All of a sudden, Austin City Limits Music Festival’s third day arrived. With temps heating up a bit in the heart of the afternoon, the festival once again did a good job of helping fans cool off with water bottle refilling stations, mist machines, giant fans, shaded areas, and water bottles tossed to the crowd at the barricades. Music-wise, Sunday featured some tough choices depending on the vibe you were looking for. (The time slots with Niall Horan/Tash Sultana, Hozier/Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Mumford and Sons/Odesza come to mind.) Here are five sets that stood out from Day 3 on October 8th:
Michigander
Taking the opening slot on the Honda Stage on Sunday, Michigander worked hard and won over the crowd throughout their set. The band got the crowd clapping along to the big drum beat of “Saturday,” and followed that up with a rootsy cover of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For Song by U2.” Vocalist Jason Singer’s voice shined on shimmering indie pop/rock cuts like “Misery” and “Superglue.” The band finished strong with Singer leading an enthusiastic call-and-response of “I got high hopes!” on “Let Down.”
Suki Waterhouse
In the heat of the afternoon, Suki Waterhouse played it cool with her slow-burning, atmospheric pop hits – opening strong with “Moves” and “The Devil I Know.” Waterhouse’s vocals impressed in moments that were soaring (“Johanna”) and low-key (“Coolest Place in the World”; “Nostalgia”), with the latter track getting the crowd waving their arms in unison. Later in the set, “Melrose Meltdown” proved to be a highlight with its lush instrumentation (particularly with the drum pad element) and Waterhouse’s satisfying vocal flow.
Niall Horan
The type of frenzied screams and tears of joy present at Noah Kahan on Saturday returned in full force during Niall Horan’s set. Taking in the fervent crowd (and the sea of Irish flags), Horan was all smiles from the get-go, getting the crowd grooving with his sonorous vocals on tracks like “Nice to Meet Ya” and “This Town.” The Irish singer made one nod to his One Direction days, leading the crowd in a huge singalong on the rollicking “Story of My Life.” And for the older folks in the audience, he delighted with a breezy pop cover of Tears for Fears’ classic hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
Hozier
Golden Hour with bluesy rocker Hozier proved to be a perfect pairing. The Irish troubadour brought to life sounds from his latest record, 2023’s Unreal Unearth, from the crunching guitar riffs of “De Selby (Part 2)” to the swelling organ of “Francesca.” The gentle twang of the acoustic guitar provided the subtle backing for Hozier’s strong vocals on “Cherry Wine.” And the singer saved the best for last with a dramatic rendition of “Take Me to Church,” with Hozier leading the powerful call-and-response of “amen” from the barricade.
Mumford and Sons
Marcus Mumford noted that this was the third time Mumford and Sons headlined ACL – the only festival they’ve done as such a trifecta. The British folk rockers had plenty of surprises in store to keep their set fresh, though.
First, the band invited the Austin High Marching Band to the stage to warm up the crowd, right before the set began in earnest. The opening three songs set the tone for the rollicking folk singalongs in store, with “Babel,” “Little Lion Man,” and “Hopeless Wanderer.” (Mumford and Sons played the latter track for the first time as a full band since 2013.) Mumford’s sturdy vocals shined bright, especially on some of the tracks that started with slow-burning openings, like “Lover of the Light” and “Believe.” And “Ditmas” saw Mumford sing at the barricade and directly in the crowd, thronged by fans bouncing along.
Elsewhere in the set, the vocal harmonies shared by Mumford alongside keyboardist Ben Lovett and bassist Ted Dwane impressed on the anthemic “The Cave” and the somber “Dust Bowl Dance.” After the electrifying breakdown of “The Wolf,” the core group of Mumford, Lovett, and Dwane moved to the b-stage situated in the heart of the crowd.
Huddled around just one mic, the trio delivered a stunning, hushed rendition of “Timshel” to a rapt audience. Afterward, Mumford teased the crowd: “Part of the fun of festivals is hanging out with artists we love and sometimes new artists.”
With that, Mumford and Sons welcomed Saturday’s folk hero Noah Kahan to the b-stage to perform a completely new collaboration together, throwing the crowd into a frenzy. From there, the band returned to the main stage, but had one more nod to the local music scene: They invited the Huston-Tillotson University Concert Choir onstage to back the band on a couple of their most beloved Sigh No More cuts, the title track and “Awake My Soul.” The band kept the joyous folk party going till the very end, closing out ACL’s first weekend with the crowd exuberantly jumping along to “I Will Wait.”
