Austin City Limits: Highlights From Weekend Two

Tweet

Photo by Roger Ho for ACL Fest

Austin City Limits: Highlights From Weekend Two

Written by Elisa Regulski

Cool breezes ruffled the trees as festivalgoers shuffled into Zilker Park. We were all here for the second weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, but this wasn’t the typical feeling. Actually, it was the coldest fest on record.

Draped in a free airline blanket (given to me by my concerned Uber driver – what a sweet lady), I dashed to as many sets as I could. As always, the weekend was filled with diverse sounds and performances. As I reminisce about this little vacation from the world, these are the acts that will always stick with me.


Jenny Lewis

Photo by Sydney Gawlik for ACL Fest

Covered in dazzling pink sequins and baby blue accents, the VRBO stage looked like a nostalgic talk show TV set on Friday afternoon. When Lewis glided on to the stage, she was met with a chorus of people screaming her name.

“Get it, Jenny!”

“Jen-naaaay!”

There’s something about her presence that, even when’s she’s decked out in a sparkling pink mermaid dress, Jenny Lewis is approachable enough to be greeted by her first name. It’s like a reunion of old friends. We’ve all binged her records alone in a quiet room. Now we get to revel in the lyrics together.

In her rich alto timbre, Jenny Lewis crooned songs from her latest album On The Line. Her clarion voice pierced the air on “Wasted Youth,” “Redbull and Hennessey,” and “Do Si Do,” but it was her classic Rilo Kiley hit “Silver Lining” that revved up the crowd the most.

Thousands of listeners effortlessly swayed to the music, taken in by the sweet nostalgia. Later, Jenny Lewis pivoted to a slightly more cerebral tone in “Born Secular.” You’d think the heady subject matter would discourage a crowd of carefree festival attendees, but that was far from the case.

As Lewis ruminated on her traditional church upbringing, a JL superfan leaned in my ear to tell me a story. She said her mom worried about her because she exclusively listened to Rabbit Fur Coat as a teenager. Her mom thought she was depressed.

Unsure what to make of that, I raised my beer and said “Well, you’re still here!” And she tangoed gracefully with a sparkling festivalgoer in a flower crown next to her.

As if summoned by the heavens, pink and blue balloons floated onto the field. If you’ve never been to a Jenny Lewis concert, this sums it up perfectly – there’s a mixture of joy and sorrow, regret and optimism laden in her lyrics. And even at an escapist music festival, you’ll leave feeling like you’ve just waded in the holy waters.

Joseph

Photo by Katrina Barber for ACL Fest

A trio of sisters singing in tight, powerful harmony? Oh yes. More of this please. Every inch of their set oozed with emotion. These women show no fear, and they sent their rich tone halfway across the field on Sunday afternoon. Believe me, by the middle of their set, everyone was looking toward The American Express stage to see what they were missing.

The crowd let loose during the exuberant anthem, “White Flag.” As the buzzing energy calmed down, Joseph lured us in once again, this time without the backing band. Singer and guitarist Natalie Closner Schepman wailed on the song “Without You” as Allison and Meegan Closner supported with their perfectly balanced backup. It was impossible not to feel their strength and power.

Joseph’s latest release Good Luck, Kid is the empowering album we need right now. If you’re looking for a sonic pick-me-up, this will do the trick.

Lizzo

Just three years ago, I heard whispers of this new artist named Lizzo. Media were swirling around her backstage saying she was the next big thing. Hey, Speakers In Code even did a portrait session with her.

Portrait of Lizzo backstage at 2016 ACL Fest. Photo by Rachel Waters.

Only about 150 people showed up to her Sunday morning set in 2016. We were drained, exhausted, and beat down by the Austin heat. Yet somehow, this dynamic performer and her crew of dancers gave us the shot of adrenaline we needed.

