The highs and lows of ACL weekend 1 and what you can expect from weekend 2
October is my favorite month, and not just because it’s my name, but because it is the most magical time of year. Halloween decorations, slightly less scorching temperatures in Texas, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This is my second time attending, and this weekend takes the cake BY FAR.
If you have never been to ACL and need advice, I don’t have a full column on that, but here’s the skinny:
You can wear cute shoes if you have good insoles (Dr. Scholl’s on amazon)
The dust is invasive, so bring allergy medications, bandanas, and inhalers if you have asthma because you will get taken out.
If you don’t like where you are standing in the crowd, literally just move. If a tall man decides to push around you just to stand right in front of you, shift 3 feet and 14 people to the left. I always forget I can just move, especially at ACL. Crowds are generally less hostile and pushy once you’re past the main pit.
ELECTROLYTES. It is too damn hot to be able to hydrate to the full potential your body needs. Electrolytes will revitalize you, so bring packets in if you can, and if not, they hand them out at the hydration stations early in the day. If you get there before peak times, you could grab one or two.
Fans!!!!!!!!!! You need a fan if you plan on seeing anyone before the main headliners. We got there around 2 each day and it is unbelievably hot, and on Saturday, it is crowded and difficult to find places to sit so bring a fan!!! ACL also sells cute fans for $20, and though pricey, I got one since I planned on putting it on my wall after and it worked like a charm. Electric ones would be better for less arm fatigue, however.
Bring portable chargers (charged) if you plan on taking lots of videos.
As far as getting to and from the festival, I would recommend the buses. ACL has shuttles, but we used the CapMetro buses in and out, and they were pretty reliable. Now, the 803 bus line is the closest to the main entrance of ACL (Barton Springs) and is packed and hard to get a ride on. If you are willing to shell out some cash, the little bike carts will take you to the Whataburger on 1st and Riverside for anywhere from $75-$150. If you have 3 people, this is not that expensive per person, and it will be faster and cheaper than an Uber. From there, you have the option of 3 bus stops with the option to go pretty much anywhere in town. If you don’t want to pay for that, you can park near Austin High School and make the scenic 20-minute walk across the river to the festival at the Lady Bird Lake entrance.
Finally, you are not going to war. Despite my little list, ACL is not as scary as it seems. Sure, cell service is spotty at times, but always have a meet-up spot, and crazy enough, if you walk away from the large crowds, you can usually get a signal (especially in the sports tent). You’re in a big city with plenty of opportunity to get home, and there are cops and city bus workers EVERYWHERE, and they will help you if you don’t know where you are!!!
Now that the general stuff is done with. Let’s get to the good stuff- the music!!
The lineup this year was a great mix of new and old, most big names leaning towards a fabulous 2014 Tumblr vibe, which my inner middle-school self was screaming for. The only thing that would’ve made it better would be Florence + The Machine or The Neighbourhood.
Best Up & Comers
ACL has had its fair share of big hits on its smaller stages in the early days, and this year is no exception. Trendy, yet talented, artists who have 1 or 2 TikTok songs took residence in most of the 12:30-3:30 PM timeslots. Though some people were booked in these slots before reaching the level of fame they are at now (why was Olivia Dean at 2:30 PM with that big of a crowd?), I am happy to tell you about my favorites in daily chronological order.
LVVRS: We had the pleasure of hearing part of their set while eating grilled cheese sandwiches, and we enjoyed it. I did do a little research pre-festival on smaller artists, and I didn’t think much of their recorded discography. I am not a fan of the voice distortion thing, and some of their old music sounded Fall Out Boy-ish, which is not my favorite. But live? I couldn’t tell you those were the same people. They had a cleaner sound that felt more polished and technically skilled than their recordings. They had great instrumental skill from what we heard, and a decent Fleetwood Mac cover. If you are interested in rock music and have some free time on Friday, I would stop by.
Amble: I only saw part of their set, since this would have been about the time I was trying to chug water and rehydrate under the food area tent. I loved what I was able to see and hear. I had never heard of them pre-ACL, and I thought they had a great sound. Folksy, country, and a lot of broken strings? I couldn’t tell exactly what was happening, but it seemed like that was a recurring theme for them. Nonetheless, I love a good string-heavy band with a unique sound. The lead singer’s voice was deep, slightly gruff, and soothing to the soul. I hate the Tito’s stage, though, let it be known. It is too small.
Good Neighbors: Once again, I did not see all of their set, but similar to LVVRS, they appeared better live to me than on recording. Maybe I just really like live music, but I swear they sounded a thousand times better singing their songs than they did on my phone. They sing the really popular TikTok/ reels song “Home”, and I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard that song, but it sounded different live. Their music seems more life-like in person, and it doesn’t quite translate as well on their recorded songs because of the auto-tune and voice distortion used.
Tanner Usrey: Never heard of him before ACL, but I turned to my friend and asked who it was when we were waiting for Willow Avalon because I was so impressed with his voice. It is truly amazing, and I’m intrigued to see a full concert from him. He released an album in July of this year, and I gave it a listen Friday night. I was impressed. Country music is competitive right now, but I think he has a real shot at being in that competition.
