Attendees once again lined up outside the gate to get a crack at the festivities. Saturday provided a slight break from the sun with cloud coverage for most of the day.
ACL Fest delivered a mix of genres each day to live music connoisseurs. J Soulja broke out a series of locally grown lyrics and beats during his set on Tito’s Stage just after 12:00 p.m. His set was a Weekend 2 exclusive.
A pocket of hip-hop music filled the festival grounds on Saturday, with Ben Reilly performing after J Soulja on the BMI Stage. Reilly is currently stationed out of Atlanta.
The British New Wave movement was center stage for a Weekend 2 exclusive set featuring Boy George and Culture Club. This nostalgic set covered past favorites from the group’s catalog.
Natalie Maines noted that if The Chicks were to run over during their set, the festival organizers would cut them off mid-song. This actually did happen during the end of the Culture Club’s set. It was an interesting moment to hear iconic pop music of the past and, at the same time, see Sofi Tukker take the stage. Indirectly, it had a passing of the touch vibe to the moment.
Sofi Tukker recently released the Wet Tennis album on Ultra Records. Check out the music from the new album.
Their Weekend 2 set took place on the Miller Lite Stage just before sunset. It was exciting to hear how the new music translated to a live setting.
The duo energized the crowd by creating a playful game that gauged the audience’s reaction from Weekend 1 to Weekend 2. Weekend 2 ended up winning the match 49-33.
Electronic dance music took over on Saturday as Diplo followed Sofi Tukker’s set. Dance hall enthusiasts packed in for another hour of big bangers on the Miller Lite Stage.
Death Cab for Cutie played on the Honda Stage from 6:15-7:15 p.m. The 8-time Grammy-nominated indie rock veterans are now in their 25th year as a band and are currently touring in support of their 10th studio album Asphalt Meadows, which arrived last month on Atlantic.
Attendees were split between indie rock with Death Cab, Electronic-rock with Big Gigantic, and pop/hip-hop featuring Lil Nas X. I attempted to check out a little bit of each set.
Lil Nas X broke out ‘Old Town Road’ early in his set and got the crowd together for a passionate signing experience in Austin.
Big Gigantic once again packed Tito’s Stage for their Weekend 2 performance. The duo pumped the crowd up with an accelerated amount of beats per minute.
The headliners for Saturday included Flume and P!NK. Flume is an Australian DJ with a few bangers and a mix of psychedelic beats.
P!NK is an iconic pop star that has been able to churn out #1 singles like a machine. Her set had a Superbowl halftime vibe. She would experience some audio engineering road bumps, but those hiccups didn’t stop her legendary performance.
After the music wrapped Saturday evening, guests emptied into the streets of Austin. Barton Springs Road turned into a mini parade of taxi bikes and thousands of festival goers. Once the music wraps, it can be a hurdle getting back home, to a hotel, or to an after-party.
Chuy’s on Barton Springs Road is a rejuvenating experience following a day of live music. It was packed with attendees and locals from Austin. One of the bartenders mentioned he had attended the festival for multiple years doing work on-site. He advised picking up single-day tickets if you are only into a specific act. He also noted that with the traffic, lines, heat, and other factors, attending ACL Fest was worth it overall. I can also attest to this sentiment.
