As the final day of the first weekend of Austin City Limits approached, attendees showed no signs of slowing down as they eagerly awaited some of the most anticipated acts of the weekend including Texas’s own That Mexican OT and the star known for breaking attendance records across the nation, Chappell Roan. Day 3 was lining up to be a wild one as the audiences pilled in for another jam packed day of amazing music and artists.
West 22nd
In the early afternoon, Austin’s own West 22nd performed at the Tito’s stage, the only stage at the festival that provided shade for concert goers during the performances and escape from the blazing sun that everyone endured over the three day weekend. West 22nd made history at the festival this year as they were the only band in the 22 years of ACL featuring a lineup made entirely of UT students.
Named after the band’s first practice space located on the West campus, the indie rockers put on a lively set as you could tell the UT students were as excited to be at the festival as the people in the crowd. Although they have yet to release their first album, they have already gained a massive fan base across the city having crowd participants sing along to songs during their set and attracted new fans seeing the band for the first time. It was huge that the West 22nd boys were able to play a set at such a large festival, not only for the band, but also for the city of Austin. They were one of the many bands representing the local talent at the globally attended festival, proving that Austin still holds its reputation as a musical epicenter and the birthing spot for top rising talent.
Petey
Viral content creator and indie rock sensation Petey played the IHG stage as the second artist performing that afternoon. Gaining traction during the COVID pandemic through hilarious short content videos that went viral on social media platforms such as Instagram and TicTok, Petey used his platform that he had gained to start promoting his solo indie project as well. Much like Petey’s viral videos, his music is filled with extensionalism, questioning life and pondering on the world we live in, which is also filled with humor and out of the box lyrics. The viral musician showed he was much more than just a meme playing to a crowd of dedicated fans with a heartfelt performance and humble energy.
Glass Beams
Following West 22nd’s set on the Tito’s stage was the mysterious golden mask donning instrumental trio hailing from Australia, Glass Beams. Much like Khuraungbin, Glass beams draw a heavy influence from Eastern Asian music with their own blend of modern western influences as well. While only one member of the band has been identified, spearhead of the project Rajan Silva, the trio has maintained their elusiveness through their unique psychedelic Egyptian-like aesthetic which helped them rise to prominence along with their trance-like sound and stellar musicianship. The audience became lost in the music as the intrinsic band took everyone on a journey into the void, captivating everyone in attendance.
That Mexican OT
The fourth artist to perform at the T-Mobile Stage was one of top young rising rap talents hailing from the South Texas area, the Hip Hop Juggernaut, That Mexican OT (OT meaning Out of Texas). Garning a massively packed wall to wall crowd, it was clear that the home state of That Mexican was giving him the proper respect that he deserved. It wasn’t that long ago that the native Texas rapper was playing to smaller crowds at lesser known venues during the 2024 SXSW festival, but less than a year later, ACL attendees were able to witness the meteoric rise of the unstoppable rap superstar.
With an unapologetically Texas confidence and style, no one has been putting on for the great state more than That Mexican with songs featuring Southern heavy weights Paul Wall and BigXthaPlug, performing at major festivals throughout the country, and even doing an interviews with the likes of Austin based comic Joe Rogan. Before he hit the stage, you could hear loud chants from the audience screaming OT over and over again as the crowd exploded with excitement. OT hit the crowd running and fans everywhere went berserk as the artist opened up with his signature fast paced rapping style.
Fans began jumping up and down to the beat of the music, mosh pits opened up in the crowd, and OT continued to be chanted throughout the set as the larger than life rapper kicked the energy up to level 10. His genuine personality shined through the set as well as talked with the audience about the stresses of tour life, his love for Texas, and his appreciation for the fans, even bringing up a young audience member to rap on stage with him. Austin showed nothing but love for the Texas artist and he showed the love right back during the truly one of a kind festival set.
Summary
As the final day of the first ACL weekend came to a close, attendance levels peaked during the highly anticipated headlining performances of Chappelle Roan and Tyler, the Creator closed out the night. From the amazing food, activities, and most importantly incredible musicians that were featured throughout the weekend, ACL audiences left satisfied with incredible memories and experiences that they gained from the successful first weekend of the festival. With many returning artists and new artists performing for the following weekend, the anticipation has been built and high standards were set for what is yet to come.
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.