If there is a small artist I didn’t name, it is because I either did not see them or their music wasn’t my style, and that is for you to guess. I didn’t see her, but honorable mention to FLOWEROVLOVE because I did see marketing for her show but I still have no idea what kind of music she sings. But I do know her name, and that means she is working overtime on that marketing and I respect that.
Big Name Opinions (Good and Bad)
I tried to see as many large names and headliners as possible, but I am only one person with two legs and lots of ground to cover. But these are the people I saw, and what I thought.
Cage the Elephant: 10/10. Outstanding energy despite being in a black turtleneck and black slacks. Played Telescope, Come a Little Closer, Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, and Cigarette Daydreams + some deeper cuts that true fans would love. Probably one of my favorite sets of the weekend.
Finneas & Ashe: Their show was fun, but hard to get into because they are newer, and I just don’t know enough of their music, unfortunately. They are very clearly talented and dedicated, and they sounded polished, but were not a huge stand-out for me. My friend, however, who is a fan, had a wonderful time.
Role Model: Fun set, hilarious attitude, Hilary Duff. You should go to see who will be Sally for weekend 2, right?
Empire of the Sun: Soul snatching. I felt like I was ascending. This show was fun, engaging, and played songs I didn’t even know Empire of the Sun had anything to do with.
Hozier: While I love a sad song, almost an entire set of them after 9 hours in the sun did sort of tire me at points. To be fair, that is not Hozier’s fault, but rather mine, and I would not recommend following in my footsteps. He did play a song that my friend, who is a major stan, said he does not usually play, and was a treat for fans. He played De Selby Pt.. 2 (Amen!) and a few other of his greatest hits. Those were spread out throughout his set, which was fantastic and something I cannot say a lot of other artists did. It helped keep everyone listening and enjoying. He also had a few inspiring words about human compassion that were beautiful. It is nice to know that some people who are famous will use their platform for good.
Olivia Dean: I am biased because I’m obsessed, but she was damn good. Sitting at a top performance of the weekend, she has this air of sophistication that not all artists do. She had great energy, and while her production wasn’t huge, she spoke a lot to the crowd and played a good mix of old and new music.
Yoke Lore: I feel like I can’t give a good opinion of them because I only know the TikTok song. I thought the set was good, and they sounded just like they do on record.
Doechii: OH WOW. She gave early 2000s realness, and her set was so entertaining. From ripping her pants to running from security guards, she was a chaotic menace and a fabulous representation of her music. The entire set was a good time, and the crowd was kept moving.
The Strokes: I have to say, I was really sad about this. I LOVE the Strokes, and I was really looking forward to their set. Whether it was the late start, the incoherent yelling of songs, or the weird comments about fighting the moon, I left halfway through and went to Sabrina Carpenter. And it wasn’t just me, the crowd for the Strokes ended not too far from the stage, while I struggled to get in the near vicinity of Sabrina’s stage. As an avid Strokes fan, I can tell you that maybe at one point they would have been at the festival headliner level of famous, but they are not on the same level as Sabrina Carpenter right now.
Sabrina Carpenter: Arguably the best performance of the whole festival, her show was quite literally a SHOW. There were intermissions, an entire theme, small acting scenarios; it was a production to say the least, and it was fabulous. This set literally made me happy to be a woman. And I want to start a rumor that she and Joe Keery are together.
The Dare: This was such a fun set. It is a little jarring to see just one person on a stage, and I think it made me feel slightly awkward when he first came out, but his stage presence was dominating and electrifying. He seemed happy to play his popular songs, which some artists I have discovered are not. He and his mixer were doing their THING.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise: I will also say that some people LOVED this set. I am not some people, unfortunately. I am not a die-hard fan, but I listened occasionally when I was younger. I left a little early to get a good spot for Gigi Perez, but also partially because the sun was directly laser-beaming onto my forehead, and partially because it looked like the main singer was yelling at a band member when they came out (late), and then she started to creepily crawl on the floor. Her voice was great, but her vibes were not my favorite, and for that, I’m sorry.
Gigi Perez: Beautiful voice, beautiful human, I see big things in her future. Her presence was so genuine that it almost made me anxious for her? Like, she seemed so real and relatable that I hope and pray she doesn’t get hardened by the industry. It can be cruel trying to just make music. If you have the chance, see her.
T-Pain: He should have been a headliner. His show felt way too short for the energy he was bringing. The stage set? The outfit? The song mixes? The crowd was moving the entire time, and so was I. It was absolutely unreal. The crowd for T-Pain was larger than even the crowd for The Strokes. And everyone knows no one has a better time at a T-Pain concert than T-Pain.
The Killers: To close out the weekend, The Killers sure did shut it down. Now, I like a few of The Killers’ songs, but I don’t know a ton of them, so for me, this set dragged on a little too long. They performed damn near 15 songs in their 1 1/2 hr time slot, and even though they started on time, they finished 20 minutes later than allotted, and the festival pulled the plug during their outro. Aside from length, the show was great, the songs that people knew were well spread out, and Brandon Flowers did a fabulous job of keeping the crowd engaged.
Overall, this ACL was one for the books, and I didn’t even get to see everyone I wanted to. While the heat kicked my ass, as it does every year, I will always tell you to buy the ticket! Let me know who your favorites were and who you are excited to see on weekend 2. If you made it this far, thanks for reading.
, October Tuned
