It’s that time of year again – Austin City Limits 2024 kicked off the first of two weekends in spectacular fashion drawing in almost a million people locally and globally, bringing some of the biggest names in music to perform at the live music capital of the world.
The multi-genre festival has changed significantly since its inception in 2002, but one thing sure hasn’t, Austin’s love for music and ACL has been a testament of that fact showcasing a variety of artists reflecting the ever changing musical landscape of the city.
ACL Day 1 was full of chaotic energy, joy, and excitement as music lovers returned to the historic Zilker Park, the stomping grounds of the festival, to see a variety of artists from country, indie rock, electronica, and of course the triumphant ACL debut of pop punk icons Blink 182. The Texas heat didn’t stop fans and artists from enjoying the celebration as thousands packed into the area to enjoy some of their favorite performers across multiple stages as well as a chance to discover some new artists live and in person.
The Saint Cecilia
The first artist to hit the American Express stage, one of the main stages of the festival along with the Honda stage, was The Saint Cecilia, one of many performers making their ACL debut. Hailing from Costa Rica, the international rock band warmed the crowd up with their incredible energy. Heavily inspired by the classic rock bands from the 70s such Bowie, Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the like, The Saint had all the commentary attributes of a fantastic rock band, shredding guitar solos, excellent band chemistry, and stellar, smooth vocals encompassing swagger and tenacity. The Saint Cecilia are carrying the torch for the bands that came before them and give classic hard rock fans a new artist to add to their playlist. The band proved that rock is alive and well and showed the US why bands south of the border are definitely worth paying attention to.
Chaparelle
The Austin born honky tonk country band Chaparelle were the first artist to perform at the IHG stage, located at an offshoot area from the main festival grounds. For those new to Austin or those who are unfamiliar with the musical history of the city, Chaparellel was the band to see as they perfectly encapsulated the vibe and sound that put Austin on the map. With a cool southern style and attitude, the band created from the minds of husband and wife Zella Day and Jesse Woods, gave ACL a taste of good ol’ fashion Texas country music. The harmonious vocals created by Zella and Jesse were married perfectly with a thumping bass, exceptional southern guitar playing, and the essential peddle guitar to really bring home that classic Texas sound. The chemistry between the vocalists shined through their performance as Zella smacked on the tambourine while showing off her incredible vocal range and Jesse plucked away on the guitar matching her energy and harmonies, all while continuously locking eyes with one another. If you were a country fan, heck, even a music fan in general, this was not a performance to miss.
Mannequin Pussy
Indie alt rockers Mannequin Pussy hit the Miller Lite stage, the second biggest stage on the west end of Zilker, in the mid afternoon as they went to perform in Austin for their second time this year following their sold out show at the Mohawk in late April. With a completely sold out tour and a new album that was credited by many major music publications as one of the best albums of the year, MP was understandably one of the most anticipated acts on the ACL lineup. With fierceness and angsty energy, MP came out swinging rocking an amazing attire to match their character featuring a gaudy, gorgeous white dress dawned by lead singer Marisa Dabice and a panthose wrapped lingerie type outfit worn by guitarist Maxine Steen, the band made it clear that they were here to rock out and look amazing while doing it. Kicking the show off with their song “Sometimes” off their latest critically acclaimed release I Got Heaven, the large crowd immediately responded with praise and admiration as the band poured their emotions and carefree spirit out on stage. If you made the mistake of missing their second Austin performance, definitely don’t do it again. The band is only getting bigger and judging by the size of their ACL audience it will only be a matter of time until their playing arenas.
Dexter and the Moonrocks
Texas based Dexter and the Moonrocks closed out the BMI stage, one of the smaller stages at ACL this year, which gave fans a chance to experience a more intimate concert setting and be up close to the artists performing. The Moonrocks played their innovative style of “ Western Space Grunge” drawing influences from the southern sounds in which they grew up around as well as 90s heavy weights such as Nirvana and Alice In Chains. You can tell from their writing and musical tones that they are true fans of music from multiple genres which shined through their passionate and lively performance as they played their own hits such as “Couch” and “Sad in Carolina”, the later of which being dedicated to the recent tragedies that affected the state, and even threw in a cover of of Surf Curse’s “Freaks” which blew the audience away and gave fans an unexpected surprise. While this wasn’t the first time the band played at ACL, it was their best slot on the festival so far giving local fans a chance to see one of their own headlining an ACL stage as well as exposing the artists to new fans coming to the festival for the very first time.
Foster the People
After seven long years away from the limelight, indie pop icons Foster the People returned to Austin as the second to last act to play the Honda stage. Drawing in one of the biggest crowds of the day, festival goers packed in to watch the group perform classic hits such as “Helena Beat”, “Lost in Space”, and of course the beloved “Pumped Up Kicks” to end their set. You could feel the love and positivity in the air as Foster and the band played their brand of fun and upbeat pop music. Foster gave fans an incredible experience and an escape, if only for a moment, from their personal and existential troubles as they filled the park with light, hopefulness and excitement for the headlining act of the evening.
Blink-182
Lastly, the main act of the Honda stage for the evening, was the iconic trio Blink-182 making their debut at the ACL Festival. Foster the People may have set the tone for a large audience, but Blink built on that and created a crowd that seemed as though it was almost double the size, and understandably so, as many people in the crowd stated that this was the sole reason they were attending the show in the first place. Coming out the gates with classic tunes, Blink opened the show with their momentum building anthem “Feeling This” as well as their energetic, fast paced single “The Rock Show”. In true Blink-182 fashion, the band broke out at the beginning of their set cracking jokes and making hilarious remarks referring to ACL as “Austin Titty Limits” and alien enthusiast Tom DeLonge announcing that “UFOs are real!” While the band may have aged a bit since their start in the late 90s, it was a nice reminder that they are still the same goofballs that created Enima of the State two and a half decades ago. It was a great way to end the evening bringing together old and new fans alike.
Summary
After a successful first day of ACL came to a close, joy and satisfaction filled the air for what was yet to come, bringing in fans from all walks of life and preparing audiences for what was yet to come. Many people left content after seeing some of their favorite bands perform at the beginning of the long music fueled weekend that lied ahead.
I’m a photographer currently based in Austin after recently relocating from Denver, CO. I graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. I love music of all genres and have been going to live shows since I was 5 years old. Some of my favorite artist currently include Freddie Gibbs, Lola Young, Ivy Lab and Knocked Loose, but that is always subject to change.