This year, Lizzo drew a crowd of 75,000 people to the ever-so-tiny Miller Lite Stage. Due to her immense popularity from weekend one, C3 Presents decided to showcase her set on the screens near the Honda Stage (where, let’s face it, she should have been all along).

After reliving my childhood at the Third Eye Blind set, I pushed toward the Honda stage and wedged into the crowd. As I stood on top of the hill, I saw people scattering below me like a frantic swarm of ants. It was nauseating if I looked at it too long. But as soon as the screens lit up with Lizzo’s face, the energy lifted.

Lizzo’s rich voice gently reached my ears from thousands of feet away, but I still felt its power. After her opening song “Cuz I Love You,” the rest of the set was a non-stop singalong.

Complete with positive mantras of affirmation, epic twerking, and a groovy flute solo, Lizzo’s Sunday evening set was the only headliner we needed. When the lights came up and we settled back into reality, we took a bit of that inspired self love with us. Even if it’s microscopic at first, that little ray of light is going to burst and make everyone a bit brighter. There’s no doubt about this y’all: Lizzo’s changing the world.

[RECAP] Join The Revolution: 2018 Austin City Limits Music Festival (Weekend Two)

Tweet

David Byrne at the 2018 Austin City Limits Music Festival | Photo by Jason Gonulsen

Written by Elisa Regulski

Despite its proximity to the Lone Star State, Austin is not Texas. Culturally, this city sits over the rainbow. Splashes of color fill street corners and locals have a song for anything. Austinites have proven that any place can be a stage if you try hard enough, and they’re not afraid to let you know how they’re feeling.

As Austin City Limits attendees filed into Zilker Park this fall, they probably noticed something different. Maybe it was the cool breezes sweeping through the trees. Maybe it was the spacious layout and easy-going flow. Maybe it was the black-and-white Beto For Senate shirts and the unapologetic “Just Fucking Vote” signs.

This year’s music festival had an edge to it. And no, it wasn’t just thanks to Metallica’s double bass drum. At almost every set, people heard some sort of political outcry -- some more subtle than others.

David Bryne’s cover of Janelle Monae’s “Hell You Talmbout” startled people out of their mundane festival worries. The roaring parade of crashing cymbals and popping snares rang as a call to action. From Trayvon Martin to Sandra Bland, Bryne and his band made sure that we said their names.

Brandi Carlile called on Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready to finish the set with The Star-Spangled Banner. As his roaring riffs blared over the field, Carlile faced the drums and kneeled. The cameras made sure to zoom in on the words “Beto For Senate” on the back of her shirt. The image covered the screens.

Chvrches frontwoman Lauren Eve Mayberry spilled a messily eloquent statement during Saturday evening’s performance. The audience wildly cheered as she daintily referred to Ted Cruz as a “cockpopsicle.” Her cathartic monologue seamlessly slid into “Leave a Trace,” proving that, sometimes, you just have to dance it out.

Lauren Eve Mayberry of CHVRCHES | Photo by Jason Gonulsen

“No matter what we look like… or how we dress, we deserve respect in every room!” You could hardly hear the last syllable of Janelle Monae’s passionate speech over the wave of screams rushing toward the stage. Dozens of artists pleaded with the crowds to vote, but it often faded into the soundtrack like white noise. When Monae said the words, it was like a golden pink ballot box fell to the field. Her words carried weight, and people leaned in to listen.

A sparkling little gem wedged itself onto the second Sunday’s lineup, almost without a sound. Those who knew about it didn’t broadcast it. They crept to the tent early and leisurely secured their spot. While hipsters and Instagram influencers flocked to the headliners to catch some golden social media coverage, a few hundred fans waited to see The Revolution.

Yes, that Revolution.

The set swirled with purple lights and funky bass lines. The sound was delicately built, layer upon layer. I wanted to dissect their musicianship, to shrink inside the guitars and live there for a while. But this music was made for dancing, and that energy was infectious.

