Back for seconds, Austin City Limits returned to Zilker Park for Weekend Two. Under sunny skies and toasty temps, the festival got off to a hot start. Here’s a quick daily dispatch with highlights from Friday (10/11):
- El Paso’s late night drive home provided a rocking start to the day. The punchy guitar riff of “Stress Relief” got the crowd clapping along, and jangly closer “Euphoria” saw the crowd jump in unison to bring an energetic close to the set.
- Norah Jones brought some chill vibes to help fans cool off in the heat of the afternoon. Her pristine vocals and graceful piano shined brightly on timeless, low-key pop cuts like “Sunrise” and “Come Away With Me.”
- Australian rockers Royel Otis finished their set strong with a lift from two covers. “Murder on the Dancefloor” (from Sophie Ellis-Bextor) got the crowd clapping along to the thunderous whump of the kick drum; “Linger” (from The Cranberries) helped generate a huge singalong rippling through the audience.
- St. Lucia thrilled at the IHG Stage, led by the assured, dynamic stage presence of frontman Jean-Philip Grobler. The pulsing synth beat of “Home” got fans dancing along from early in the set.
- Foster the People’s lead singer Mark Foster also struck an electrifying presence on stage. He hit some soaring notes on “Sit Next to Me” and brought psychedelic vibes with echoey vocals during closer “Pumped Up Kicks.”
- There was perhaps no greater golden hour groove possible than Leon Bridges’ opening cut, “Texas Sun.” As the sun set in the backdrop, fans took in the singer’s excellent vocals, starting with other strong showcases for the soulful crooner like “When a Man Cries” and “Better Man.”
- With middle fingers raised and sophomoric banter locked and loaded, the Mark, Tom, and Travis Show was back in full effect for pop-punk legends blink-182. The back half of their set featured plenty of massive singalongs, led by vocalists Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge, to their iconic hits like “What’s My Age Again?”, “All the Small Things”, and “Dammit”, while Travis Barker’s thrashing drum beats impressed throughout the show.
Running concurrently as blink-182 in the main headlining spot, Chris Stapleton had a surprise up his sleeve. The country star brought out the legendary Willie Nelson, sharing the stage to perform some of Nelson’s cuts like “Whiskey River” and “Bloody Mary Morning.”
