Austin City Limits 2025: Weekend Two, Day One Overview

Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) Weekend Two started off with the essential Day One, featuring acts like Hozier, Cage the Elephant, and more.

Farmer’s Wife

From the moment Farmer’s Wife started tearing up ACL 2025, this group just knows how to bring it. Their set was pure chaos as they unleashed their unrelenting mix of punk rock energy and heavy metal riffs. Starting with the raw and explosive sound of “Bleeder”, the pit turned into a swirling mass of sweaty bodies, all moving together in one big dance of destruction. With songs like “Dirty Shirley” and “Goldiloxxx”, the band kept things going full blast, leaving no room for rest. But when “Greg Abbott’s Maxi Pad” came around, it was time for some serious damage control – this song had fans literally spitting from ear to mouth as they screamed along. Ending their performance with the unstoppable force of nature that is “Shoe Goo”, Farmer’s Wife made sure everyone knew they were there to leave you ringing, bruised, and begging for more. Pure noise-rock magic! – Keylee Paz

Girl Tones

Girl Tones kicked off the weekend on the Lady Bird stage with “Again,” delivering gritty fuzz that instantly captivated the audience. As the girls stomped around the stage in lockstep, they launched into a dangerously catchy rendition of “High and Dry,” followed by “Got It” that showcased their unapologetic garage-rock spirit.  “Blame,” the title track, wove hypnotic vocal hooks atop distorted bluesy riffs, while “Fade Away” allowed the pair to simmer down for a moment before unleashing another explosion of sound. And when the girls brought out the snarkiness with “Cherry Picker,” you could tell every member of the audience was well and truly hooked. Girl Tones played a masterclass in loud unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll. – Keylee Paz

Spill Tab

What makes spill tab special as an artist is her unique voice and production style, and both of these aspects of her sound translated really well to this live performance. She went between upbeat fun songs of her past work and the more emotional lyrics of her most recent album by joking with the audience: “Are we feeling good? Okay, this next song is a breakup song.” Her song “By Design” pulled off a great mid-song switch from louder, electronic production with a vocoder effect on her voice to an acoustic, funkier section. She ended her set with “CRÈME BRÛLÉE!” a crowd-pleasing high-energy song where bass player Caleb Buchanan really shined on the song’s iconic riff. – Jakin Cordova

King Princess

Returning to ACL after 6 years, King Princess took to the T-Mobile stage to show off their newest album Girl Violence.The artist crafted a great mix of chill rock with emotional lyrics on songs like “Cry Cry Cry,” “RIP KP,” and “Pain.” The unapologetically queer artist sang about longing for imperfect relationships, especially on their most famous track, “Fantastic,” which was made famous by the show Arcane. Their voice was a strong point, able to convey the emotion necessary to their songs as well as showing off as a rock star. And their band added a lot to the show, creating great moments like the guitar solo on “RIP KP.” – Jakin Cordova

Bilmuri

ACL 2025 got a whole lot crazier when Bilmuri took over the Lady Bird stage. Opening with the most crushing riffs ever with “EMPTYHANDED,” the set turned the absurd level up to 11. The pits erupted in the middle of “ALL GAS”, and it seemed like every single song was a huge hit including the huge breakdowns and total meme-filled fun from songs such as “ABSOLUTELY CRANKIN MY MF IN HOGE” and “BOOMTA CASHEW”. When the band tore into their final song of the night “BETTER HELL (Thicc boi),” the crowd was sweating and screaming for another show. – Keylee Paz

The Favors

It feels right that The Favors ended this year’s debut tour at the first festival they were announced. Ashe and FINNEAS’s project was a hit, with the artists bringing together their existing fanbases for a new ride. The band played the entirety of their debut album The Dream, with chemistry between the members already established and electric. One of the highlights was “Someday I’ll Be Back In Hollywood,” where drummer marinelli took the microphone and sang his heart out on this emotional anthem. The group also played some of Ashe and FINNEAS’s solo work, with Ashe’s hit “Moral of the Story,” being a big favorite with the crowd. – Jakin Cordova 

Role Model

Role Model effortlessly charmed the T-Mobile stage at ACL 2025, oozing playful swagger and undeniable indie-pop charisma. Kicking off with the catchy bounce of “Writing’s on the Wall,” Tucker Pillsbury had the crowd wrapped around his finger from the jump. He strutted through groove-heavy cuts like “Look at That Woman” and threw in a dreamy, sing-along cover of The 1975’s “Somebody Else.” The energy hit a fever pitch during “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” where he brought out esteemed singer Lizzy McAlpine. It was effortless, fun, and packed with the kind of breezy serotonin every festival afternoon needs. – Keylee Paz

Empire of the Sun

The Australian electronic duo returned to Austin City Limits with elaborate costumes and stunning visuals. Their new wave synth pop sound was a great vibe, continuing to deliver great shows after nearly 2 decades of the band’s history together. Singer Luke Steele’s ethereal vocals soared over the band’s psychedelic instrumentation. Nostalgic hit songs like “Walking on a Dream” ignited the crowd, while deeper cuts showcased the band’s artistic depth. The duo ended with “Alive,” an anthem that the whole crowd can sing along to and experience. Whether you’re a devoted fan or discovering them for the first time, Empire of the Sun proves they’re essential live performers. Their ability to blend electronic elements with organic instrumentation creates something genuinely transcendent. – Jakin Cordova

Cage the Elephant

The performance by Cage the Elephant was another reason that the band was a festival headliner, with their infectious energy lighting up the entire park during sunset. The opening song was the hyper-caffeinated punk anthem “Broken Boy”, which had Matt Shultz bounding around the stage through pyrotechnics. Shultz had the audience in complete frenzy during his performance of the grunge-inspired track “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”. The heavy fuzz riffs from “House of Glass” got everyone moving as well. After Shultz performed the heart-wrenching ballad “Cigarette Daydreams”, getting the whole audience singing along, he concluded the show with an eclectic rendition of “Come A Little Closer”. – Keylee Paz

Hozier

The Irish singer-songwriter commanded the stage with effortless grace, his distinctive baritone voice lulling in the audience. He started more upbeat with “Nobody’s Soldier,” then moved to slower songs. The setlist balanced his most beloved tracks with deeper album cuts, each song feeling like an intimate confession. “Francesca” and “Someone New” showcased his ability to weave intricate melodies with deeply personal storytelling. He of course ended with “Take Me to Church,” a timeless song that everyone can belt. No matter if you’re drawn to his anthemic choruses or his quiet, introspective moments, Hozier delivers a concert experience that feels both timeless and profoundly human. – Jakin Cordova

Weekend Two, Day One Recap

The first day of Austin City Limits Weekend Two was extremely hot, however, it could not destroy the energy that the fans felt at Zilker Park. Regardless of the endless dust and scorching sun, Saturday was filled with some of the most memorable sets and amazing energy.

The experience was brought together through different activations, such as Topo Chico’s station that kept people hydrated with yummy sparkling waters and hard seltzers. T-Mobile’s Magenta Club provided an air conditioned sanctuary where fans could take a break from the heat, charge their phones and view the performances from high up before returning to the mass of people.