When The Revolution roared into “I Would Die 4 U,” the tent filled with emotion. Sweat flowed into my eyes and quickly blended with my tears. From the outside, this set looked like your average drunken debauchery. But inside the flimsy tent walls, we were joining the revolution.

[RECAP] ACL ’16: Flying Solo

Tweet

ALL PHOTOS BY RACHEL WATERS

Words by Elisa Regulski

Twelve girls in flowing maxi skirts linked arms and weaved their way through the crowd. Helium- filled balloons shot toward the Austin skyline and skittered their way back to the field. As baskets of chili fries and guacamole-covered hamburgers wafted their tantalizing smell through the crowd, people turned and eyed them lustfully.

You notice these things when you dance through a festival on your own.

Wandering aimlessly through a horde of 90,000 revelers has an oddly meditative effect. Like looking up at the stars on a clear Autumn night, you realize how many of us there really are. From the center of the festival, you can hear hundreds of sounds melting together. When pulsing electronica mixes with vulnerable acoustic blues, you know you’ll never taste that musical cocktail ever again.

This year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary, and while the music has shifted and the styles have changed throughout the years, the festival’s intent remains the same.

Whether you were smushed against Matt Shultz’s armpit during Cage the Elephant’s crowd surfing session or you were absorbing Gina Chavez’s lyrical Latin folk music, endorphins twinkled and hearts roared.

Even as a lone reveler, the buzzing energy felt tangible. I caught more than thirty sets during the ACL’s second weekend, but these are the moments I can’t stop thinking about.

Two Door Cinema Club

Two Door Cinema Club’s catchy, electronic swirl always perks me up when it plays on the radio, but their sound soars to new levels when they perform live. Like a thoroughly satisfying cup of coffee, their tone is full of bold, rich strength. When the lights picked up in a mesmerizing cyclone of color, the crowds melted away. I was engulfed in their sound, and that was all I could see.

Young the Giant

Young the Giant’s life-affirming anthem “Cough Syrup” got me through many stressful college midterms and sinking breakups in 2011. It’s the kind of tune that makes you want to roll your windows down on the highway and taste the breeze. This five-piece indie rock band wasted no time and launched into this song early in their set. This time, it took on a slower, groovier tempo, allowing frontman Sameer Gadhia to slide through the chorus and soak up the melody like a sponge.

City and Colour

Known for his emotional acoustic ballads, City and Colour ended their Saturday morning set with a surprising cover. Still ringing in his pure falsetto, Michael John Albert Green let his golden vocals soar in D’angelo’s “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker.” There’s something oddly cathartic about hearing Green’s resonant, angelic voice cuss out a former lover. Never abandoning his sweet vibrato, Green managed to get the whole field singing along to his twisted take on the song.

Lizzo

I’ve been told, in times of doubt and low confidence, to channel my inner Beyonce and flash a well-manicured middle finger up to my haters. While this advice was well-intended, what I really needed to do call upon the confidence of Lizzo.

With her mammoth vocals and powerful presence, Lizzo strutted across the stage like she was queen. Sure, all hip hop artists add some swagger to their performance, Lizzo’s shines so genuinely that it’s infectious. Body-positive, celebratory, and fierce as hell, this Sunday morning show set the bar high for the rest of the day’s headliners (and, let’s face it, they didn’t live up).

“Tell me how you’re feeling!” She yelled into the crowd.

We’re feeling good as Hell, Lizzo, and that’s what this whole thing is about anyway.

[PHOTOS] Day Three of Austin City Limits Music Festival (Weekend Two)

Tweet

PHOTO BY BRIDGETTE AIKENS

The 2016 Austin City Limits Music Festival is complete, and we'll be sharing photos and a review the next few days. Here's the best from Day Three by Bridgette Aikens and Rachel Waters.

Please click here for Day One photos.
Please click here for Day Two photos.

PHOTOS BELOW BY RACHEL WATERS

PHOTOS BELOW BY BRIDGETTE AIKENS