ACL 2023 WE1 Preview

COLD FRONT ALERT: Folks, it looks like this is going to be the single best weekend of weather for ACL in years! I, for one, am extremely excited to stand in the field and listen to music with friends without melting. Granted, this readership is not always congruent with the ACL target audience, but it does not stop the fest from having enough nostalgia and newness to prompt a wristband pick up.

Let’s run through some artists to see, housekeeping and tips and tricks to survive. Click through fam.

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ACL Festival 2021

ACL Festival 2021 is happening. The lineup is out, wristbands are available at noon. This is technically the 20th anniversary edition.

If you had wristbands for 2020, here is a path to verify your 2021 carryover. Find your email for your order by searching your inbox for ‘Your ACL Festival Weekend [One or Two] Receipt’. Get your order number. Click on the WE1 or WE2 ticketing links. In the top menu, click on Manage Your Order and enter the email, order number and phone number. You should get a confirmation page for 2021 wristbands.

GET VACCINATED.

Looking Back and Looking Forward: ACL W1 Recap & W2 Preview

ACL 2019

Today’s the day! It’s officially day one of Weekend Two of Austin City Limits 2019! Last weekend, we endured a ridiculous amount of heat and humidity to see some great bands deliver wonderful performances. Lucky for you, Weekend Two goer, you have the chance to see essentially the same lineup (with a few wonderful additions) with far superior weather. Yes, it may look like rain is in the forecast this morning and it’s likely Zilker will turn into a bit of a mud pit (rain boots may be your friends), but the great news is you will not sweat merely by existing. You can view the full schedule here, and if you’re a fan of the hard paper copy, I would suggest printing one out at home, as there is no fold out maps / schedules this year. Read more for my thoughts from Weekend 1 and suggestions for Weekend 2. Read more

ACL 2019 Preview: Big and Small Bands To Watch

If you can believe it, (I can’t) we’re less than a month away from two weekends of crazy fun at Zilker Park once again. Whether you’re a veteran fester or new to Austin City Limits Music Festival, we’re here to try and help you navigate a few days in the still-too-hot-for-October-Texas Sun with a few hundred thousand of your closest friends. Click past the jump to check out five of my must see bands, both obvious choices and more under the radar acts. You can buy your tickets / passes here.

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Show Review: Band of Horses ACL Taping (10/2)

boh2As the ACL Music Festivities came to a close a stones throw away from downtown Austin on Sunday evening, Seattles Band of Horses found themselves hanging in the balance between two very different musical settings. On Friday night, the band performed for the mass festival crowd in front of thousands at Zilker Park which brings a certain degree of exuberance and community, yet still slightly impersonal vibe. Struggling with sound bleed from adjacent stages, the quieter moments which the band is well known for dont lend themselves well. Sunday night however, they graced the Austin City Limits stage for the second time (Season 36, 2010) for a deeply personal and cathartic experience for audience and band alike, showing that the band is a true master of dynamic range when given the proper venue. Hit the jump for more.

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Friday Top 5: Reasons I’m Actually Looking Forward to ACL

I know, another festival related post from myself, but it’s that time of year in Austin if you haven’t noticed. Fall. Sure SXSW rules the Spring, but Fall in Austin, Tx can have your head spinning at all of the live music options. Not only do we have ACL and Fun Fun Fun Fest, but the schedule of touring acts this time of year can be ridiculous. The festival known worldwide and sometimes confused with the television show is our kick-off to the end of the year in music for Austin, Tx, and as much as we might shy away from the fact that The Eagles are a headlining act, deep down inside it’s our festival, and a pretty cool one at that.

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Friday Bottom 5: ACL 2009

1009top5coverSo just as I did last year, I’m going to take a minute to be a negative nancy and focus on some of the downer moments of our ACL weekend.  As always, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives and I still enjoyed my festival experience (no matter how much it rained).  You’ll notice that most of my list consists of things that no one can really do anything about so that leaves me hopeful that next year will be near perfection.  I’m willing to bet that you can guess my #1 & #2 slots, but damnit if that weather wasn’t the worst I can ever remember.  Yes it may even top the 107 degree heat and the dust from hell.  So follow the jump for my bottom 5 of ACL 2009.

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Blues on the Green

Don’t forget about the always fun Blues on the Green this evening with the legendary Marcia Ball. Bring yourself a chair to sit on and something good to drink (alcohol is okay). Check out the KGSR website to find out more about the event. Things usually get started over at Zilker around 7 pm.