We had ourselves a raging time in Austin earlier this month and we wanted to share our top images from our favorite festival.
Albert Hammond Jr.
Leon Bridges
Austin Skyline
Brand New
Gary Clark Jr.
Disclosure
Halsey
Chance The Rapper
Hozier
The Weeknd
All Photos by Robert Castro/Ultra5280
ACL Music Festival (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Our final day of the festival had us excited for a few awesome bands. Our day got started with seeing the buzz worthy Halsey who has been burning up the airwaves as of late with a slew of hits. Riding the waves of her debut EP Room 93 and recently released first studio album Badlands, Halsey's indie-pop sound has resonated with us and we have been playing her record for awhile now. Her performance was simple and entertaining coming off with a saayness from somebody you would have figured to have been playing for years.
Halsey (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Sunday gave us a chance to walk around the festival and enjoy many of the amenities, which by the way are the best of any festival. Getting a chance to check Austin Eats and the amount of great food had us pretty full after shopping for a few items in the Festival Boutique area. A craft beer section had us feeling right at home as we sampled an array of some of the country's best beers.
Craft Beer, right up our alley. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Next up for us was one of favorite hip hop artist Chance The Rapper, the last time we Chance he was performing to packed crowd at this years Fader Fort during SXSW. With a live band at his disposal, Chance's sound has created a new dynamic that is easy to follow and even better to sing a long to. Reaching back to hits from Acid Rap as well as a few new numbers made for one of the best sets of the festival. Chance will be heading to Denver soon and we highly recommend seeing him.
Chance The Rapper (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
One set that we wish would have been a little later would have been alt-j's set. We had a chance to see them at Red Rocks earlier this year and were amazed by the visual lighting that elevated the performance to one of the best we have seen this year. As the sun was setting the killer lighting took awhile to kick in. After about 45 minutes or so we could see the amazing production from far away. Alt-J is a band who you either love or hate, for us luckily we have been big fans for awhile now. Their unique approach to music sets them apart from anything we have heard and while they may not be the best showman in the business being able to close your eyes and enjoy the music is enough for us to consider them worthy.
Alt-J (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
As night began to descent upon us we were ready to get our festival ended with a few bands we have grown to love. First up was Hozier, a band we first heard about during SXSW (funny how a few months after playing that festival elevates certain bands to big time festival status). We first saw them at The Fox Theater in Boulder a few months ago, he has since gone on to play bigger venues including a mesmerizing performance at Red Rocks late this Summer. One thing we enjoy as photographers is great lighting and the production team behind Hozier does it best. Sometimes simple is better and his performances have won us over each and every single time we have seen him perform.
Hozier (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
The final act of the night had us torn between seeing Florence and the Machine and The Weeknd. It finally came down to the fact that we have never seen The Weeeknd and the fact that he is probably the hottest thing in music right now. With a slew of Billboard hits at his disposal and just aired SNL performance the timing couldn't be better. The Weeknd did not disappoint as he ripped through all his hits in true to form fashion as he had the whole crowd singing every word of every single song, something rarely seen. With a backdrop of elevated lED's and his band perched above it left him all alone at the bottom doing what he does and that is put on a show for the ages. Hands down a perfect way to end our festival. Until next year ACL!
The Weeknd (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
The sun setting on a wonderful day two of the festival. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Day two of the festival had us up early to catch some amazing sets, one thing that sets this festival apart from others is the fact that we get to hear bands play earlier sets that then end up becoming household names in a couple years. First on the agenda was the smooth, romantic sounds of Father John Misty who as always put it all on display. With heartfelt lyrics and emotional and sometimes sexually driven gyrating it had everybody in the crowd hot (and not from the sun). He took his antics to the crowd as they only fed his energy for the rest of his set.
Mandy Lee of Misterwives.(Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
We love music al acts that feed off the energy of the crowd, one particular band we have been following for some time now is Misterwives (in fact we will be seeing them in Denver this coming Friday). Mandy Lee lead singer controls the stage from the opening numbers prancing and dancing non stop through the whole set. The infectious pop lyrics resonated with the younger crowd as a few radio favorite hits could be heard sung in unison through their set. A fun energetic band, we are always a sucker for their bubble gum laced songs that bring us nothing but joy.
Josh Dun of twenty one pilots (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Tyler Joseph of twenty one pilots (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
One of the most talked about buzz bands of this year would certainly be twenty one pilots. In fact we got a chance to see them recently during their epic performance at Red Rocks just a few short weeks ago. Talk about all out energy. the duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun play a unique combination of an indie-spoken word hybrid that channels early Beastie Boys mixed in with a little Eminem all while slaying drums and even a mandolin make an appearance. The duo had the most crowded stage for all of the early sets, and while temperatures reached the upper 90's the band played an almost flawless set while the crowd ate it all up.. Truly a performance that will be talked about in the future from this up and coming duo.
