This past weekend ushered in the 25th anniversary of the Austin City Limits Music Festival and was instantly one of the most memorable in recent memory. With music fans excited for the stellar lineup, the rain and subsequent mud it created turned out to be all anyone could talk about. The heavy rain from Thursday and into Friday transformed Zilker Park’s grassy park into a sprawling, mud-slicked playground that remained throughout the weekend.
Although the rain was steady Friday morning, it wasn’t heavy enough nor accompanied by winds or lightning to cause any delays. As gates opened, the park was clearly puddling up rapidly but as the saying goes, “the show must go on”. And boy did it ever. Early performances from emerging artists Bo Staloch and Paris Paloma impressed many as the latter twirled and danced throughout the set. On the flip-side, Rebecca Black brought high-energy dance-pop and pure chaotic energy to her set, that had fans dancing and singing along.
Turnstile proved to be the ultimate highlight on Friday and perhaps of the entire festival, where the mud-filled set echoed Woodstock 1999. Mud-faced fans moshed, danced and sang along while others were seen diving into the mud as the band tore through songs like “GLOW ON” and “NONSTOP FEELING.” Frontman Brendan Yates fed directly off the energy, taking the action straight to the barricades for a massive group sing-along during closer, “T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION).”
By the time Charli xcx hit the stage, the rain had subsided and the energy hit another level at Zilker Park. The British artist brought her sleek choreography and massive neon-lit visuals, the set was engaging and full of her most popular club anthems like “360,” “Apple,” and “Von dutch.” The crowd shrieked in unison when frequent collaborator Troye Sivan made a surprise cameo during the set to perform “Party”.
The Saturday weather was overcast and dry, but the park crews had been working diligently to remove as much mud as possible, lay down wood chips and turf over certain areas that required a two hour delay before gates opening. It was worth it even though some acts got cut, most were shifted to the later start time. Annie DiRusso opened the main stage with a rousing set that proved rock is very much alive and well. Featuring songs from her debut album, ‘Super Pedestrian’, DiRusso was energetic and charismatic, making note of having spent time in Austin during previous tours. The crowd piled in for Finn Wolfhard who put on a rowdy garage-rock set. The ‘Stranger Things’ actor turned musician was incredibly focused throughout his performance, which was loose and musically tight. Other highlights throughout the day included emerging artists Emma Ogier, who brought a fresh rock energy to the BMI stage. UK artist Skye Newman who had a decent sized crowd when she started her set with opener “Hardresser” and by the time she closed her set with “Family Matters”, there was a large audience who were impressed by her soulful and commanding vocals.
Saturday headliners RÜFÜS DU SOL and Lorde was a tough scheduling conflict of the talented artists from Down Under. Both had over-packed audiences where some were seen crossing over to check out the other at some point during each set. RÜFÜS DU SOL brought their A-game and catalog of fan favorites in an emotionally charged atmosphere through live drums and keyboards. The laser light show that illuminated the sky brought the experience to another level as the Australian trio set fans into hysteria with “Innerbloom” before fireworks illuminated the downtown Austin skyline. Simultaneously, Lorde opened her set with bangers “Royals,” and “What Was That?” that had fans in a frenzy as she was vocally on point. Dancing across the stage at times and emoting while elevated on top of a large cube at other times, the New Zealand artist mentioned that she had started the current tour in Austin and how apropos that ACL would be the final dates of the tour. Ending the set with “Ribs” while singing on top of a platform in the middle of the crowd, Lorde was captivating and had her own set of fireworks to conclude the night.
The rain returned Sunday but it wasn’t significant enough to delay the opening. Texas-native Solya kicked things off with her ethereal and intimate bedroom-pop vibes that fit the overcast drizzly environment. The same could be said for the Texas debut of Sunday (1994) whose lush, 90s-inspired dream-pop soundscapes were the perfect soundtrack as the rain picked up. Starting the set with “Rain”, songs like “Doomsday” and “Blonde” created a hypnotic and cinematic soundtrack to the set as lead singer Paige Turner maneuvered across the stage through the rain. The highlight was not only their breakthrough song “Tired Boy”, but lead singer Paige Turner carrying a sign that read “CASTRATE THE CORNELL SEVEN” across the stage while performing the song, which elicited cheers from the crowd.
While the discourse online has been building about Stella Lefty and her rapid viral ascent, the singer-songwriter performed well. Filled with catchy tunes, she commanded the audience as there were many sing-alongs, especially to her cover of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield as well as her breakout song “Boston.”
Just as fun, Bleachers, fronted by the relentlessly energetic Jack Antonoff, were accompanied by soaring saxophone solos and anthemic choruses that generated a party vibe to the festival. Parcels, delivered a silky-smooth indie-funk performance that entertained the huge crowd that was dancing non-stop to songs like “Tieduprightnow,” “Gamesofluck,” and “Yougotmefeeling”.
The Sunday dance vibes were all on display from the audience who were at the Tito’s tent for Rio Kosta. The duo delivered an infectious funk pop set that had a diverse audience of all ages dancing along.
The rain had subsided by the time Audrey Hobert hit the stage and her playful, narrative-driven pop tunes had loud singalongs. Having built a strong connection with her fans online and via her performances, Hobert was relaxed and playful on-stage. Performing her breakout hit “Sue Me” twice, Hobert knew fans would be recording the performance, so before playing it again, she brought out a mini trampoline for a purely “phones-off” second round that had fans jumping in total unison.
twenty one pilots returned to Zilker Park, eleven years after their breakout performance where frontman Tyler Joseph scaled the stage scaffolding. The duo’s set was just as entertaining filled with fiery pyrotechnics, and non-stop crowd interaction. At one point, drummer Josh Dun was seen elevated on a platform over the crowd to perform “Drum Show”. Meanwhile, later in the set, Joseph made his way towards the middle of the crowd while pasting mud on his shirt and face before performing “Ride”. In a nod to the workers behind the scenes that up-kept the grounds and security to ensure fan safety, Joseph brought out a security guard to perform with him on stage.
While torrential rains, delayed gate times, and ankle-deep mud was all fans shared online and talked about, it ultimately became a badge of honor to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of what ACL has come to represent. The dedicated crowds embraced the conditions and made it a part of the experience soundtracked by the finest talent out today.
