guest appearances that never happened. Out of the entire festival, there was not a single act more worthy of closing the weekend out than Tyler.
While weekend one may be over, ACL will be back this upcoming weekend with a slightly different lineup and hopefully just as much fun. The festival truly was something special and might be the best one since the festivals break during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
For more information on ACL check out their site at https://www.aclfestival.com/.