A$AP Rocky has been on our radar for a long time now and for many he can beat a hit or miss act. We've been following A$AP since his early days during his small SXSW sets in the past. An artist who has truly grown from the perspective of not only a well versed rapper, but also an overall performer. A$AP weekend two performance was absolutely brilliant. Performing in what seemed a throwback 50's diner setup he blasted through many of his well known hits that have put him at the top of hip hop's elite classification. Riding the tails of his new album it gave the audience a chance to listen to one of the best albums this year live and a performance that truly resonated and got the crowd hyped for the rest of the night. The night ended with memorable sets from Drake and deadmau5 who played opposite ends of each others headlining stages.
Greetings from Austin, Texas home of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. By far our favorite festival of the year, this year was no exception. With a slew of bands, great food, and breathtaking views the 2015 edition of the festival had some amazing highlights for us. Let's start with a day by day recap of our musical adventures.
Austin City Limits 2015 (Photo: Robert Castro/Ultra5280)
The first day of the festival is always exciting, for us seasoned veterans it also means trying to pace ourselves for three long days. Looking at the weekend weather forecast we knew we were going to be battling scorching heat. Luckily Friday was a bit overcast for much of the day. The first band we got to see was no stranger to us, Royal Blood took the Samsung Stage with an early set. We recently got a chance to see them during their opening slot for the Foo Fighters in Denver not too long ago. The two man wrecking machine leaves you puzzled as to how such a great musical sound is coming from a drum kit and bass guitar.
Royal Blood (Photo Credit: Robert Castro/Ultra5280)
Weekend one had us crying as to the fact that we didn't get a chance to see The Strokes on the second weekend, nonetheless we did manage to see The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. (who btw will be playing at Lost Lake on Halloween Denver folks). We have always been a big fan of his solo work since the days of Yours To Keep in 2006. He just released his third studio album earlier this year and has been on rotation in our offices since. Clad in a red full bodied jumpsuit, Hammond gave his fans a great early set.
Albert Hammond Jr. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro/Ultra5280)
The fun didn't stop there, one of the most difficult things and dilemmas of music festivals is scheduling conflicts. For us we usually base it on a few factors, one is off we have seen the band before, two is if they will be coming to our city soon. We love to discover new music and one artist we had the distinct honor of seeing was Leon Bridges this past year at SXSW. A true throwback to the old days, Bridges captures you with an amazing sound that is infectious and soothing. His performance at ACL this year will be one that people will be talking about for years to come. He has two upcoming dates in Denver, one in October and another one in May)
Leon Bridges (Photo Credit: Robert Castro/Ultra5280)
As the sun began to set we noticed that Brand New was playing at one of our favorite stages the festival. The alternative rockers from Long Island have long been favorites of ours and we have had the chance to see them a few occasions, The band goes all out from beginning to end and never lets up making for one amazing show, no matter the setting. Lead singer Jesse Lacey commands the stage in true frontman precision belting out lyrics and at times making the audience emotional. They were one of our favorite performances of day one.
Brand New (Photo Credit: Robert Castro/Ultra5280)
Next on our must see list was homegrown Austenite Mr. Gary Clark Jr. You get a sense that musicians play their best shows in front of a hometown crowd. With a packed stage that seemed never ending Gary Clark Jr. unleashed his guitar playing skills for the masses. Comparisons to a modern day Jimmy Hendrix can be thrown out left and right, but I feel Clark has established his own persona and style that will leave future generations of musicians trying to replicate his style in the future.
Gary Clark Jr. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro/Ultra5280)
The nights headliners included Foo Fighters and Disclosure. We jumped over to see Disclosure and by the looks of their setup, we were in line for a great visual performance. Off the heels of a brand new record, which by the way is an early favorite for our record of the year, the duo blasted through their short catalog of hits and laid the foundation for an array of lighted led panels and glowing platforms that enhanced the performance. Not a bad way to end the first night. On the other end of the park, Dave Growl and company provided a from row seat to the Foo Fighters greatest hits set including a couple covers thrown in for nostalgic sake. They also informed the audience they had just finished recording five new songs while in Austin and were joined by Ben Kweller.
