In a unusual twist of weather change our first day of weekend two at the Austin City Music Festival found us scouring for our warmest hoodie as temperatures dipped into the mid to low 50’s. In fact it was the first time in covering the festival that we saw blankets and hoodies sprawled out all over Zilker Park. Being from Colorado (where we just escaped a winter storm the day before) it was right in our element. The festival once again was highlighted by amazing music, food and just about anything else you could think of at a music fest.
Black Pistol Fire
Loud, raw and infectious, Black Pistol Fire has all the elements to become one of the next big rock bands. The Austin based duo didn’t disappoint with their set as they drew various on-lookers with their unique penchant and showmanship of rock and roll.
King Princess
Easily one of our favorite acts of the day was King Princess. Mikaela Mullaney Straus, whose moniker King Princess stole the show with her bubble gum personality and stage presence. On the heels of her breakout album Cheap Queen, King Princess has developed a cult like following as witnessed by the amount of adoring fans that caught her mid-day set. One of our favorite sets of the festival.
K. Flay
We have been huge fans of K. Flay for awhile and knew she would be bringing an amazing set. Her no-hands barred approach to her music left fans wanting more as she strutted with her usual prowess up and down the stage. Flanked by her bandmates in all-white ensembles, the band demonstrated a kind team-like effort as they scorched through their set.
Lil Uzi Vert
Our first hip hop set of the festival lhad us thirsting for more as Uzi maintained exuberant energy from beginning to end. One of the new sung heroes of the hip hop genre, Uzi demonstrated his immaculate skills as the crowd knew pretty much every word to every one of his songs. A bright up and comer who has a bright future.
Kaytranada
One of the hottest producers to come into the scene the last few years. Kaytranada played a energetic set as temperatures cooled off. The younger crowd seemed to enjoy it the most as he cranked out some of his more familiar hits along with some newer material that we are excited to listen to.
Jenny Lewis
One can’t go wrong with the beautiful Jenny Lewis and she played one of the better sets of the weekend. Adorned in her usual beautifully crafted gowns Lewis was very engaged with her crowd as she ripped through crowd favorites including “Red Bull and Hennesy” and more. We have had a chance to see Lewis on a few occasions and this was one of her better sets we have seen.
Thom Yorke
Winner for best mid-day set goes to Mr. Thom Yorke. The Radiohead frontman gave us a glimpse of his solo project as he gave us infectious beats and his gyrating moves that gave us a sample of something different from his Radiohead stuff. We don’t know of any other artist who can combine a variety of different projects all while sounding unique in their own way.
Tame Impala
We left Denver on the eve of Tame Impalas back to back sold out shows at Mission Ballroom only to see them for a third time Friday night at Zilker Park. While they kept the same sets as before, one can never get enough Tame. Kevin Parker a man of many talents commands his band to greater heights each and every year with more balanced and polished material that earned them a well deserved headlining slot this year and for years to come.
Orville Peck
Ever year the festival is filled with buzz acts, this year only one act lived up to its hype. Orville Peck hit the Honda Stage with a force and gained some new fans in return. The Canadian born country act with his customary fringed mask unleashed a form of country that stands out from the customary genre. Like other country artist trying to bend the country sound like Sturgill Simpson and others, Peck lived to the hype with one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. A tour is on the way and we suggest catching him when he visits your city.
Denzel Curry
The younger crowds seemed to flock to any stage involving EDM and Hip Hop. Such was the case with Denzel Curry’s set. One of hip hops emerging stars, Curry has paid his dues and continues down his path towards stardom. A rathe packed mid-day set at the Honda Stage left the crowd hyped as they sang word for word the raucous inducing lyrics to Curry’s songs. Much in the manner in which we have seen young stars command the ACL stages early in their career such as Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper, the future is bright for all of the younger generation of hip hop artist today.
Tierra Whack
One sure way to win the crowd over is to reward them with snacks. Up and comer Tierra Whack was a crowd favorite and she shined with a live set that had her smiling ear to ear for her whole set. Hailing from the “City of Brotherly Love” her penchant for creativity and eccentric stage presence makes her a favorite among music fans. She lived up to the hype with a amazing set in which she even brought a fan onstage to help with her with a few songs. One of the standout sets of the weekend.
Brittany Howard
This year featured an impressive women’s lineup highlighted by some of the best. One of our favorites was Brittany Howard, many of you will know her of the lead singer of indie outfit Alabama Shakes. With her solo debut burning up the charts we had a chance to see her solo project and we were pretty much left speechless. Hands down one of our top three sets of the weekend. Her unique howl and penchant for emotionally laced lyrics captivated those who flocked to the Honda Stage to witness a truly powerful and uplifting performance.
Kali Uchis
One of the reasons we love ACL is when we see a star being born. With a boom in Latin music hitting the airwaves, at the forefront is Kali Uchis. The Colombian songstress brings all the elements to a live performance, sass, elaborate outfits, catchy music and more. Her set won over her current fans as well as her new fans. We predict she will be playing main stage in the upcoming years.
Gary Clark Jr.
We have long been a huge fan of Gary Clark Jr., we have seen him progress from playing small clubs during SXSW to epic performances here in Denver at Red Rocks. A master behind the guitar, Clark Jr, brings a blues infused sound that has set the bar for the genre for many generations to come. His golden hour set was a perfect way to get us ready for the evenings headliners.
21 Savage
Another of the new generation of hip hop artist, 21 Savage has garnered the attention of many with his unique penchant for his rapping abilities which are often dark and gritty. His set seemed to lack a bit of energy from what we expected and left us a bit deflated after a whirlwind performance from Gary Clark Jr.
The Cure
This was our second time getting to see The Cure. For me The Cure provided the soundtrack to my high school years. Led by the enigmatic Robert Smith, The Cure have continued to give us sad songs we have come to love and cherish. Reaching far from their extended catalog, The Cure played all the hits and had us reminiscing to the glory years of the 80’s and 90’s that paved the way for many ofd todays artist today.
Rosalia
Talk about festival breakout performance. Rosalia was one, if not the highlights of the festival this year. Hailing from Spain, the songstress was able to show her amazing talents backed up by amazing dancers that gave her performance substance and fluidity. One to keep an eye on going forward, im sure this isn’t the last we have heard from the amazing talent.
Kacey Musgraves
Texas’s own Kacey Musgraves held down the Sunday golden hour set by putting on an amazing performance for her die-hard fans. The fans all adorned with their cowboy hats and western attire all got a glimpse of country’s biggest stars. Playing a majority of her hits from her latest album Golden Hour, Musgraves tore through her set all while keeping her contagious smile that made for a delightful set.
Lizzo
Lizzo, what can we say? You stole our hearts and pretty much won over the festival by putting together the best performance of the weekend. While many in attendance where scrambling to one of the smaller side stages to catch a glimpse, the stage was so packed it started spilling over into the Honda main stage once her set started. As usual Lizzo came out to a huge ovation and ripped through her latest catalog while everybody in the crowd sang word for word. Amazing set and this is only the beginning.
Robyn
We were surprised when we saw the headliner for Sunday night, many of the younger generation are not all too familiar with Robyn, and if they are it may be off one of her singles “Dancing on my Own”, with that being said we have been huge fans of her since the beginning and when we say the beginning we mean “Show Me Love” days. Regardless, we got a amazing performance and was a perfect ending to our three day weekend. She danced, laughed, and left it all on the stage giving those in attendance a memorable and unforgettable set. What a weekend. Kudos to ACL for the well represented female lineup on Sunday. Once again you prove to be the best music festival in the world. Until next year. Y’all take care.
Words and photos by Robert Castro
