The final day of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) included the largest crowds of the three-day event on Sunday, which takes place in Zilker Park along Lake Austin. Ideal sunny weather and the promise of seeing Paramore perform at their first ACL Fest drew throngs of concertgoers to Austin’s flagship large format music festival.
Earlier in the day, standout sets were delivered by hometown heroes Spoon, Los Angeles indie-psych rockers The Marias, the fiery hot guitar of Eric Tessmer and indie-pop goodness from another L.A. band, Muna. Clearly, guitar-based rock n roll is alive and well.
The heavy guitars would have to wait as Los Angeles band Muna played the Barton Springs mid-afternoon to throngs of young fans who sang along to the hits and screamed each time lead vocalist Katie Gavin moved in the slightest.
The trio of Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson met in college at USC and have since gained a near cult following among college-aged fans. They eventually honed their sound into their particular brand of electro-pop with the kind of melodic hooks that get under the listener’s skin.
Austin’s Spoon performed on the second largest stage of the festival (Honda) to a relatively large audience given their early-ish 4 p.m. slot. Set highlights included the synthy “Inside Out” from They Want My Soul (2014) and set list mainstay “Underdog.” Fans got excited when a horn section joined the group late in the set to play the beloved tune and a few more with the band before they had to make way for the next act.
Even heavier guitars ensued at the BMI Stage with Austin guitarist Eric Tessmer, who slayed his 5 p.m. slot. The blues-based musician lit up fans with blistering solos, intricate guitar work and even a swamp boogie tune that had concertgoers in the know, swaying their hips to the joyous celebration of roots rock. How this guy isn’t already a household name is curious but Austin is filled with underrated musicians like Tessmer.
The Marias, an indie-pop band from Los Angeles put in a decidedly good performance over at the nearby Barton Springs Stage. The group, who mix both English and Spanish language lyrics, reflect the Mexican-American heritage of their hometown flawlessly. Lead vocalist María Zardoya is a red hot front woman with style who plays bass synth. Josh Conway plays drums. In concert they are joined by Jesse Perlman on guitar, Doron Zounes on bass, Edward James on keyboards, and Gabe Steiner on trumpet.
Following that impressive performance by The Marias, it was finally time for the headliner without the headliner spot, Paramore on the main stage. Their 6 p.m. slot belied the popularity of the alt rock band who has been touring for 20 years. It was the first time Paramore were invited to play ACL Fest and their first tour in four years.
Lead singer Hayley Williams joked about their age, mentioning that each member has their own physical therapist now. Despite being two decades on the high energy Paramore brought to stage was evident. Williams’ orange hair and pitch-perfect vocal delivery took Millennials back to their youth in the best way possible.
The most controversial aspect of the performance was the band’s reintroduction of anti-feminist song “Misery Business” for first time since 2018. Despite this, there appeared to be little backlash from fans at the show or on social media.
Set highlights included the song “Decode,” Paramore’s song from the “Twilight” soundtrack, and Riot! track “That’s What You Get.” What would make Austin Paramore fans happy is if the band returned next year to play a headlining show.
2 Responses
Great article, need to be shared widely
It’s great!