Here we are about to embark on our fifth Austin City Limits Music Festival, this weekend in our favorite sister city Austin, Texas. This makes for one of our favorite trips of our festival coverage every year and it's also a homecoming for me, as I get to go back to my home state and enjoy a weekend full of seeing old friends, listening to great music, eating delicious food and more. As the lineup was announced earlier this year we were pretty ecstatic to see some of our favorite acts all playing under the beautiful setting of Zilker Park. With notable headliners like Foo Fighters, Drake, and Florence and The Machine as well as other recent acts to leave a great impression on Denver like alt-j, Twenty One Pilots, and Leon Bridges, we decide to take time and make a note off some of the bands we are most excited to catch.
No words (Photo Credit: Andrew Rios)
Another main stay of this years festival is the abundance of different kinds of food being served during the festival, ACL Eats always manages to outdo itself every year with great dishes by some of the areas finest establishments. With dishes like the "can't miss" Chi'lantro french fries, to the poultry filled cones of awesomeness from The Mighty Cone, ACL will surely provide for your appetite no matter what your poison is. Check out all of the participating restaurants menus here. Be sure to pace yourself, you have there days to try everything. We will be instagramming all this for you so don't worry.
Bands to see Friday include early sets from Meg Myers, Nate Reuss and Royal Blood. Late afternoon sets by Albert Hammond Jr, Leon Bridges and Billy Idol set yup for a great evening with Run The Jewels, Gary Clark Jr., Tame Impala, Disclosure, and Foo Fighters. Not a bad way to kick off the first night of festivities.
Foo Fighters headline the first night of the the two weekend festival. (Photo Credit: Castro)
Day two of the festival is also full of amazing acts including early sets by Echosmith and Milo Greene (one of our favorite UMS acts this year). Ryn Weaver, Father John Misty and Glass Animals provide for some mid-day fun. The early evening provides for hometown favorite Shakey Graves as well as tween favorites WALK THE MOON (still don't understand the all caps), a little bit of hip hop from G- Eazy and A$AP Rocky gets the party started while Modest Mouse and Bassnectar provide headline support for the evenings best in deadmau5 and Drake.
The last day of any festival feels like you've been cast as an extra zombie in The Walking Dead, yet it becomes a cry for rally time for us. While most of Austin will be curing hangovers with mimosas and breakfast tacos, we will be hitting the grounds hard catching early sets from Jidenna and Lion Babe. Sunday's early afternoon vibe seems to favor more of a chill vibe as Daughter, BØRNS, and Lord Huron take the stage. Things get interesting as our first scheduling conflict of the day has us deciding between Sylvan Esso and Halsey. As the sun begins to set a perfectly paired The Decemberist and Ben Howard go against each other. Early evening sets by Vance Joy, alt-j and Hozier make way for the festivals final acts in The Weeknd and Florence and The Machine closing out the three day festival of awesomeness. Be sure to follow us all weekend on Twitter and Instagram for live coverage and some amazing photos.
October 1, 2015 // Austin, TX–Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) –Weekend One begins tomorrow, October 2ndand Red Bull TV will broadcast live from Zilker Park beginning at 2pm CTcontinuing coverage throughout the weekend. Today, the network released the airtimes for artist performances and added more “can’t miss” acts to the schedule. Fans from around the world who can’t make it to the festival and locals who want to watch encore performances can tune into redbull.tv/aclfestival for a lineup that includesThe Strokes, deadmau5, Hozier, Alabama Shakes, A$AP Rocky, Of Monsters and Men, George Ezra, Leon Bridges, Billy Idol, and more. With three channels to choose from, viewers can enjoy a curated festival experience as hosts Sal Masekela,Ted Strykerand Maz Comptontake viewers to thefront row for some of the best performances and backstage for exclusive artist interviews. They'll also check in with friends from Funny or Dieand go deep into the festival grounds to discover what really makes ACL Fest so special. Now in its 14th year, the ACL Festcontinues to deliver an eclectic lineup of world-class talent that spans nearly every genre of music.Find the broadcast schedule belowand visit redbull.tv/aclfestor download the Red Bull TVapp to watch ACL Fest, access video on demand, latest scheduleupdatesand share comments about weekend one performances.
Watching from home? Here are the bands we’ll be livestreaming during the festival! You can check out the ACL Livestream (presented by Red Bull TV) on our homepage all weekend long.
Tune in Weekend One for live performances and exclusive behind the scenes access and artist interviews. The broadcast begins October 2nd at 2:15pm CT and continues all weekend long. Special performances and festival highlights will be available on demand for 60 days. Check it out at ACLFestival.com, RedBull.tv/aclfest, Samsung TVs, Sony BRAVIA TV’s, Blue-Ray players and PlayStation®4 (PS4™) and PlayStation®3 (PS3™), Xbox 360, iOS, Android and more!
