As a former Austin resident, Austin City Limits was always more about the week after than the festival itself, but there were oftentimes I could be swayed into attending by visiting friends just to get mixed into the scene. As one of the largest festivals that continues to grow, ACL can be a massive event for even the most seasoned concert goer. The dust, the crowds, the sprawling and hot, shade-less environment – you definitely have to come prepared to not wreck your body or wear yourself out too quickly.
That being said, I did my absolute best to bring myself out of festival retirement and was able to spend a good chunk of time exploring the fest to experience both new and beloved artists. I made new friends, reunited with old ones, and left with a heart full of memories and appreciation for all of the moving parts that work together to pull things off like this. Here’s to next year, and hopefully continuing to experience ACL in all its forms.
Highlights include BALTHVS, That Mexican OT, Khruangbin, and Santigold
Chappell Roan
One of the most anticipated performances of the weekend was definitely Chappell Roan, the Midwest Princess who’s undoubtedly had the biggest year of her career thus far. Every once in a while there comes an artist that inspires individuals to be the truest versions of themselves despite generations of towering and debilitating social constructs. Churning this vitriol into inspiration is no easy feat, and it makes sense that so many have connected with Chappell’s messages of radical self-acceptance and encouragement of creative expression. Defying the heat and the rampant dust, 75,000 attendees pushed to be first in line for the Pink Pony Club. After recently making headlines for having the largest Lollapalooza crowd of all time, Chappell also drew one of the largest crowds during a sunset slot in ACL history.
Blink 182
Blink are still doing what they do best – pairing their ‘Jackass’ esque lyrics with fast paced punk melodies that have made them popular for decades. But even nostalgia wasn’t enough to battle the tumultuous sea of attendees and dust, so I left about 10 minutes in. Even during my short watch, I was graced with a classic back and forth joke between Tom and Mark about weiners and pubes, making it worth all the while. To add another random twist, Mark Hoppus was on my flight from LA to Austin and as we exited the jet bridge, made an anal joke in reference to the TSA machines we passed by. There were about 6 of us, and we all burst into laughter as we took in the names of the machines that had gone unnoticed before – Analogic. Songs played included ‘M&M’s’ and ‘Aliens Exist’.
Tyler the Creator
As we patiently wait for news of Tyler’s 8th album, going into this trip he was the artist I had at the top of my radar. By Sunday I gave myself most of the day to reserve my energy and hype myself up for his set. Never one to disappoint, Tyler delivered an energetic and truly beautiful catalogue spanning performance with an immersive stage design that made it all the more theatrical and engaging. Before launching into ‘She’, Tyler reminisced on his first time playing the track, which happened to have been in Austin. He also touched on his 2014 riot charge during SXSW, which I definitely remembered and had to fill in the people next to me about. All in all, Tyler took us down memory lane and gave an explosive and meaningful set, including tracks like ‘Lumberjack’, ‘I Think’, ‘DEATHCAMP’, ‘She’, and ‘Yonkers’.
Dom Dolla
To say Dom Dolla brought the heat would be putting it mildly – Dom Dolla has the craziest energy of any electronic artist on the scene. The way this producer can conjure a beat and whip any dance floor into a frenzy should be studied – I mean, we’re in the sweltering October heat and this man has pyrotechnics that are melting minds, wigs and makeup. And no one cared to even wipe their sweat. It was a pure dance party with people of all ages, some looked like they intentionally made it to the set and others looked like they simply followed the sounds that they were surprised to be enjoying. All in all, it was a top notch crowd that really transported me back to my early techno rave days that made me fall in love with the live music community. If you ever have the chance to see Dom Dolla, please don’t miss the opportunity.
The Marias
The Marias have long held a soft spot in my heart but their performance at ACL was a cherry on top of my weekend. Their sound combines dreamy melodies with a deep, experimental edge. The bands’ lead singer, María Zardoya, has an otherworldly stage presence that draws in her sings in both English and Spanish, connecting with members of the audience with serenades. For a relatively young band, they have shot to stardom with the release of their two albums, with some tracks already topping the charts. Set highlights included ‘Hush’, ‘Run Your Mouth’, and ‘I Don’t Know You’.