Zilker Park served as host again for the 22nd edition of the Austin City Limits Festival – two weekends of up-and-comers such as local hip hop artist Grace Sorensen along with festival favorites like Portugal. The Man, and stadium rockers the Foo Fighters. Unlike the pandemic years, this year’s fest appeared to be on solid footing with a strong lineup, bountiful ticket sales, and the bonus of great weather expected for each weekend. A wicked hail storm a week earlier produced golf ball-sized hail causing citywide damage, but fortunately the rain barely affected the impeccably cared-for lawn aside from a smattering of mulch in the regular low parts of the park. Since the fest’s establishment in the early aughts scores of new downtown skyscrapers have risen adding a dynamic backdrop for weekend revelers donned in bucket hats, Hawaiian shirts, and cowboy boots.
Friday at the Miller Lite stage kicked off with the pleasant indie folk sounds of Utah-based quartet The National Parks. The heavy strumming and a bubbling banjo along with the band’s uplifting lyrics spirited the crowd away to the mountains. Next up was Portugal. The Man’s early afternoon set at the adjacent Honda Stage – there, the crowd stretched far into the Miller Lite stage area similar in size to Lizzo’s breakout performance in 2021, making for a tight squeeze as attendees pushed past the west gate. Friday was warm but a cool breeze blew across the field providing relief to the dancing revelers. Frontman John Baldwin Gourley wrapped in an army poncho and white cowboy hat slowly ramped up their set with “Purple Yellow Red and Blue”, a cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom”, and concluded with the popular song “Feel It Still” from the 2017 album Woodstock (QRO review).
Over at the BMI Stage, Bass Drum of Death made their ACL debut, rocking the grove with their stage-pounding garage rock. Fans took delight in seeing the band at a more intimate stage, initiating the first crowd surfing of the day. Dressed in white T’s and blue jeans, the set really got going with the Black Keys-evoking tune “Get Found” off the Mississippi trio’s 2011 debut album, Gb City.
Meanwhile, on the east headline American Express Stage, Major Lazer did an admirable job of pinch-hitting for rising R&B star Kali Uchis, who announced that El Paso would be the final stop on her “Red Moon in Venus” tour, much to the chagrin of her devoted fans. Nonetheless, the Diplo-fronted Major Lazer tropical dance party ensued, complemented by fly girl dancers on stage. The feel of the video animations was very banana republic with Diplo as a drill sergeant of love ordering the crowd to bounce, jump, and love one another.
As Weekend 1 Friday turned to night, a much anticipated set by El Paso progressive rockers The Mars Volta commanded the west side crowd at the Miller Lite Stage. Their dark and psychedelic seven-song-long voyage began with “Roulette of Dares (The Haunt Of)”, which blanketed the crowd with a muddy and moody atmosphere. Dressed in all black, lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s ominous silhouette graced the large vertical video screens that flanked the stage as he belted out the synth-driven 2022 song “Graveyard Love” before meandering to a dramatic closing with the 2003 hit “Inertiatic ESP” – a boisterous finale that showcased Cedric’s vocal range.
Friday was arguably the busiest day of Weekend 1 – one could easily tell as they were swallowed up by the large swaths of festival goers making the trek over to the American Express Stage to prep for Kendrick Lamar. Meanwhile, seasoned festies continued to lie on blankets and sit in camp chairs spread out on the west side to take in The Lumineers. Usually, noise bleed is a bad thing at music festivals and ACL has done a great job of minimizing it, but this year it was a good thing since Kendrick Lamar wouldn’t take the stage until 9:45, only 15 minutes before park curfew. That left a lot of time to, well, listen to the Lumineers. Video screens at the American Express Stage announced the heartbreaking news that Lamar’s “Abbreviated set will begin at 9:45 p.m.”. Reports indicated that plane issues were to blame, so folks waited and waited. When there are delays in 2023, they don’t send in the clowns, they send in the drones. However, a choreographed drone show, although novel, was like giving a sparkler to a kid and saying that was the fireworks show.
With the news of Lamar’s delay, around 9 p.m. on Friday, a train of tired concert-goers began exiting the park. False cheers occasionally punctuated the crowd before boisterous applause signaled the beginning of the performance around 9:45 p.m., when Lamar took the stage to rush through eleven songs featuring the intro only for “A.D.H.D”, a shortened “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, and the first half of m.A.A.d city. He addressed the crowd apologizing for the delay and challenging the park’s 10 p.m. curfew saying that he would sing as long as they’d let him, which occurred at 10:15 p.m. when his microphone was cut off mid-set of “Alright”. While festival-goers rarely purchase tickets for one act, let’s hope Weekend 2 attendees get a little more of this talented artist who made his ACL debut back in 2013.
-words:
Alex Freeman
-photos:
Sam Wilkinson
