Written by Harrison Lorenzen
From the cold and rainy weather on Friday and Saturday to the bright, sunny, and warm Sunday, Austin Parks Foundation once again drew thousands of music lovers to Austin City Limits Music Festival. Nothing could keep away the fans swarming to see their favorite artists. Young kids were dragging their parents into Austin Kiddie Limits to see Imagination Movers, teens were mobbing the stage to see Lizzo and Childish Gambino, and adults were lounging in yard chairs to see the Cure and Guns and Roses. Zilker Metropolitan Park was buzzing with activity throughout all three days, with bands loading in first thing in the morning, to crews packing up the stages late Sunday night. Fans filled the park from the moment the gates opened at eleven each morning, eager to beat the lines at the sponsored experiences such as the Uber Rewards Lounge or Tito’s Party in the Shack. Stages sprung to life at 11:45 and at any point in the day music could be heard from no fewer than 2 stages at a time.
As a first-timer at ACL, I did not know what to expect. Friends had tried to fill me in on the environment and the size of the festival, but nothing could prepare me for what I was walking into. From the moment I stepped foot into my hotel, I was surrounded by festival goers and excitement filled the air. Some people were talking about the bands from friday night while others were checking in to be ready for a Saturday morning start to the festival. Walking into the park, I began hearing everyone discussing their daily plans and what artists to see, quickly taking mental notes. The moment I passed security I was in another place. The world outside was gone. All that mattered was the music.
While most people will wait hours at a single stage to be front row to see their favorite artist perform, I chose to wander the grounds and stumble upon good music. I saw some names I knew on the lineup and others that sounded interesting, either from my own research or from the reviews I heard on my walk to the park. Small groups like Laundry Day, Sego, and Mallrat drew manageable crowds and talked with the audience in a way that made me feel like a part of their set. Judah and the Lion brought forced audience interaction with their multiple crowd-surfing sessions. Childish Gambino, Lizzo, Mumford and Sons, and most other acts drew crowds that filled spaces larger than a football field, yet their performances made facing the mob worth it. At no point did I see an artist that did not wow me. Austin Parks Foundation crafted a lineup where you can find a great artist around every corner. I loved every minute I spent in the park, either enjoying the music or meeting new people.
Attending the festival alone was questioned by many people. While most people attend with friends or family, I had no issue going alone. I did not need to come with friends because it gave me the opportunity to meet new people; from the Houston native who manages his own band and helped talk our way to the front of Judah and the Lion’s stage, to the Father who was waiting for Mumford and Sons while his wife and daughter were fangirling over Kacey Musgraves. I was able to join the crowds watching the UT football game at the beer garden instead of being dragged by a friend to wait for a band they wanted to see. So if you ever want to attend a festival and your friends don’t want to do it with you, there is nothing wrong with that and I highly recommend going alone at least once.
In an attempt to make the most of my ACL experience, I attended two late-night concerts at Stubb’s after the festival ended. The first was Third Eye Blind, with opener Mallrat, which was followed by the early-morning Sego concert. Third Eye Blind’s concert turned out to be an album release concert, beginning with their newest album and continuing into their classics that kept the crowd going for an hour and a half. Mallrat opened with a great set of her top hits, with her live DJ Denim. She got the crowd pumped up and partying to her tracks and that energy carried straight over to Third Eye Blind. In between the two acts many crowd members even recognized some of her songs played as part of Stubb’s pre show playlist. Mallrat writes music that is down-to-earth in a way that many artists do not nowadays. She writes about things that are near to her heart, from Charlie about her dog waiting for her at home, to Braces about her younger sister eagerly awaiting the day she can remove her braces. I strongly encourage you to spend some time listening to her music and really listen to her lyrics. It’s not all about love and heartbreak like most pop music today. Third eye blind began with a crew of cheerleaders throwing out branded megaphones and pom-poms, marking the launch of their new record Screamer. Immediately following their set, fans made their way inside Stubb’s for Sego’s relatively short 45-minute set. Considering the late hour, they had their fans jumping, clapping, and singing along for the entire time, and just a few short hours later they started the lineup at ACL first thing Sunday morning, but that’s a story for another article.
The highest-energy performance of the weekend was definitely Judah and the Lion. Starting and ending their set with crowd surfing, and every bit of jumping, rocking, and workout choreography in the middle, Judah Akers put on a great show. With a drum line, megaphones, and smoke cannons, they kept the crowd alive throughout their set. Playing all of their greatest hits and even throwing in some others such as All the Small Things by Blink-182, everyone was singing along throughout. Judah and the Lion did exactly what they asked of their audience; they put all of their energy into their set.
Mumford and Sons closed the weekend well, with everything from acoustic sets on the thrust of the stage, to an entire marching band participating in their performance. Forgoing the use of video graphics as most bands had utilized, Mumford and Sons opted for additional lights. Beginning their set in front of a white backdrop, they built up to the chorus of Lover of the Light where they dropped the white in exchange for hundreds of stage lights of all varieties. They had the crowd singing along to countless hits, and left fans humming them back on the walk back out of the park at the end of the festival.
And just as quickly as I was enveloped into this strange new festival world by entering Zilker Park, I left it at the end of Mumford and Sons set. While the experience and memories will stay with me, this weekend can never be recreated. While Austin Parks Foundation can create new lineups, as good if not better than this one, this experience was one for the ages.
