The 21st installment of the Austin City Limits Music Festival consisted of six days of live music on eight stages. Musicians from all over the world traveled to Austin to showcase their latest and greatest material.
For locals, it might be just another year, but for a newcomer, it feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Zilker Park is absolutely beautiful. The crowd was supportive and radiated good vibes.
Cloud coverage was overhead again on Sunday afternoon. The clouds did help reduce the amount of exhaustion from the sun.
The festival also creates a family-fun atmosphere in the Austin Kiddie Limits area. Alphabet Rockers brought their A-game to the stage early Sunday.
My day started with Joshua Ray Walker on the BMI stage from 1:15-2:00 p.m. This Dallas, Texas native performed a live set of country music to get the ball rolling.
Buffalo Nichols elevated the audience on Tito’s stage with a glorious set of blues/rock music just after 2:00 p.m. Nichols is Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years and is touring in support of his acclaimed self-titled debut album.
The festival used a sprinkling system to water down the grounds, but the dust was in full effect as attendees moved from stage to stage and bar to bar. The ACL Wine Lounge provided a relaxing way to cool down during the day. The Bonus Tracks stage provided a variety of entertainment throughout the day. I also checked out the Dome Rx. It reminded me of a Star Lab, an installation that would be set up in schools when I was growing up.
Spoon was the next act on my radar to check out on the Honda Stage from 4:00-5:00 p.m. The alternative rock group always delivers at large-scale festivals. They had some horns to layer their material. The music matched the heat from the blistering sun above.
The Marías showcased their live set on the Barton Springs Stage from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Last year, the band released their stunning debut full-length, CINEMA, which produced over 70 million streams globally and was #9 on Spotify’s Top 10 Album Debuts.
Next up, Paramore on the American Express stage. The group started out in Franklin, Tennessee, and currently resides in Nashville. They owned the American Express stage from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
ZHU, Marcus Mumford, and Goose held down the 2nd to last sets of the entire festival.
Goose Setlist
Borne, Hungersite, Animal, Arcadia, Dripfield, 726, Creatures, ShamaLamma Ding Dong (Otis Day & The Knights cover)
The remaining two headliners were the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kacey Musgraves. There were some audio issues with the start of the Chili Peppers set. It was noticeable across the festival grounds. Kacey was about 10 minutes late but came out to a fiery entrance. Kacey and her band produced an unforgettable set of music.
The Chili Peppers’ sound issues made it a struggle to stay engaged with their show. After about 40-50 minutes, the sound team started to get things working properly. Hulu broadcasted their Weekend 1 set, and I loved the opening jam session.
Both sets were a fun way to wrap up the festival. I look forward to seeing what ACL Fest has in store next year. The dates are October 6-8 and 13-15.
