By Gaby Deimeke
As October rolls around, it is once again time for the iconic Austin City Limits Music Festival over two very hot weekends in Austin, Texas. The festival features world-renowned and up-and-coming acts on 8 different stages in the gorgeous Zilker Park, and hosts around 75,000 music lovers per day. Its diverse lineup spans pop, rock, folk, country, R&B and electronic music, and this year had a spectacular group of artists that performed.
Friday started off a scorcher, with 93 degree heat, as singer-songwriters Norah Jones and Carin Leon kicked off the weekend. Connor Price kept the crowd up with a hype set at the IHG stage, throwing out t-shirts and getting the crowd to jump while performing his song “Drop.” Porter Robinson had an impressive sunset into nighttime set, with a series of light up globes that he played to create different melodies. He even brought a fan on stage to try it.
Fletcher had all the girls in their feels, and Blink-182 closed out the first night of the fest, making banter with each other and ending with all their classic hits, including “First Date” and “All The Small Things.”
There were a variety of activations at ACL, including the Amex Experience, which had a disco cowboy-inspired bar and a market featuring local Austin small businesses, and the garden oasis of the Hendricks Garden Bar, which had gin cocktails and the smell of roses. Austin Kiddie Limits is an area for young ones to enjoy the fest, and had complimentary group yoga.
One of our favorite areas was a Tiki Bar themed alcove, which featured poke bowls and a souvenir tiki cup. Another new feature of ACL this year is the IHG Stage being completely powered by a hybrid battery system, including all audio, lighting, video and stage production. The stage deployed over 1 MWh of battery storage capacity, which helps to create emissions savings.
Saturday started off with indie-rock artist Sawyer Hill, and continued grooving with Colombian psychedelic funk trio Balthvs, who jammed out at the Tito’s tent, complete with a disco ball in the center of the tent.
Benson Boone was a stand-out act on Saturday evening. The entire band wore matching red outfits, and he started his performance off with a jump and flip that he did off a sleek baby grand piano. His powerful vocals kept the crowd enchanted, and then Renee Rapp, sporting a button down shirt that said “Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body,” danced and schmoozed the camera, and had the entire crowd singing along to every one of her songs.
Dua Lipa closed the Amex stage on Saturday night with a bang, drawing a massive audience for her performance. Her set included an epic runway, a group of dancers wearing all black, lasers, and a firework show at the end. She played hits, “New Rules,” “One Kiss,” “Levitating,” and ended with an encore of “Physical,” “Don’t Start Now,” and “Houdini.”
There was also plenty to eat and drink at ACL. The Big Tent served craft beers, kegged cocktails, and pizzas from Bambino, and the Electrolit Hydration Stations kept fans hydrated all weekend. ACL Eats featured more than 40 food vendors including CM Smokehouse, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, along with the return of The Mighty Cone (and we can confirm that the gelato was delicious).
This year, ACL worked with Food for All Project to donate any unused backstage meals to feed people in need. Rock and Recycle was another program that encouraged festival attendees to pick up recyclables from the grounds in exchange for a free ACL fest t-shirt.
Walking in on Sunday, there was a sea of pink, as fans lined up as early as 11am for Chappell Roan. The afternoon included a set by pop-rock band Misterwives, and early evening performances by flamboyant masked country singer Orville Peck and indie-pop band Cannons. San Holo was the major electronic music headliner on Sunday, with an emotional, vibey set at the Tito’s stage, including moments where he jumped on the DJ table and played electric guitar.
Then it was time for the Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan. She was clad in an outfit with belt buckles, chaps, and cowboy boots, with matching outfits for her band, and was a standout show at sunset on the Amex Stage, running around and fanning her Trans Rights fan. Bringing a massive record-breaking crowd of fans, she played all of her hits, including “Pink Pony Club,” “Good Luck Babe,” and “Hot To Go,” which she taught the dance to the audience.
To close out weekend 1, there was an interesting mix of artists. Kehlani and Sturgill Simpson played on one side of the festival while Dom Dolla brought the beats and fire at the T-Mobile stage, and Tyler the Creator closed the weekend with his desert themed stage. As always, ACL puts on an insane festival with an impressive lineup of artists. We’re already looking forward to next year.
