Since the early ’90s, Austin, Texas has been widely accepted as the live music capital of the world, and with ample clubs, theaters, and arenas—as well as two of the country’s biggest music festivals—it’s hard to argue otherwise. In a city still without a professional football, basketball, or baseball team, Texas’s capital city boasts more than 250 music venues. So it’s no surprise that one of the country’s biggest music festivals of the past two decades, Austin City Limits, takes root in ATX, now delivering back-to-back weekends with performances from some of the world’s biggest musicians across different genres. Despite many conflicting sets on opposite sides of the festival grounds at Zilker Park, I took in over 100 performances across nine different stages and narrowed down the 10 best sets from Weekend One of ACL.
Conan Gray
Conan Gray—who grew up in Georgetown, Texas, a suburb just outside of Austin—has had a stage under his feet for the majority of 2022. In the past year alone, he delivered two performances at Coachella and kicked off his biggest headlining tour to date, only to then release a new album and launch a newer and bigger headlining tour in support of it. Somehow, he found time to fit in a visit to ACL. Standouts from Gray’s performance for his hometown crowd included “Best Friend,” “Maniac,” and “Heather.”
Carly Rae Jepsen
There were zero ifs, buts, or (call me) maybes when it came to Carly Rae Jepsen’s ACL performance, but she brought plenty of butts to the Barton Springs stage on Friday night. The 36-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter is just over a couple weeks removed from opening night of her So Nice Tour and delivered a polished set in support of her upcoming sixth studio album, The Loneliest Time. Jepsen previewed the project throughout her set and delivered a perfect closer with her upbeat 2016 single “Cut to the Feeling.”
Lil Nas X
Since bursting onto the music scene with his breakout country crossover hit “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X has become an unexpected household name in pop music and his ACL performance was as infectiously entertaining as his songs. It should come as no surprise that his performance was full of eye-popping set pieces and scantily clad male backup dancers.
Marcus Mumford
Mumford & Sons were known for their exuberant live performances, but with Marcus Mumford now branching out all on his lonesome, it was anyone’s guess if his stripped-down solo sets could captivate crowds in the same way. Following his ACL performance, the answer is a resounding yes.
Kacey Musgraves
Country music’s Kacey Musgraves is no stranger to Texas or this music festival. The singer-songwriter grew up in an unincorporated town outside of Dallas and last performed at ACL in 2019, where she celebrated her Album of the Year Grammy for the critically acclaimed Golden Hour. Although Musgraves fittingly performed her album during golden hour back in 2019, her fanbase has only since grown, which earned her a headlining spot opposite of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Sunday night this year. She kicked off her set with the fiery title track from last year’s Star-Crossed while also dipping into standout singles from her previous albums.
Pink
By the time Pink hit the stage on Saturday night for her headlining set, the party was, um, already started, but the pop icon kept it going with a surprisingly endless string of hits from the last two decades. Thanks to her famous acrobatics, Pink puts the “P” in performance—and even in an outdoor festival, she was still able to perform her Cirque du Soleil-esque stunts above the crowd with wires from the mainstage to the front of house.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Just a month away from their global stadium tour in support of their 12th studio album, Return of the Dream Canteen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers haven’t forgetten how to amp up a massive crowd. With a catalog of classics like “Under the Bridge,” “Californication,” and “Give It Away,” even the most casual fan on Sunday night could sing along throughout their two-hour set, putting a huge exclamation mark on an electrifying weekend of live music.
Oliver Tree
Oliver Tree’s songs may be strictly business, but he isn’t shy about flexing his creativity and sense of humor throughout his live performances, and the California rapper brought a dose of comedic relief to Zilker Park. Although some of his catchy singles like “Hurt” and “Life Goes On” are nothing to laugh about, his live set is as much a comedy show as it is a hip-hop concert.
Wallows
Alt-rock trio Wallows have performed at almost every major music festival under the sun since their 2017 inception and Saturday’s performance was yet another addictive set, proving that Dylan Minnette and company are far removed from being the band led by “that guy from Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.”
Tyla Yaweh
Orlando rapper Tyla Yaweh isn’t just Post Malone’s protégé, he’s also one of the best emerging live performers in the genre. After a busy festival run this year with sets at Rolling Loud, Outside Lands, Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash, and others, he ended his run in ATX. Despite some sound issues and a late start, Yahweh won the crowd back early into his set—and, of course, with a performance of his Post Malone-assisted hit “Tommy Lee.”
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“most casual fan on Sunday night could sing along throughout their two-hour set, putting a huge exclamation mark on an electrifying weekend of live music.”
This comment makes me think you were absolutely not at the Red Hot Chili Peppers performance. Their “two-hour set” lasted under 1 hour and twenty minutes. Their performance was lifeless and had virtually no interaction with the crowd. Not what I’d expect from the Sunday headliner. The Sunday fireworks at the AMEX stage always follow the headliner completing their set at 10:00PM. The crowd was long gone by then. This was a bottom 10 performance EASILY and perhaps one of my biggest disappointments in all my years attending the ACL Festival.